Person
Every book Jennifer Szalai recommended on podcasts
Jennifer Szalai is a frequent voice on The Book Review podcast, offering thoughtful literary analysis, engaging roundtable discussions, and diverse book recommendations. Through her appearances, Szalai emerges as a well-read critic with wide-ranging tastes that encompass gripping non-fiction, contemporary fiction, memoirs, and international literature. She recommended Catherine Belton's Putin's People for readers seeking context on global politics and London, and Rachel Aviv's Strangers to Ourselves for its poignant exploration of personal identity and storytelling. For road trip listening, Szalai championed John le Carré's memoir The Pigeon Tunnel, praising the author's audio narration. Her diverse reading habits also led her to discuss Ben Macintyre's gripping account A Spy Among Friends about Kim Philby and the Cambridge 5, and to pick up Ruth Ware's suspenseful novel In a Dark, Dark Wood at an airport. Furthermore, Szalai shared her appreciation for Ingeborg Day's haunting memoir Ghost Waltz, a collection of unsettling stories titled Thus Were Their Faces by Argentine writer Silvina Ocampo, and Emmanuel Carrère's chilling true-crime work The Adversary. Across these episodes, Szalai demonstrates a keen eye for compelling storytelling, psychological depth, and intricate character studies.
Books recommended by Jennifer Szalai
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Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life
Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life is a captivating memoir by William Finnegan that chronicles his lifelong obsession with surfing, travel, and journalism across the globe.
Discussed“well so I've got two books here one of which I had talked about a bit last week which is called New World by William finegan”
Where to get it
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The journalist and the murderer
The Journalist and the Murderer by Janet Malcolm is a provocative non-fiction investigation into the complex, often treacherous ethical relationship between reporters and their subjects, famously opening with a stark line examining the moral compromises inherent in journalism.
Discussed“the journalist and murderer is perhaps one of the most famous on that begins with a line about journalists”
Where to get it
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Unworthy Republic: The Dispossession of Native Americans and the Road to Indian Territory
Unworthy Republic by Claudio Saunt is a historical nonfiction book detailing the forced removal and dispossession of Native Americans along the road to Indian Territory.
Recommended“so a book that I reviewed recently that I wanted to draw attention to is called unworthy Republic and the subtitle is the dispossession of Native Americans in the road to Indian Territory and it's by a historian at the University of Georgia named Claudio SA”
Where to get it
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War and turpentine
War and Turpentine by Stefan Hertmans is a deeply moving biographical novel that reconstructs the life of the author's grandfather, Urbain Martien, a painter and decorated soldier whose existence was indelibly scarred by the unspeakable traumas of the First World War.
Recommended“it's a war in turpentine by Stephan hertman who was on the podcast earlier anyway”
Where to get it
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A Severed Head
A Severed Head is a sharp, satirical novel by Iris Murdoch that explores the complex and often scandalous romantic entanglements of upper-class British society.
Recommended“one of her other novels called a severed head and I don't know anybody who can pass up a book with that title”
Where to get it
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A Spy Among Friends Kim Philby And The Great Betrayal
A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre is a gripping historical non-fiction account detailing the treason of British intelligence officer Kim Philby and his betrayal of his country alongside the notorious Cambridge Spy Ring.
Recommended“yes so a little bit ago I had started reading a spy among friends by Ben McIntyre which is about Kim filby and the Cambridge 5 and I got maybe about 50 pages in and it's amazing”
Where to get it
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Accidental Gods
Accidental Gods by Anna Della Subin is a historical exploration of mortals who were elevated to divine status, examining the intersection of religion, empire, and political power across various cultures.
Discussed“so I reviewed something recently that's a very different kind of book it's called accidental gods and it's by anadel subin”
Where to get it
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Doppelganger
Doppelganger by Naomi Klein is a sharp, timely work of nonfiction that uses the author's personal confusion with conspiracy theorist Naomi Wolf to examine the psychic distortions and political fragmentation of the pandemic era.
