Episode · The Book Review · 2025-03-21
Steven Soderbergh on The Book Review: books mentioned (Mar 2025)
Steven Soderbergh on His Reading Life (Rerun)
Steven Soderbergh recommended Pictures from an institution by Randall Jarrell and Determined by Robert M. Sapolsky, and discussed A child of the century by Ben Hecht. Gilbert Cruz discussed How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell, Cocktails with George and Martha by Philip Gefter, Martha by Friedrich von Flotow, The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and others, Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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A child of the century
A Child of the Century is an expansive, substantial memoir written by the famous and skilled Hollywood screenwriter Ben Hecht.
Discussed“And I thought this was a defect in my brain until I read this book written by the famous and skilled Hollywood screenwriter Ben Hec, a child of the century, which is his doors stop of a memoir.”
Where to get it
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How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer
How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell is an engaging biographical exploration of the influential French Renaissance philosopher Michel de Montaigne.
Discussed“Well, this actually relates to one of the books you read, which was a book called How to Live a Life of Montana by Sarah Bakewell.”
Where to get it
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Cocktails with George and Martha
Cocktails with George and Martha by Philip Gefter is an in-depth behind-the-scenes account detailing the creation of Mike Nichols's classic cinematic adaptation of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? On The Book Review podcast, Gilbert Cruz brought up the book in conversation with Steven Soderbergh across multiple episodes.
Discussed“And this was Cocktails with George and Martha. It's a book about the making of Mike Nichols's film, Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?”
Where to get it
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Martha
Discussed“And this was Cocktails with George and Martha. It's a book about the making of Mike Nichols's film, Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?”
Where to get it
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The Thing Around Your Neck
Discussed“What spurred you to read Americana, The Thing Around Your Neck, Notes on Grief, Half of a Yellow Sun, Purple Hibiscus?”
Where to get it
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Notes on Grief
Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a deeply personal and reflective book documenting the author's experience following the death of her father.
Discussed“What spurred you to read Americana, The Thing Around Your Neck, Notes on Grief, Half of a Yellow Sun, Purple Hibiscus?”
Where to get it
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Half of a Yellow Sun
Half of a Yellow Sun is a historical novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that vividly portrays the experiences of the Nigerian Civil War.
Discussed“What spurred you to read Americana, The Thing Around Your Neck, Notes on Grief, Half of a Yellow Sun, Purple Hibiscus?”
Where to get it
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Purple Hibiscus
Discussed“What spurred you to read Americana, The Thing Around Your Neck, Notes on Grief, Half of a Yellow Sun, Purple Hibiscus?”
Where to get it
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Pictures from an institution
Pictures from an Institution is a satirical novel written by the post-World War II poet and critic Randall Jarrell.
Recommended“Uh, it's a book called Pictures from an Institution by Randall Gerald. Randall Gerald was a poet, a fairly well-known, very respected poet and critic post World War II and he wrote a single perfect novel and Mike gave it to me.”
Where to get it
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Determined
Determined by Robert M.
Recommended“Well, it's got to be the Robert Seapolski book, Determined. This is seismic. This is something that way back when would have been nailed to the door of some institution.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“She wrote a book called at the existentialist cafe. This was about Jean Paul Sartra Kimu Simone de Bvois and her first book which Stephen you read this year was how to live a life of Michelle de Monten.”