Episode · The Ezra Klein Show · 2026-10-23
Books mentioned on Why Trump’s 2024 Voters Are Turning on Him
Sarah Longwell has probably conducted more focus groups with Trump voters than anyone else in America — hundreds of them, starting in Trump’s first term. So she has a treasure trove of qualitative evidence of how voters have evolved in the Trump era and why many of the president’s voters are souring on him now.
Sarah Longwell recommended Intermezzo by Sally Rooney, Stoner by John Williams, and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and others.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Intermezzo
Intermezzo is a contemporary novel by Sally Rooney that explores grief, complex family dynamics, and romantic entanglements through the lives of two estranged brothers.
Recommended“Okay, so I just read Intermezzo by Sally Rooney, which I really loved, but my favorite book that I have read is this reissuance.”
Where to get it
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Stoner
Stoner by John Williams is a critically acclaimed 20th-century novel that follows the quiet, melancholy academic life of an unheralded university professor against the backdrop of mid-century America.
Recommended“This book had, I don't know if it had gone out of print, but it is by John Williams and it's called Stoner. So funny, that book has just been coming up in my field a lot.”
Where to get it
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The Poisonwood Bible
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is a celebrated novel that follows a missionary family in the Belgian Congo during a period of intense political upheaval.
Recommended“And then the third book, so I wrote a book of nonfiction and so that meant I wanted to just surround myself with fiction, but the other one is Poisonwood Bible by Barbara King solver, which I had not read”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Longwall is also the host of the focus group podcast. You can hear some of these groups there and author of the recent book, How to Eat an Elephant.”