Episode · Stuff You Should Know · 2025-09-11
Books mentioned on You’re So Good At Conversation!
It’s an understated miracle that humans can get across ideas to one another by saying things out loud. We’re strangely good at not constantly talking over each other, interrupting one another, and correcting misunderstandings.
Josh Clark discussed Full Metal Jacket Diary by Matthew Modine and Infinite jest by David Foster Wallace. Chuck Bryant recommended Generation X by Douglas Coupland.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Full Metal Jacket Diary
Discussed“You know, before we broke, you talked about the huge cameras, and I'm I'm reading Matthew Modí's diary uh of making uh Full Metal Jacket.”
Where to get it
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Generation X
Generation X by Douglas Coupland is a defining cultural novel that captured the disillusionment of young adults coming of age in the late twentieth century and famously popularized the generational label.
Recommended“Just ask Douglas Copelan. Who's that? He's the guy who wrote Gen X.”
Where to get it
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Infinite jest
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace is a sprawling, maximalist novel exploring addiction, entertainment, and modern American culture.
Discussed“I just started Infinite Jest and I'll bet I regret ever announcing it publicly because Is that David Foster Wallace? Yes.”
Where to get it