Recommended“I definitely recommend it as well as doppelganger”
Where to get it
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Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch
Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch is a historical novel by Rivka Galchen that offers a fictionalized account of the persecution of Katharina Kepler, the mother of astronomer Johannes Kepler, during a seventeenth-century witchcraft trial.
Recommended“but I started reading recently a book that I'm very much enjoying by Rifka gin it's a novel called everyone knows your mother is a witch and it's actually a fictionalized version of the story of Johan Kepler's mother”
Where to get it
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Evicted
Evicted by Matthew Desmond is a Pulitzer Prize-winning immersive non-fiction book examining poverty and the housing crisis through the lens of families in Milwaukee.
Recommended“one of the books that I was really taken by is a book by Matthew Desmond who's a sociologist he now teaches at Harvard and his book is called evicted”
Where to get it
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Ghost waltz
Ghost waltz is a deeply personal memoir by Ingeborg Day that chronicles her harrowing upbringing as the daughter of a prominent Nazi official in Austria and her subsequent journey toward healing and understanding.
Recommended“this is a book called ghost Walts by ingaborg day and it was a book that was originally recommended to me again by Barry Goan”
Where to get it
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How Democracies Die
How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt examines how elected leaders can gradually subvert democratic institutions from within.
Recommended“this book called How democracies die which is a very dramatic Title by Daniel ziblat and Steven litzky who are two professors”
Where to get it
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In a Dark, Dark Wood
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware is a suspenseful thriller about a reclusive writer who gets drawn into a chaotic weekend in a remote glass house that ultimately ends in murder.
Recommended“so I picked up a copy of in a dark dark wood which is now in paperback and apparently soon to be a major motion picture”
Where to get it
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Madame Bovary
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert is a classic nineteenth-century French novel that tells the tragic story of a provincial doctor's wife who engages in extra-marital affairs and lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities of her provincial life.
Recommended“oh actually so with some friends we're reading this is a book that I've read a very long time ago but we're reading Madame bovery which is just heartbreaking”
Where to get it
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Psychoanalysis, the impossible profession
Psychoanalysis, the Impossible Profession is a non-fiction book by Janet Malcolm that explores the inner workings of psychoanalytic practice and the complex relationships between analysts and their patients.
Recommended“I think that her early book psychoanalysis The Impossible profession is also way into her approach which is completely fascinating”
Where to get it
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Putin's People
Putin's People by Catherine Belton is a sweeping investigative non-fiction work that traces the rise of Vladimir Putin and the inner circle of former KGB operatives who seized control of Russia's economy and political apparatus.
Recommended“So, there's a uh non-fiction book. It's not specifically about London, but it's called Putin's People by Katherine Belton.”
Where to get it
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Severance
Severance is a satirical post-apocalyptic novel by Ling Ma that explores the mundane routines of office life set against the backdrop of a global pandemic.
Recommended“which is Ling m Severance have either of you oh I love that book I love love love that book talks about this future where or not future it's actually I think said in the past”
Where to get it
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Strangers to Ourselves
Strangers to Ourselves by Rachel Aviv is a critically acclaimed exploration of mental illness and personal identity that examines real-life case studies.
Recommended“she really talks about the ways in which The stories that we tell ourselves, the stories that other people tell us about who we are, shape our understanding of who we are”
Where to get it
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The Adversary
The Adversary by Emmanuel Carrère is a chilling true-crime narrative that chronicles the life and horrific crimes of Jean-Claude Romand, a French man who murdered his entire family after lying to them about his career for decades.
Recommended“usually when I order new things after this book I started reading the adversary which is probably the book I think he's perhaps most famous for which is a true story about a man in France Jean clae romal”
Where to get it
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The End of Bias
The End of Bias is a non-fiction book by journalist Jessica Nordell that examines the science and psychology of unconscious bias and explores how individuals and institutions can overcome prejudice.
