Episode · The Book Review · 2026-07-11
Books mentioned on This Author Says You Shouldn’t Be Intimidated by ‘The Odyssey’
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Odyssey
The Odyssey by Homer is an ancient Greek epic poem that follows the arduous ten-year journey of Odysseus returning home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
Discussed“Tony, you're here to talk about the Odyssey. Of course, uh it's a giant story and you have a new piece where you argue that it's possible that it is all the stories.”
Where to get it
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The Iliad
The Iliad by Homer is an foundational ancient Greek epic poem that chronicles the wrath of Achilles during the final weeks of the Trojan War, exploring themes of glory, mortality, and the devastating psychological costs of combat.
Recommended“I also really recommend I mean this is an obvious answer but the Iliad because Achilles is such a different type of hero.”
Where to get it
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The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a lyrical and moving reimagining of the Iliad that focuses on the deep romance between Achilles and Patroclus.
Discussed“But you probably know her from her best-selling novels, The Song of Achilles and Cersei, which reimagine the ancient source material in the Iliad and the Odyssey.”
Where to get it
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Philoctetes
Philoctetes by Sophocles is a classic ancient Greek tragedy exploring complex themes of duty, betrayal, and persuasion against the backdrop of the Trojan War.
Recommended“The tragedy by Sophocles is called Filictites. There are lots of good translations out there. So definitely that one to give you kind of a different perspective on um on Odysius from the ancient world.”
Where to get it
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The Penelopiad
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood is a 2005 novel that brilliantly retells Homer's epic poem The Odyssey primarily from the perspective of Penelope, while also examining the tragic fates of the enslaved women murdered by Odysseus.
Recommended“Um I'm going to also recommend uh the Penelope ad which is Margaret Atwood's uh sort of Penelopey's version but also gets into some of the enslaved women that Odysius murders.”
Where to get it
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Watership Down
Watership Down by Richard Adams is a classic survival adventure novel that follows a small band of rabbits fleeing the destruction of their warren in search of a safe new home.
Recommended“And I'm going to recommend Watership Down. Watership Down goes to show just how powerful Epic is because you can even write it about rabbits and it's still gripping.”
Where to get it
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An American Marriage
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones is an acclaimed contemporary novel that explores the devastating impact of a wrongful conviction on a newlywed couple in the American South.
Recommended“So, first of all, a great place to start is An American Marriage by Tari Jones, which was actually inspired by by the Odyssey and is in conversation with it.”
Where to get it
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The Buddha in the attic
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka is a poignant novel that follows the lives of Japanese picture brides arriving in the United States during the early twentieth century.
Recommended“This is another a little bit um unusual, but one of my favorite books of all time is Buddha in the Attic. And part of what I love about it is that it's written in the first person plural.”
Where to get it
