Episode · Stuff You Should Know · 2024-03-28
Books mentioned on The Pulitzer Prize: A major award!
It doesn't get much bigger than the Pulitzer Prize if you're a journalist. Or a novelist.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Less
Less by Andrew Sean Greer is a comedic and acclaimed novel that follows a minor novelist approaching a milestone birthday who decides to accept every bizarre literary invitation he receives around the world to escape his troubles.
Discussed“Um, I picked this book because that's sometimes when I'm after a novel and it's been a while, I will go to the Pulitzer list and that's exactly what I did. And I'm reading Less by Andrew Sean Greer, which won in 2018, and it is so funny and great!”
Where to get it
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1491
1491 by Charles C.
Discussed“But apparently the Pulitzer committee is not interested in that kind of thing! He won, which was yours, 1491! And then the follow-up was 1493!”
Where to get it
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1493
Discussed“He won, which was yours, 1491! And then the follow-up was 1493! He won a big award for that, but not the Pulitzer!”
Where to get it
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A million little pieces
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey is a memoir that famously chronicled the author's intense struggles with drug addiction and alcoholism, only to later spark massive controversy when portions of the book were revealed to have been fabricated.
Discussed“I think the sad thing is that apparently it's sort of like a million little pieces book that that guy wrote. I read that book, and it was great with a capital G! In my mind, I always thought, 'Dude, why didn’t you just call it a novel?'”
Where to get it
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Roots
Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley is a monumental historical novel that traces the multi-generational journey of an African family sold into slavery in America, culminating in the author's own genealogical discovery.
Discussed“Alex Haley was another recipient in 1977 for his book Roots, which, surprisingly, had a colon in its full title: Roots: The Saga of an American Family. I think I may have seen it before on the cover, but they never really emphasized the colon, making it seem implied.”
Where to get it