Discussed“so I reviewed a book called the end of bias and it's by a writer named Jessica Nordell”
Where to get it
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The Impeachers
The Impeachers by Brenda Wineapple is a rigorous historical work that explores the dramatic political conflict surrounding the first impeachment of a United States president.
Discussed“it's by Brenda wineapple and it's called the impeachers”
Where to get it
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The Pigeon Tunnel
John le Carré's memoir The Pigeon Tunnel offers a fascinating look into the renowned spy novelist's extraordinary life, blending personal anecdotes with reflections on espionage and storytelling.
Recommended“I really love John Lar's memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel, where he reads it.”
Where to get it
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Thus were their faces
Thus were their faces is a captivating collection of strange, uncanny, and surreal short fiction by the renowned Argentine author Silvina Ocampo, celebrated for her mastery of the bizarre.
Recommended“so I'm reading this collection of fiction by this Argentine writer sylvina okomo”
Where to get it
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Uncanny Valley
Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener is a sharp, revealing memoir that chronicles a young woman's journey leaving the publishing industry for the fast-paced, morally ambiguous world of Silicon Valley tech startups during the height of the digital boom.
Recommended“yeah so this week I reviewed a book called uncanny valley by Anna Weiner”
Where to get it
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1984
George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984 presents a chilling vision of a totalitarian regime characterized by extreme surveillance and psychological manipulation.
Discussed“shortly thereafter sales of 1984 shot to the top of Amazon's bestseller list”
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“because I have no idea but the book uh that I reviewed this week was a Promised Land by Barack Obama”
Where to get it
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A separation
A Separation by Katie M.
Discussed“so I'm about a third of a way through of the novel a Separation by Kitty kitamura which came out I think last month”
Where to get it
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American Carnage
American Carnage by Tim Alberta is a detailed political chronicle charting the transformation of the Republican Party during the rise of Donald Trump.
Discussed“I reviewed a book called American Carnage by a Politico reporter named Tim Alberta”
Where to get it
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Animal Farm
Animal Farm by George Orwell is a classic allegorical novella that critiques totalitarianism and political corruption through the story of farm animals who overthrow their human farmer.
Discussed“he was perhaps best known for his two dystopian novels Animal Farm in 1984 and to look at the way that his name has sort of come to be synonymous”
Where to get it
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Anti-intellectualism in American life
Discussed“so I ended up picking up the Richard hoffstad Book anti-intellectualism in American Life which seemed in some ways connected to Hay's book and started reading that a couple nights ago”
Where to get it
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At the Existentialist Café
At the Existentialist Café by Sarah Bakewell is a group biography detailing the lives and ideas of the prominent existentialist philosophers of the twentieth century.
Discussed“You know, there was Sarah Bakewell's At the Existentialist Cafe from a few years ago”
Where to get it
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Cold new world
Discussed“so I picked up a book this is a book called cold New World growing up in harder country by William finnean”
Where to get it
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Dark Mirror
Discussed“I reviewed a book called dark mirror and it's by Barton Gman who is or who was I should say one of the journalists whom Edward Snowden leaked that Trove of top secret classified documents to back in 2013”
Where to get it
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Dark Money
Dark Money by Jane Mayer is an investigative non-fiction book that exposes the hidden history and political financing networks of radical right-wing billionaires and conservative foundations working to reshape American politics.
Discussed“I mean probably most famously by Jane Mayer and dark money and in the New Yorker as well as by Daniel Schulman whose book sons of Witchita is really about the family story of the Cokes”
Where to get it
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Democracy Rules
Discussed“so this week I read democracy Rules by a political theorist at Princeton named Yan Verner Müller”
Where to get it
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Devils in daylight
Discussed“this one was written in 1918 and it's by8 1918 not contemporary not contemporary and it's by the Japanese writer junichiro tanizaki and it's called devils in daylight”
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“I think about his first book dreams from my father and in that book he also showed that he does have a writer sensibility”
Where to get it
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Elon Musk
Discussed“for example there was a big biography of Elon Musk that was first published in 2015 by Ashley Vance”
Where to get it
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Empire of Pain
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe; Ricard Gil is a meticulous investigative non-fiction book that chronicles the rise of the Sackler family and their pharmaceutical company, Purdue Pharma, detailing their role in manufacturing OxyContin and fueling the devastating opioid epidemic in America.
