Person
Ian Bremmer's book recommendations
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Ian Bremmer appears on, in one place — not just one.
Ian Arthur Bremmer is an American political scientist, author, and entrepreneur focused on global political risk, and is the founder and president of Eurasia Group as well as GZERO Media. On The Ezra Klein Show, Bremmer offered several book recommendations, beginning with Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which he recalled reading during his youth. He also recommended Robert Charles Wilson's 2001 science fiction novel The Chronoliths, noting that he recently revisited it. On The Jordan Harbinger Show, he recommended The Politics Industry by Katherine M. Gehl, Michael E. Porter, and Stephen R. Thorne, pointing to its argument that the two-party political system fails to properly serve citizens and can be reformed to foster bipartisanship. Furthermore, during his appearance on The Ezra Klein Show, Bremmer referenced Robert D. Putnam's book Bowling Alone, using Putnam's framework to discuss how geographic communities have been hollowed out over time rather than just the middle class generally.
Books recommended by Ian Bremmer
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The Chronoliths
The Chronoliths by Robert Charles Wilson is a science fiction novel that explores the sudden appearance of massive, mysterious monuments from the future that commemorate military victories yet to happen.
Recommended“And then finally I was going to say The Chronoliths by Robert Charles Wilson which was written back in 2001 but which I went back and I read recently.”
Where to get it
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is a beloved comedic science fiction classic that satirizes bureaucracy, existentialism, and the absurdities of the universe.
Recommended“Well, first, I've got to start with the Hitchhiker's Guide. Um because when I was in high school and college, there were basically three kinds of kids.”
Where to get it
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The Politics Industry
The Politics Industry by Katherine M.
Recommended“there's a good book out there called the politics industry where it was written by a businessman a businesswoman from Wisconsin who had an epiphany that you know the the political system the two po the two political parties were actually not working on behalf of the citizens”
Where to get it
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Bowling Alone
Bowling Alone by Robert D.
Discussed“The Robert Putnam book I think is much more specific and I wish people would talk in this language. We didn't hollow out the middle class. We hollowed out places.”
Where to get it
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The American Thomistic Revival in the Philosophical Papers of R.J. Henle, S.J.
Discussed“The Robert Putnam book I think is much more specific and I wish people would talk in this language. We didn't hollow out the middle class. We hollowed out places.”
Where to get it
Books by Ian Bremmer
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New states, new politics
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The end of the free market
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The J Curve
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Managing strategic surprise
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The Power of Crisis
Appearances
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I had this the first big book that I wrote back in 2006 was called the J Curve. And I doubt you even remember it, right?”
“but but of course for my book what was really interesting is the fact that things that you think are not doable in a moment of Crisis become doable”