Person
Lisa Damour's book recommendations
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Lisa Damour appears on, in one place — not just one.
Lisa Kendall Damour is an American clinical psychologist, author, and podcaster specializing in the development of teenagers. She is also a recurring contributor on CBS Mornings. During her appearance on The Ezra Klein Show, Lisa Damour shared several book recommendations that profoundly influenced her professional and personal life. She recommended Nancy McWilliams's book Psychoanalytic Diagnosis as a foundational text that she returns to repeatedly in her psychological work. She also recommended Yaa Gyasi's novel Transcendent Kingdom, highlighting the unique perspective of its protagonist who is a neuroscientist. Furthermore, Damour recommended George Saunders's A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, noting that she frequently gives it out as a favorite graduation gift due to its engagement with classic Russian literature. Later, during an episode of The Rich Roll Podcast, she mentioned Dav Pilkey's children's book The Adventures of Captain Underpants as a relatable example of how teenagers might return to familiar childhood comforts as a form of healthy coping mechanism during stressful periods.
Books recommended by Lisa Damour
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A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders is a critically acclaimed book in which the celebrated author and teacher analyzes classic Russian short stories by writers like Chekhov and Tolstoy to explore both the craft of writing and the nature of human thought.
Recommended“and then um my favorite graduation gift so I'm giving it a lot right now is a swim in a pond in the rain by George Saunders which is kind of about Russian literature”
Where to get it
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Psychoanalytic diagnosis
Psychoanalytic diagnosis by Nancy McWilliams is a comprehensive professional guide that explores personality structures and psychoanalytic clinical assessment.
Recommended“a book I go back to again and again was written by another psychologist Nancy McWilliams it's called psychoanalytic diagnosis”
Where to get it
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Transcendent Kingdom
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi is a poignant contemporary novel following a brilliant neuroscience PhD candidate grappling with her brother's tragic death from an overdose and her mother's severe depression while striving to reconcile faith and science.
Recommended“personally I actually just finished a book called Transcendent Kingdom by yeah Jesse a novel beautiful but a neuroscientist”
Where to get it
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The Adventures of Captain Underpants
The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey is a popular children's graphic novel series about two imaginative schoolboys and the comical superhero they accidentally create.
Discussed“rereading Captain Underpants”
Where to get it
Books by Lisa Damour
Appearances
Other mentions (6: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I published a book called under pressure confronting the epidemic of stress and anxiety in girls”
“we hopped on a zoom and they were holding untangled and Under Pressure the two books of mine that had come out at that point”
“we hopped on a zoom and they were holding untangled and Under Pressure the two books of mine that had come out at that point”
“I there's a section in my book called why your teen hates how you chew and and it's about separation and individuation”
“so what I tried to introduce in this book was how we as psychologists think about emotion regulation”
“and so one thing I was so delighted to discover in writing this book is something that was happening in my home and that I think a lot of families think is just happening in their home is that the kid who tells them nothing after school at dinner asking great questions parents getting nothing”