Discussed“most recently Empire of Pain which is a book about the Sackler family which is the family behind Purdue Pharma which manufactured Oxycontton and of course as we know now played quite a role in the opioid epidemic.”
Where to get it
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Entangled Life
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake is an immersive and eye-opening exploration of the hidden kingdom of fungi, detailing how these organisms shape ecosystems, alter human consciousness, and influence the future of the planet.
Discussed“I mean if anything you so the book is called entangled life and the subtitle is how fungi make our worlds change our minds and shape our futures and the author is Merlin sheld Drake”
Where to get it
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Franchise
Franchise by Marcia Chatelain is a meticulously researched historical study examining the rise of fast food chains in America, with a particular focus on the complex relationship between McDonald's, franchising, and Black communities.
Discussed“I reviewed actually this was last week in the paper a book called franchise by a historian at Georgetown named Mara shadan and it's a history of fast food in America”
Where to get it
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Gods of the Upper Air
Discussed“so this week I reviewed a book called gods of the upper air by Charles King who's a professor at Georgetown and it's a book that's essentially a group portrait of the Anthropologist France Boaz and his Circle”
Where to get it
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How Civil Wars Start
How Civil Wars Start by Barbara F.
Discussed“I reviewed a book recently called how Civil Wars start and how to stop them by a political scientist named Barbara Walter”
Where to get it
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How to Hide an Empire
How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr is a sweeping non-fiction history that examines the greater United States, focusing on the nation's overseas territories, colonies, and possessions that are frequently overlooked in standard historical narratives.
Discussed“another book was how to hide an Empire by Daniel imir”
Where to get it
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How to Make a Slave and Other Essays
Discussed“so this week I reviewed a book the title is how to make a slave”
Where to get it
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Ice and fire
Discussed“the first one ice and fire is sort of written in a more sort of minimal style”
Where to get it
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Intercourse
Discussed“and she was known particularly for two books pornography and intercourse both of which are excerpted here”
Where to get it
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It Can't Happen Here
It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis is a 1935 political satire novel that explores the rise of fascism and authoritarianism within the United States during a fictional political campaign.
Discussed“and I read this essay by Gerald early that was published very recently about specifically the novel it can't happen here by Sinclair Lewis which was published in 1935”
Where to get it
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Kill Switch - the Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy
Discussed“so the book I reviewed is called kill switch by Adam genton”
Where to get it
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Last Days at Hot Slit
Last Days at Hot Slit is an anthology gathering the provocative and influential writings of feminist theorist Andrea Dworkin, edited by Joanna Fateman and Amy Scholder.
Discussed“so I reviewed a new anthology of Andrea dorkin's work called last days at hot slit and it's edited by Joanna Fatman and Amy shoulder”
Where to get it
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Life sentences
Discussed“and then I was also dipping into some of his essays and he's you know he had put out several really Sublime Collections and this one is life sentences which I think might have been the last essay collection he put out in 2012”
Where to get it
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Lost Children Archive
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli is a sweeping, structurally inventive novel that weaves together themes of family road trips, the migration crisis at the southern U.S.
Discussed“and another book by Valeria Louisiselli, The Lost Children Archive, which takes these notions of freedom and escape and turns it into a tale of marriage, family, and looking for missing children.”
Where to get it
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Mercy
Discussed“and then the second one Mercy is really sort of this rolling and very disturbing but also in Parts very funny”
Where to get it
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Midnight in Chernobyl
Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham is a gripping historical account documenting the untold story of the world's greatest nuclear disaster.
