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Every book Alison Gopnik recommended on podcasts
Alison Gopnik appears as a guest on The Ezra Klein Show, where she shares her deep expertise in developmental psychology, cognitive science, and the ways both children and adults perceive the world. Her podcast recommendations focus heavily on children's literature and cognitive development. Gopnik recommends Peter Godfrey-Smith's book 'Metazoa,' using it to discuss the surprising intelligence and unique brain structures of octopuses, which achieve high intelligence despite lacking a traditional long childhood. In addition to scientific literature, she enthusiastically recommends children's classics. She suggests Pamela L. Travers' 'Mary Poppins,' noting that the original books are much better and darker than their famous film adaptations. She also recommends Lucy M. Boston's 'The Children of Green Knowe,' a lesser-known tale about a boy visiting his grandmother in an old house filled with historical ghosts, and Maurice Sendak's 'Where Things Are,' praising how it captures the essence of childhood adventures set against a secure background. Through these selections, Gopnik illustrates the wonder of the beginner's mind, blending developmental science with a deep appreciation for imaginative storytelling.
Books recommended by Alison Gopnik
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Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins by Pamela L.
Recommended“and then for older children that same day my nine-year-old who is very into the Marvel Universe and superheroes said could we read a chapter for Mary Poppins which is again something that Grandmom reads and we had a marvelous time reading Mary Poppins and he said you know the book is so much better than the movie and he”
Where to get it
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Metazoa
Metazoa is a popular science book by philosopher and diver Peter Godfrey-Smith that explores the evolutionary origins of animal consciousness, focusing heavily on cephalopods like octopuses.
Recommended“and Peter Godfrey Smith's wonderful book I've just been reading metazoa talks about the octopus and the octopus is very puzzling because the octaves don't have a long childhood and yet they seem to be really smart”
Where to get it
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The children of Green Knowe
The Children of Green Knowe is a classic children's fantasy novel by Lucy M.
Recommended“there's a book called The Children of green no k-n-o-w-e I like this because it's a book about a grandmother and her her grandson and he comes to visit her in this strange old house in the Cambridge Countryside and and gradually it gets to be clear that there are ghosts of the history of this of this house”
Where to get it
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Where the wild things are
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is a celebrated children's picture book depicting a young boy named Max who sails to a fantastical land of wild creatures after being sent to his room without supper.
Recommended“the fact that on the one hand you're in this safe place so with the wild things you know he's in his room where Mom is where supper is going to be and all the time sitting in that room he also Adventures out in this boat to these strange places where wild things are including he himself as a”
Where to get it
Books Alison Gopnik wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Of: Why Adults Lose the ‘Beginner’s Mind’ | The Ezra Klein Show | 2023-05-09 | 4 |
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“The example I give in my book, The Gardener and the Carpenter, is if you have a garden that is protected and has a lot of possibilities, you're going to get a much wider variety of plants than if you have a much more restricted circumstance in which only a few plants will thrive.”
“The example I give in my book, The Gardener and the Carpenter, is if you have a garden that is protected and has a lot of possibilities, you're going to get a much wider variety of plants than if you have a much more restricted circumstance in which only a few plants will thrive.”