Person
Every book Tom Hanks recommended on podcasts
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Tom Hanks appears on, in one place — not just one.
Tom Hanks’s most recommended books
- The swerve by Stephen Greenblatt
- Beartown by Fredrik Backman
- Trust by Hernan Diaz
- Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Ez Reader
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
Tom Hanks appeared on The Ezra Klein Show and On Purpose with Jay Shetty to discuss his career, American culture, and historical perspectives. On The Ezra Klein Show, Hanks offered three closing book recommendations, beginning with Stephen Greenblatt's The Swerve, which he described as an exploration of the discovery of a long-lost Latin codex and how the modern world began. His second recommendation was Fredrik Backman's Beartown, the first book in a trilogy centered around a youth hockey club in a small Swedish town. His third recommendation was Hernan Diaz's novel Trust, which he praised for its gorgeous structure and its ability to function as non-fiction entertainment through fiction. During his appearance on On Purpose with Jay Shetty, Hanks discussed the dangers of censorship and tyranny, highlighting Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago as examples of literary works that were forbidden under regimes like East Berlin. Additionally, Hanks brought up John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley to discuss themes of America, race, and societal division during the civil rights era.
Books recommended by Tom Hanks
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The swerve
The swerve by Stephen Greenblatt is an acclaimed historical non-fiction work examining how the rediscovery of a long-lost Latin codex by Lucretius helped shape the emergence of the modern world.
Recommended“uh the swerve by Stephen Greenblatt how the modern world began”
Where to get it
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Beartown
Beartown by Fredrik Backman is a poignant contemporary novel about a small Swedish community bound together by its passion for youth ice hockey.
Recommended“three books would be Bear Town by Frederick Bachmann it's the first in a Trilogy about a hockey Youth Hockey Club in a small town in Sweden”
Where to get it
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Trust
Trust by Hernan Diaz is a structurally ambitious and celebrated novel that delves into themes of wealth, power, and multiple perspectives in historical America.
Recommended“and Trust by Hernandez which is a fabulous book the structure of which is just gorgeous and tells an awful lot about what I'd like to think of as non-fiction entertainment by way of a novel”
Where to get it
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Doctor Zhivago
Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak is a sweeping historical novel that chronicles the turbulent life of a physician and poet amidst the chaos of the Russian Revolution.
Discussed“or or you know any any or Dr zvago for crying out loud the idea that you can maintain order in society by preventing somebody from reading what they want to read”
Where to get it
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To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic American novel addressing themes of racial injustice, moral growth, and empathy in the Deep South.
Discussed“To Kill a Mockingbird or or you know any any or Dr zvago for crying out loud”
Where to get it
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To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird explores themes of racial injustice, moral growth, and empathy in the American South through the eyes of young Scout Finch.
Discussed“And the idea that East Berlin—you cannot read—you cannot read, um, To Kill a Mockingbird or, you know, any—any or Doctor Zhivago for crying out loud.”
Where to get it
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Travels with Charley
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck is a classic American travelogue chronicling the author's journey across the United States in a pickup truck accompanied by his standard poodle, Charley.
Discussed“I've read John Steinbeck's Travels With Charlie”
Where to get it
Books Tom Hanks wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOM HANKS Reveals The 'Countenance Theory' That CHANGED His Acting Career | On Purpose with Jay Shetty | 2024-10-28 | 3 |
| What Tom Hanks Thinks of America | The Ezra Klein Show | 2023-07-14 | 5 |