Person
Chris Hayes's book recommendations
Key facts
- Chris Hayes has recommended or discussed 12 books on podcasts, as of June 16, 2026.
- Chris Hayes has talked about books on 5 podcasts, as of June 16, 2026.
- Those books came up in 6 episodes, as of June 16, 2026.
- The 3 books Chris Hayes has mentioned in the most episodes, not counting Chris Hayes's own, as of June 16, 2026: 2020, How to Do Nothing and Rejection.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Chris Hayes aired on June 16, 2026.
Updated
Across 5 podcasts. Every show Chris Hayes appears on, in one place — not just one.
Chris Hayes’s most recommended books
- 2020 by Eric Klinenberg
- How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
- Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte
- The Godfather by Mario Puzo
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- Infinite jest by David Foster Wallace
- The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
- The Odyssey by Homer
- The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Chris Hayes discussed and recommended multiple books across his podcast appearances. On The Ezra Klein Show, he recommended Mario Puzo's original novel The Godfather, noting that he had only recently read it for the first time. During another episode of the same show, he praised Jenny Odell's How to Do Nothing as a fantastic book and recommended Tony Tulathimutte's collection of short stories, Rejection. On Pod Save America, Hayes mentioned Eric Klinenberg's book 2020 to illustrate the intense disruptions and lingering social effects of the pandemic. In conversations on the a16z Podcast, Hayes reflected on major literary events, pointing to Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections as a rare example of a book that captured widespread national attention. In the same discussion, he touched upon David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest as a prominent volume that many people claim to have read without actually doing so. Furthermore, during an interview on the Big Technology Podcast, Hayes engaged with questions regarding his own work, specifically addressing themes from his book The Sirens' Call concerning the pursuit of attention, the use of media formats, and the distinction between treating attention as a mere end versus a means to do substantive work.
Books recommended by Chris Hayes
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The Sirens' Call
The Sirens' Call by Chris Hayes examines the modern battle for human attention and how constant digital stimulation has turned focus into an endangered resource.
Discussed“Yeah, although I think it actually is kind of different. Like, one of the things I would say, two things. One is that I think it's possible to do do good work in any medium.”
Where to get it
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2020
2020 by Eric Klinenberg is a sociological book that examines the profound societal disruptions, institutional strains, and lasting hangovers caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recommended“I got two thesis on these one is the is the Eric kleinenberg who just got a great book out now about the pandemic called 2020”
Where to get it
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How to Do Nothing
How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell is an exploration of attention, the attention economy, and the value of stepping away from constant productivity.
Recommended“um but Jenny Odell's how to do nothing um is a fantastic book”
Where to get it
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Rejection
Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte is a sharp, contemporary collection of short stories that delves deeply into modern isolation, internet subcultures, and the psychological weight of rejection.
Recommended“and then my final is a work of fiction of short stories by an author named Tony Tula Tudi called rejection”
Where to get it
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The Godfather
The Godfather by Mario Puzo is a classic crime novel that chronicles the fictional Corleone mafia family and explores themes of power, loyalty, and corruption.
Recommended“I recently read, and I can't believe I had never read this book, but I read The Godfather, the original novel by Mario Puzo.”
Where to get it
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1984
1984 by George Orwell is a classic dystopian novel depicting a totalitarian regime characterized by extreme surveillance, historical denial, and psychological manipulation.
Discussed“between 1984 which is information constraint and Brave New World which is Overflow of entertainment and information about how we ended up in the Brave New World”
Where to get it
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A Colony in a Nation
Discussed“this is something that in Rick pearlstein's biographies of Nixon comes through that he he had a real knack rhetorically”
Where to get it
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Brave New World
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a classic dystopian science fiction novel that depicts a technologically advanced future society controlled through engineered reproduction, psychological conditioning, and constant superficial pleasure.
Discussed“between 1984 which is information constraint and Brave New World which is Overflow of entertainment and information about how we ended up in the Brave New World”
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 mean with the possible exception of David Foster Wallace and Infinite Jazz. But but it's one of those books everyone claims to read but no one's actually read.”
Where to get it
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The Corrections
Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections is a sprawling, multi-generational novel that explores the complexities, dysfunction, and shifting fortunes of an American Midwestern family at the turn of the twenty-first century.
Discussed“What was the last sort of like literary event that like every American paid attention to? And and my vote is for like Jonathan Frank's The Corrections that came out.”
Where to get it
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The Odyssey
The Odyssey by Homer is an epic ancient Greek poem that follows the arduous ten-year journey of Odysseus as he attempts to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, encountering mythical creatures, divine wrath, and numerous trials along the way.
Discussed“Yeah, I mean, to my the the the the title of the book which is drawn from the Odyssey is and it starts with Odysseus is on the mast and the whole point of that is that the sirens that lure the man to his death by warbling him in his ears”
Where to get it
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The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a classic American novel about a woman forced to wear a scarlet letter after committing adultery in a Puritan community.
Discussed“so like The Scarlet Letter for instance that's this foundational text of American punitiveness right”
Where to get it
