Person
Every book John Green recommended on podcasts
Across 2 podcasts. Every show John Green appears on, in one place — not just one.
John Green’s most recommended books
- Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
- Sula by Toni Morrison
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
- All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
- Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
John Green discussed his extensive reading background and writing experiences during an appearance on The Book Review podcast. Throughout the conversation, Green recommended several literary works that left a long-term impact on his personal and professional life. He highlighted Toni Morrison's novels, specifically mentioning Sula, The Bluest Eye, and Song of Solomon. Furthermore, Green recommended The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon, Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Alongside these notable recommendations, Green spoke about his own recent writing projects. He described his approach to non-fiction writing while discussing his book Everything Is Tuberculosis, comparing the creative process to the children's pool game Marco Polo. He also elaborated on the continuous and intense writing period he experienced while working on his book Hollywood, Ending, noting how he remained consumed by the stories of young people trying to survive. Through these recommendations and reflections, Green offered insight into the classic novels that shaped his artistic perspective and the distinct challenges he faced while authoring his own fiction and non-fiction works.
Books recommended by John Green
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The Fault in Our Stars
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is an acclaimed young adult novel that follows two teenagers coping with terminal cancer diagnoses who fall in love while navigating the painful realities of mortality.
Discussed“I'll give you an example of what I mean and this is quite embarrassing but when I was writing the fault in our stars it's about a girl living with cancer and her favorite author lives in the Netherlands...”
Where to get it
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Mysteries of Pittsburgh
Mysteries of Pittsburgh is a coming-of-age novel by Michael Chabon that follows a young man navigating love, identity, and the complexities of human relationships during the summer after his college graduation.
Recommended“The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Shaban.”
Where to get it
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Slaughterhouse-Five
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut is a classic anti-war novel that follows the life of Billy Pilgrim as he becomes unstuck in time and experiences the devastating Allied firebombing of Dresden during World War II.
Recommended“Uh the Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonagget.”
Where to get it
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Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison is a celebrated novel that follows the life of Macon Dead III, known as Milkman, as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and ancestral unravelling.
Recommended“I could say Song of Solomon.”
Where to get it
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Sula
Sula by Toni Morrison is a powerful and lyrical novel that examines the complex, lifelong friendship between two Black women growing up in a small Ohio town while confronting the oppressive weight of racism and community expectations.
Recommended“Sula by Tony Morrison or I could say The Bluest Eye.”
Where to get it
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The Bluest Eye
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is a powerful and critically acclaimed novel that examines identity, beauty standards, and trauma through the experiences of a young Black girl growing up in mid-century America.
Recommended“Sula by Tony Morrison or I could say The Bluest Eye.”
Where to get it
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Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston's classic novel Their Eyes Were Watching God tells the impactful story of Janie Crawford and her journey toward self-realization and independence in the American South.
Recommended“And then the last book I'll site from that really has had a long-term impact on me is their Eyes Were Watching God by Zorn Hursten.”
Where to get it
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All the King's Men
All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren is a classic political novel that traces the rise and corruption of demagogic populist Willie Stark in the American South.
Discussed“there's that great Robert pen Warren line the end of man is knowledge”
Where to get it
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Everything Is Tuberculosis
Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green is a comprehensive non-fiction work exploring the history, science, and ongoing persistence of one of humanity's deadliest infectious diseases.
Discussed“I think in everything is tuberculosis, the book I wrote most recently, I said that for me, writing is like the the child's pool game, Marco Polo.”
Where to get it
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Freakonomics
Freakonomics by Steven D.
Discussed“I was not ready for that as I suspect you probably weren't ready to be the author of Freakonomics yeah which is nothing like I think my experience is probably nothing like yours”
Where to get it
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Hollywood, Ending
Hollywood, Ending by John Green is a contemporary novel centering on two young actors who find themselves navigating the intense pressures of sudden fame and survival.
Discussed“And in the periods where I was writing Hollywood Ending, which was sort of hit and miss between those non-fiction books and then for the last two years pretty much non-stop, I I couldn't write about anything other than these these two young people trying to survive this stuff because the book becomes undeniable at some point.”
Where to get it
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Paper Towns
Paper Towns by John Green is a young adult contemporary novel that follows a high school senior on a mysterious quest to find his missing neighbor and childhood crush.
Discussed“I had to do it once I wrote a screenplay adaptation of my book Paper Towns and so I had to reread Paper Towns once in 2010 and it was excruciating once you can't change it”
Where to get it
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The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby by F.
Discussed“Like a lot of teenagers are living through trauma a lot unfortunately.”
Where to get it
Books John Green wrote
- The Fault in Our Stars
- Turtles All the Way Down
- Everything Is Tuberculosis
- Paper Towns
- Hollywood, Ending
Appearances
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“And I also think after The Fallen Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down came out, my last two novels, something weird happens when you I mean, look...”