Person
Every book Taffy Brodesser-Akner recommended on podcasts
Taffy Brodesser-Akner appeared on The Book Review podcast to discuss enduring literature, reflecting on her reading journey and the works that shaped her understanding of storytelling. Brodesser-Akner strongly recommended Better Living Through Criticism by A.O. Scott, noting that she frequently keeps multiple copies on hand to gift to others and praising its opening premise that all art attempts to recreate the Garden of Eden. Reflecting on her earlier reading experiences, she discussed Philip Roth's American Pastoral, which she read during a period when she was catching up on classic literature after attending a yeshiva. This reading directly preceded her encounter with Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections, a novel that profoundly impacted her initial perception of what books could achieve. Brodesser-Akner's reflections highlight a deep, lifelong engagement with contemporary American fiction and the complexities of literary criticism.
Books recommended by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
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Better Living Through Criticism
Better Living Through Criticism by A.
Recommended“And I think very often of our friend and colleague Ao Scott um if you've never read his book better living through criticism um I keep like 20 of them around and I give them to people. Um, and the way it starts is saying that all art is trying to photocopy and recreate the Garden of Eden.”
Where to get it
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American Pastoral
Discussed“Right before this I had read American Pastoral. Before that I was reading classics because I had gone to a yeshiva where I felt that we were not like prepared to go out into the world literature-wise.”
Where to get it
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The Corrections
Discussed“So I read American Pastoral and then I read this and I thought wow books are amazing but then it wasn't true.”
Where to get it
Books Taffy Brodesser-Akner wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Best Books of the 21st Century: Taffy Brodesser-Akner on ‘The Corrections’ | The Book Review | 2026-09-11 | 3 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“every time I read this book and I told your producer I didn't know how many times because to tell you how many times and to tell you I still haven't read Middle March is to my great 20 this was this was the 20th”