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Steven Soderbergh's books and book recommendations
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Steven Soderbergh appears on, in one place — not just one.
Steven Soderbergh is an American filmmaker, cinematographer, and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh later drew acclaim for formally inventive films made within the studio system. Soderbergh discussed several books that shaped his reading life and creative perspective. He strongly recommended Randall Jarrell's novel Pictures from an Institution, noting that a friend had given it to him and that it remains a lifelong favorite he has read multiple times. He also championed Robert Sapolsky's book Determined, describing it as a seismic and groundbreaking work. When discussing his reading habits, Soderbergh mentioned Ben Hecht's massive memoir A Child of the Century, noting that it reassured him regarding his own tendency to forget books shortly after reading them. Additionally, in discussions about his film work and creative problem-solving, Soderbergh brought up Ed Catmull's Creativity, Inc., highlighting the Pixar motto to be wrong as fast as you can, and recalled reading Carl Gottlieb's The Jaws Log as a child after watching the film Jaws.
Books by Steven Soderbergh
Books recommended by Steven Soderbergh
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Determined
Determined by Robert M.
Recommended“Well, it's got to be the Robert Seapolski book, Determined. This is seismic. This is something that way back when would have been nailed to the door of some institution.”
Where to get it
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Pictures from an institution
Pictures from an Institution is a satirical novel written by the post-World War II poet and critic Randall Jarrell.
Recommended“Uh, it's a book called Pictures from an Institution by Randall Gerald. Randall Gerald was a poet, a fairly well-known, very respected poet and critic post World War II and he wrote a single perfect novel and Mike gave it to me.”
Where to get it
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A child of the century
A Child of the Century is an expansive, substantial memoir written by the famous and skilled Hollywood screenwriter Ben Hecht.
Discussed“And I thought this was a defect in my brain until I read this book written by the famous and skilled Hollywood screenwriter Ben Hec, a child of the century, which is his doors stop of a memoir.”
Where to get it
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Creativity, Inc.
Creativity, Inc.
Discussed“there's that you know perfect explanation of how to solve things from the edcapnel book about Pixar creativity Inc where the motto is be wrong as fast as you can”
Where to get it
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The Jaws Log
The Jaws Log by Carl Gottlieb is a famous behind-the-scenes account documenting the turbulent, highly detailed daily production history of filming the legendary movie Jaws.
Discussed“so it turns out you know in in any store that you walked into there was a paperback called the jaws log that the Carl Gottlieb wrote and it answered both of those questions and I carried this thing around with me and highlighted every section that mentioned Steven Spielberg”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Soderbergh on His Reading Life (Rerun) | The Book Review | 2025-03-21 | 3 |
| Steven Soderbergh on His Year in Reading | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 3 |
| Steven Soderbergh | SmartLess | 2023-07-24 | 4 |