Person
Every book Jonathan Karp recommended on podcasts
Jonathan Karp engages on The Book Review from the perspective of an experienced publishing executive with a broad catalog ranging from commercial non-fiction and political analysis to children's books and memoirs. Karp highlighted Genevieve Kingston's memoir Did I Ever Tell You as a prime example of a gut instinct acquisition. Reflecting on Simon & Schuster's century-long history, he named Ernest Becker's The Denial of Death as a standout favorite and mentioned the playful children's book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault. Karp also discussed several prominent political and biographical releases from his publishing career, including David W. Blight's award-winning biography Frederick Douglass, which took a decade to complete. He pointed to Ezra Klein's Why We're Polarized as an essential text for understanding modern political divisions, reflected on publishing Bob Woodward's investigative book Rage regarding the Trump administration's handling of the COVID-19 crisis, and noted working with Jerry Seinfeld on the pandemic-era release Is This Anything?
Books recommended by Jonathan Karp
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Did I Ever Tell You?
Did I Ever Tell You? is a deeply personal memoir by Genevieve Kingston that chronicles her family's experiences and the emotional weight of memory and loss.
Recommended“it's called did I ever tell you the writer's name is Genevie Kingston and I think that that's an example of gut”
Where to get it
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Chicka chicka boom boom
Discussed“all right well I'll start with a children's book because it's fun how about Chicka Chicka Boom Boom I think I read that to my child”
Where to get it
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Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W.
Discussed“I think that Frederick Douglas by David blight an award-winning historian this was a this was 10 years in the works”
Where to get it
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Is This Anything?
Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld is a collection of the legendary comedian's best material spanning decades of stand-up.
Discussed“and in fact during the pandemic one of the authors I chose to work with was Jerry Seinfeld and he had to record is this anything all by himself in the middle of the pandemic”
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“I think last last time in 2020 I was so grateful and privileged to have been able um to publish Bob's book Rage which showed how the Trump Administration handled the covid crisis and showed how Donald Trump specifically lied about covid lied to the American people”
Where to get it
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The Denial of Death
The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker is a Pulitzer Prize-winning exploration of the thesis that human civilization and behavior are fundamentally driven by the fear of mortality.
Discussed“the denial of death by Ernest Becker what a great way to start a Wednesday”
Where to get it
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Why We're Polarized
Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein is an incisive political analysis examining the structural forces that drive deep partisan division in the United States by reframing political behavior through the lens of group identity rather than individual irrationality.
Discussed“Ezra Klein why we're polarized this is this is an older book but obviously we need to understand why we're polarized and I think that Ezra has actually written the the signal book on that topic”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 Years of Simon & Schuster | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 7 |