Person
Every book Elizabeth Harris recommended on podcasts
Elizabeth Harris appears on The Book Review podcast to discuss the inner workings of the publishing world, bestseller lists, and notable contemporary fiction and non-fiction. Through her analysis of what captures public attention, Harris highlights both newly released novels and major cultural non-fiction dominating the charts. Among her personal reading recommendations, she has discussed finishing Francine Prose's novel The Vixen, praising its comedic take on Ethel Rosenberg and the CIA. In addition to personal reads, Harris frequently leads discussions analyzing shifts on bestseller lists, examining how books addressing systemic racism and social justice capture the cultural zeitgeist. On the podcast, she has reviewed the rise of works such as Ibram X. Kendi's How to Be an Antiracist, Layla F. Saad's Me and White Supremacy, Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow, Ijeoma Oluo's So You Want to Talk About Race, Dr. Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility, and Bryan Stevenson's memoir Just Mercy. Through these discussions, Harris provides a data-driven yet culturally aware perspective on the books that shape public discourse and reader habits.
Books recommended by Elizabeth Harris
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How to Be an Antiracist
How to Be an Antiracist is a prominent non-fiction book by Ibram X.
Discussed“I mean there's how to be an anti-racist came out last year wasn't on the bestseller list at all two weeks ago and is now number five in hard cover non-fiction so that's a ibram kendi book”
Where to get it
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The Vixen
The Vixen by Francine Prose is a historical novel set in 1950s New York that follows a young Harvard graduate editing a controversial book about Ethel and Julius Rosenberg amidst anticommunist hysteria.
Recommended“I just finished the Vixen by Francine Pros which we have a profile of her coming out next week um which is a book about Ethel Rosenberg the CIA and it's hilarious”
Where to get it
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A Promised Land
A Promised Land by Barack Obama is the first volume of the former United States president's presidential memoirs, offering a detailed and reflective account of his early political life, his historic 2008 campaign, and the intense policy battles of his first term in office.
Discussed“well the biggest news this week is that President Obama's presidential Memoir a promised land is going to be published shortly after the election on November 17th and the demand for this book is going to be enormous”
Where to get it
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American Dirt
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins is a gripping and intensely controversial novel that follows a mother and son fleeing their home in Mexico as migrants pursued by a violent drug cartel.
Discussed“and I remember at the last ba the book that was on everyone's list and people were just wildly enthusing about was American dirt Janine cummings's book which became a bit controversial after it came out”
Where to get it
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American Marxism
American Marxism is a political commentary by conservative author and media host Mark R.
Discussed“and the book American Marxism by the best-selling author Mark Levan has a chapter on critical race Theory and that book so 400,000 copies in just its first week on the market last month”
Where to get it
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Deacon King Kong
Deacon King Kong by James McBride is a vibrant novel set in a 1960s Brooklyn housing project, following the colorful fallout after an aging church deacon inexplicably shoots a local drug dealer.
Discussed“and uh the other thing I I just started Deacon King Kong which came out last year like two weeks before the world shut down”
Where to get it
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Dreams from My Father
Dreams from My Father is a powerful memoir by Barack Obama that recounts his early life, family roots, and journey toward self-understanding.
Discussed“his first book of course was Dreams of My Father”
Where to get it
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Just Mercy
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson is a powerful memoir detailing the author's experiences founding the Equal Justice Initiative and fighting for marginalized defendants on death row.
Discussed“Jess Mercy which is Memoir by Brian Stevenson who a who founded the Equal justice initiative that's number six”
Where to get it
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Little Fires Everywhere
Little Fires Everywhere is a contemporary novel that explores the intertwined fates of families in an idyllic Ohio suburb, touching on themes of race, class, and motherhood.
Discussed“and hard cover fiction little fires Everywhere by Celeste in is number one on the trade paperback list”
Where to get it
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Me and White Supremacy
Discussed“me and white supremacy was also not on the hard cover nonfiction list and is on there this week which helps readers understand their participation in white supremacy”
Where to get it
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So you want to talk about race
Discussed“so you want to talk about race is also one that's on the combined list which has sections for white people who want to understand the way race functions in America”
Where to get it
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The Color of Law
Richard Rothstein's The Color of Law is a comprehensive historical investigation into how federal, state, and local government policies systematically segregated American cities through deliberate laws rather than private choices.
Discussed“and the color of law which is about how segregation and American cities were the result of deliberate laws rather than people making individual personal choices and that's by Richard Rothstein”
Where to get it
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The Great Influenza
The Great Influenza by John M.
Discussed“yeah i mean the the great influenza is still on the list it's number two on the paperback non-fiction list”
Where to get it
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The New Jim Crow
The New Jim Crow is a landmark 2010 book by Michelle Alexander that exposes how the American war on drugs and mass incarceration system function as a modern caste system, legalizing systemic discrimination against Black people.
Discussed“the new Jem Crow is now on the ebook print combined list and that came out in 2010 that's from Michelle Alexander”
Where to get it
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The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a lyrical and moving reimagining of the Iliad that focuses on the deep romance between Achilles and Patroclus.
Discussed“the song of Achilles which uh came out in 2012 and is a love story between Achilles and Petras has now sold two million copies because of book talk which is amazing because as its editor said to me this is a book about The Iliad and it just so million copies”
Where to get it
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Too Much and Never Enough
Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L.
Discussed“there was a huge Surge from books about Trump there was the merry Trump book too much and never enough people were buying these books like crazy”
Where to get it
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Where the Crawdads Sing
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is a bestselling coming-of-age mystery novel set in the marshlands of North Carolina that follows the isolated life of a young girl.
Discussed“you know there's where the croad sings dilia Owens um is number one”
Where to get it
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White Fragility
White Fragility by Dr.
Discussed“white fragility by Robin D'Angelo debut at number one”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.O. Scott on the Work of Wallace Stegner | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 11 |
| Ayad Akhtar on Truth and Fiction | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 2 |
| Louis Menand on 'The Free World' | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 1 |
| S.A. Cosby on 'Razorblade Tears' | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 1 |
| Life at Seven Miles Below the Sea | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 2 |
| Clint Smith on ‘How the Word Is Passed’ | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 3 |
| A Novel About Brilliant Young Game Designers | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 1 |
Other mentions (10: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and his next book was The Audacity Of Hope which was published in 200 six and that has sold 4.2 million copies”
“so this is the the Obamas are really in A League of Their Own including Michelle Obama who's book becoming has sold 8.1 million copies in the US and Canada so far”
“so the big book news this week is that hasette which is one of the five biggest Publishers in the country has agreed to buy workmen publishing which was one of the biggest independent publishing houses they're known for books like What to Expect When You're Expecting or brain Crest workbooks which are huge in my household”
“he wrote the very lonely Firefly the very busy spider and one of the biggest children's books ever probably The Very Hungry Caterpillar”
“he wrote the very lonely Firefly the very busy spider and one of the biggest children's books ever probably The Very Hungry Caterpillar”
“he wrote the very lonely Firefly the very busy spider and one of the biggest children's books ever probably The Very Hungry Caterpillar”
“Eric Carle actually also did some collaborations with Bill Martin the brown bear brown bear what do you see”
“one by Michael wolf whose book fire and fury set off the mega sales of trump books”
“one by Michael wolf whose book fire and fury set off the mega sales of trump books”
“the song of Achilles which uh came out in 2012 and is a love story between Achilles and Petras has now sold two million copies because of book talk which is amazing because as its editor said to me this is a book about The Iliad and it just so million copies”