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Every book Eric Schlosser recommended on podcasts
Eric Schlosser appears on literary and current affairs podcasts as a serious, analytical commentator deeply engaged with the dark realities of true crime, political extremism, and mass violence. Discussing complex and disturbing historical events, Schlosser brought up Stieg Larsson's famous Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy to examine how the author investigated and warned against far-right terrorism and the rise of anti-immigrant neo-Nazi movements in the 1990s. He also examined Åsne Seierstad's book One of Us: The Story of Anders Breivik and the Massacre in Norway, exploring its central, nuanced question of whether the perpetrator was a political terrorist or a lunatic, and praising the author for leaving room for reader reflection rather than forcing a simplistic conclusion. Schlosser contrasted Seierstad's approach with other major works of non-fiction, referencing Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song. While discussing Mailer's book, Schlosser offered a sharp critique regarding its notable lack of interest in the victims, contrasting it with books that choose to fully carry the heavy emotional and moral weight of such devastating crimes.
Books recommended by Eric Schlosser
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In Cold Blood
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is a pioneering true-crime masterpiece that details the brutal 1959 murders of a Kansas family and the subsequent capture, trial, and execution of the killers.
Discussed“but unlike other uh similar works of non-fiction like in Cold Blood and the Executioner song uh the author here really takes on the weight of these crimes”
Where to get it
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Man SOM Hatar Kvinnor [The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo] (Korean Edition)
Stieg Larsson's gripping and complex thriller Man SOM Hatar Kvinnor [The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo] (Korean Edition) explores dark mysteries and societal corruption through a chilling lens.
Discussed“I'm not going to read the quote but I brought with me a book by Stig Larson who was the author of the uh uh girl of the Dragon Tattoo trilogy and he was very uh concerned about this sort of far right-wing terrorism in the 1990s”
Where to get it
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One of Us: The Story of Anders Breivik and the Massacre in Norway
Discussed“one of the main issues of the book one of us is whether breik was a lunatic or whether he was a political terrorist and the author never really comes to a conclusion which I think was a A very wise thing on on her part and it lets the reader think about these issues”
Where to get it
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The executioner's song
Norman Mailer's monumental true-crime masterpiece The Executioner's song is a sweeping, meticulous examination of the life and execution of Gary Gilmore.
Discussed“but unlike other uh similar works of non-fiction like in Cold Blood and the Executioner song uh the author here really takes on the weight of these crimes”
Where to get it
Books Eric Schlosser wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inside The New York Times Book Review: Mass Murder in Norway | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 6 |