Episode · The Ezra Klein Show · 2025-07-18
Books mentioned on Why Trump Can’t Shake Jeffrey Epstein | The Ezra Klein Show
Will Summer recommended Buckley by Sam Tanenhaus, Nixonland by Rick Perlstein, American Tabloid by James Ellroy, and Low Life by Lucy Sante and others.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Buckley
Buckley by Sam Tanenhaus is a comprehensive biographical work detailing the life, political ideology, and cultural impact of the prominent conservative figure William F.
Recommended“So, uh, first, uh, Sam Tannonous's new biography of William F. Buckley. It's big, uh, but it's it's it's worth it so far from as far as I've gotten.”
Where to get it
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Nixonland
Nixonland by Rick Perlstein is a sweeping historical account that explores the turbulent political and cultural landscape of the United States during the Nixon era.
Recommended“You know, I think we would also think of, you know, Rick Pearlstein's Nixon Land series, stuff like that.”
Where to get it
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American Tabloid
American Tabloid by James Ellroy is a sprawling historical fiction novel that delves deep into the dark underbelly of American politics, organized crime, and the conspiracies surrounding the Kennedy assassination.
Recommended“Um, my second book uh would be James Elroyy's American Tabloid, a novel about uh the Kennedy assassination. If you've enjoyed, you know, thinking putting yourself in kind of conspiratorial mindset, uh, and obviously JFK is in the news with the release of these files, I mean, this book really cannot be beat.”
Where to get it
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Low Life
Low Life by Lucy Sante is a gritty historical chronicle documenting the underworld, vice, and marginalized populations of early New York City across multiple centuries.
Recommended“And then finally, I would say Lucy Sante's uh book, Low Life, about the history of organized crime and kind of skezy characters in New York over the centuries is always a good one to visit and, you know, again, kind of takes you back.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“He's a reporter at the Washington Post. He's now at the Bullwork and he's the author of the book Trust the Plan: The Rise of Qanon and the Conspiracy that Unhinged America.”