Mentioned in Podcasts

Person

Every book Doug Lemov recommended on podcasts

Key facts

  • Doug Lemov has recommended or discussed 4 books on podcasts, as of July 28, 2025.
  • Doug Lemov has talked about books on 1 podcast, as of July 28, 2025.
  • Those books came up in 1 episode, as of July 28, 2025.
  • The 3 books Doug Lemov has mentioned in the most episodes, as of July 28, 2025: 1984, Animal Farm and Atonement.
  • The latest episode with a book mention from Doug Lemov aired on July 28, 2025.

Updated

Guest on EconTalk · 4 books · 1 episode across 1 podcast

Doug Lemov is an educator and author who focuses on reading instruction, literature, and educational practice. On podcasts, Lemov discussed several influential books and their roles in cultural understanding and personal development. He strongly recommended rereading George Orwell's 1984, describing it as brilliant and essential reading for every student. He also mentioned Orwell's Animal Farm, sharing a personal parenting anecdote about assigning it to his son without prior historical context regarding the Russian Revolution. In discussing canonical school texts, Lemov referenced Lois Lowry's Number the Stars as a classic fifth or sixth-grade text set in Nazi-occupied Denmark, pointing out that students often lack the necessary background knowledge to fully comprehend such works. Additionally, Lemov brought up Ian McEwan's Atonement to illustrate the gradual and sometimes challenging process of understanding a complex novel, emphasizing the value of reading perseverance. Finally, he cited 1984 once more as an example of vital cultural capital that allows people to connect across society through shared literary references.

Books Doug Lemov recommended or discussed

Who said what is our best reading of each episode. In hand-checked samples, at least 6% of mentions were credited to the wrong speaker, sometimes an interviewer’s line recorded as the guest’s, sometimes the reverse. Every entry below quotes the words and links to the episode, so you can check it.

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  1. 1984

    George Orwell · Recommended · 1 episode

    1984 by George Orwell is a classic dystopian novel depicting a totalitarian regime characterized by extreme surveillance, historical denial, and psychological manipulation.

    Discussed
    “Almost everything that's in most important to society has been written and captured in books. And if I know those books and I have access to them, then I can connect to people about, you know, I can, if you refer to Shakespeare or to 1984, if I don't know anything about George Orwell in 1984, I can't even have”
    EconTalk Read Like a Champion (with Doug Lemov) 2025-07-28 Listen at 40:00
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

  2. Animal Farm

    George Orwell · Discussed · 1 episode

    Animal Farm by George Orwell is a classic allegorical novella that uses a farmyard setting to satirize the corruption of socialist ideals and the rise of totalitarianism following the Russian Revolution.

    Discussed
    “I gave him Animal Farm to read and I didn't give him a lot of background knowledge and I didn't tell him anything about the Russian Revolution and about how this is this is, you know, an allegory for the so he, you know, read the book diligently.”
    EconTalk Read Like a Champion (with Doug Lemov) 2025-07-28 Listen at 18:23
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

  3. Atonement

    Ian McEwan · Discussed · 1 episode

    Atonement by Ian McEwan is a sweeping and intricately structured modern classic that follows the devastating lifelong consequences of a single childhood misunderstanding across multiple historical eras.

    Discussed
    “I just finished reading uh Ian Mchuan's book Atonement. The first 60 pages of it like I didn't really someone recommended to me. I didn't really like it.”
    EconTalk Read Like a Champion (with Doug Lemov) 2025-07-28 Listen at 34:42
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

  4. Number the Stars

    Lois Lowry · Discussed · 1 episode

    Number the Stars by Lois Lowry is a poignant children's historical fiction novel that follows a young Danish girl named Annemarie Johansen as her family helps smuggle their Jewish neighbors to safety across the sea during the Nazi occupation of Denmark.

    Discussed
    “Like, we're assuming that they're like learning about uh, you know, if it's Number the Stars, classic canonical, you know, fifth or sixth grade text set in uh, Denmark during World War II during the Nazi occupation.”
    EconTalk Read Like a Champion (with Doug Lemov) 2025-07-28 Listen at 19:08
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

Appearances

EpisodePodcastDateBooks
Read Like a Champion (with Doug Lemov)EconTalk2025-07-285