Discussed“I thought the Chernobyl book by Adam Higginbotham I thought was fantastic... so this is midnight in ch midnight in Chernobyl”
Where to get it
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Mind Fixers
Discussed“so last week I reviewed this book called Mind fixers by a historian of science at Harvard named an Harrington and it's the history of Psychiatry search for the biological origins of mental illness”
Where to get it
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My War Criminal
Discussed“the book that I reviewed is called my war criminal and it's by Jessica Stern and she's a scholar of terrorism and Trauma”
Where to get it
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Omensetter's Luck
Discussed“and I decided that I would try to start again a book that I never finished by him Omen Setter's luck and I think I'm failing again at Omen Setter's luck”
Where to get it
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Pornography
Discussed“and she was known particularly for two books pornography and intercourse both of which are excerpted here”
Where to get it
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Profiles in courage
Profiles in Courage by John F.
Discussed“when JFK wrote profiles and courage I think it was 1959 it was still the case that there was a sense”
Where to get it
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Race for Profit
Race for Profit by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and narrated by Janina Edwards is a prominent scholarly work examining the ways housing policies and urban development have perpetuated racial inequalities.
Discussed“one of them is called home records by Aaron glance and the other is called race for profit by kianga yamat Taylor”
Where to get it
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Rage
Rage by Bob Woodward is an investigative journalism book that delves into the inner workings of the Trump administration, focusing heavily on national security crises, race relations, and the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Discussed“the Bob Woodward book rage and White House ink”
Where to get it
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Reckoning
Discussed“okay so this week I I reviewed a book that I had I took some issues with and it's called Reckoning and it's by a lawyer and legal scholar and philosopher named Linda hman”
Where to get it
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Rise and kill first
Rise and Kill First by Ronen Bergman is an extensive investigative history detailing the targeted assassinations and covert intelligence operations utilized by Israel over several decades.
Discussed“okay so this week I reviewed a book called rise and kill first by Ronan Bergman who's an investigative journalist based in Israel”
Where to get it
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Say Nothing
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe is a gripping work of true crime and investigative journalism that explores a murder and memory during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Discussed“there's another book say nothing which I've also reviewed, which is at the heart of it. There's the story of a young mother who was kidnapped in front of her family in the 1970s in Belfast”
Where to get it
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Scarlet A
Discussed“Jen and I reviewed a book called Scarlet a the ethics law and politics of ordinary abortion by Katie Watson who's a bioethicist at Northwestern”
Where to get it
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Sing, Unburied, Sing
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward is a powerful Mississippi-set novel that functions simultaneously as a raw road trip narrative and a haunting ghost story.
Discussed“And so there was a book that I picked, Sing Unburied, Sing by Jessine Ward, which is really road trip novel turned into a ghost story.”
Where to get it
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Sons of Wichita
Discussed“I mean probably most famously by Jane Mayer and dark money and in the New Yorker as well as by Daniel Schulman whose book sons of Witchita is really about the family story of the Cokes”
Where to get it
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Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson is an acclaimed biography that chronicles the tumultuous life, career, and visionary leadership of the Apple co-founder through extensive interviews and personal access.
Discussed“Isaacson has the written biographies of Leonardo da Vinci of Henry Kissinger of Steve Jobs and I guess the Steve Jobs one is a book that many listeners might be familiar with already”
Where to get it
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Street shadows
Discussed“Biden I had previously actually read Walker's first Memoir Street shadows and you know that's a book”
Where to get it
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Swing Time
Swing Time by Zadie Smith is an intricate novel that explores themes of race, class, friendship, and cultural identity through the lens of young girls dreaming of becoming tap dancers.
Discussed“I really was hoping to see Zade Smith's swing time on the list”
Where to get it
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Talking to Strangers
Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell is a provocative nonfiction exploration of how and why people so often fail to understand individuals they do not know.
