Person
Every book Doug Lemov recommended on podcasts
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 recommended by Doug Lemov
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1984
1984 by George Orwell is a dystopian novel that explores totalitarianism, government surveillance, and the manipulation of truth and information.
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”
Where to get it
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Animal Farm
Animal Farm by George Orwell is a renowned allegorical novella that satirizes the corruption of socialist ideals and the rise of totalitarianism through a story about farm animals overthrowing their human master.
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.”
Where to get it
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Atonement
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.”
Where to get it
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Number the Stars
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.”
Where to get it
Books Doug Lemov wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read Like a Champion (with Doug Lemov) | EconTalk | 2025-07-28 | 5 |