Critiqued“so this week I reviewed Malcolm gladwell's new book talking to straight ERS”
Where to get it
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The Beauty Myth
The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf is a landmark feminist critique that argues how societal standards of physical attractiveness are weaponized to control and limit women's social and political advancements.
Discussed“the premise is Naomi kleene describes how over the past decade or so she has frequently been confused with Naomi wolf who is the feminist intellectual who famously published The Beauty myth in the early 1990s”
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“so the one that I've been reading on my commute now is the color of law by Richard Brin and its subtitle is a forgotten history of how our government segregated America”
Where to get it
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The Failed Promise
Discussed“so most recently I reviewed a book called The failed promise and it's by Robert LaVine and it's about the history of reconstruction”
Where to get it
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The Library Book
The Library Book by Susan Orlean investigates a major historical disaster involving a devastating library fire and the intricate inner workings of public institutions.
Discussed“so I read the library book by Susan orene”
Where to get it
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The Metaphysical Club
Discussed“A couple of decades ago, I think it was Louis Menand's The Metaphysical Club”
Where to get it
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The Orchid Thief
The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean is a true-life narrative exploring the eccentric world of orchid poachers and plant obsession in the Florida Everglades.
Discussed“so there was the Orchid Thief there was rentin I think she wrote a book about what people do on Saturday night”
Where to get it
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The Power Notebooks
Discussed“so I reviewed this week the power notebooks by Katie royy and Katie royy as some or many of our listeners might know is well known for her pical essays”
Where to get it
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The Price of Salt
The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith is a mid-century romantic novel that later served as the basis for the acclaimed film Carol.
Discussed“So, this was a book that fell also fell outside of the time frame of our project and it's The Price of Salt by Patricia Highmith.”
Where to get it
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The restless wave
Discussed“yes so John McCain's newest book which is called the Restless wave”
Where to get it
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The Room Where It Happened
The Room Where It Happened by John R.
Discussed“so most recently I reviewed the room where it happened which is the new book by John Bolton the former National Security adviser to president Trump”
Where to get it
Appearances
Other mentions (15: passing, ad reads, own books)
“alongside with the other book which she is much more famous for which was written under pseudonym and it's N9 and a half weeks and so she wrote that under turned into famously the movie turned into the movie of course and she wrote that under the pseudonym Elizabeth mcneel”
“alongside with the other book which she is much more famous for which was written under pseudonym and it's N9 and a half weeks and so she wrote that under turned into famously the movie turned into the movie of course and she wrote that under the pseudonym Elizabeth mcneel”
“she also came onto the scene I guess in the early 90s when she wrote a book called The Morning After in which she said that she wanted to argue against what she called I think think the feminist preoccupation with sexual harassment”
“she had a whole book I think you know six or seven years ago called In Praise of messy lives”
“so there was the Orchid Thief there was ronon I think she wrote a book about what people do on Saturday night”
“and she wrote an entire book A Memoir about she wrote A Memoir about that exactly called denial which came out about a decade ago”
“and so you know for instance somebody like Margaret me she could actually go and talk to women and so you know her book coming of age and Samoa was really focusing on the adolescence and sexuality of young women”
“and the second one was called Nemesis and Nemesis actually began a few years before where rrich picks up”
“basically the prequel in a way to evicted right the Matthew Desmond book”
“I'd read one of his other novels several months ago which I think I talked about a bit on the podcast right and right and left which I enjoyed”
“I'd read one of his other novels several months ago which I think I talked about a bit on the podcast right and right and left which I enjoyed”
“the New Yorker writer who wrote the surfing Memoir Barbarian days and I actually had no idea he had written this book”
“I mean she's been writing she's still quite young but she's been writing I think white teeth came out when she was 24 so it's been more than a decade now”
“and I read democracy rules a book by Yan Verner Muller”
“and a lot of that material actually got turned into what would of course become his tractatus logico philosophicus which was published after World War I”