Mentioned in Podcasts

Person

Every book Tom Perrotta recommended on podcasts

Key facts

  • Tom Perrotta has recommended or discussed 7 books on podcasts, as of June 10, 2022.
  • Tom Perrotta has talked about books on 1 podcast, as of June 10, 2022.
  • Those books came up in 2 episodes, as of June 10, 2022.
  • The 3 books Tom Perrotta has mentioned in the most episodes, not counting Tom Perrotta's own, as of June 10, 2022: Life After Life, A god in ruins and Dept. of Speculation.
  • The latest episode with a book mention from Tom Perrotta aired on June 10, 2022.

Updated

Guest on The Book Review · 7 books · 2 episodes across 1 podcast

Tom Perrotta is an American novelist and screenwriter. On The Book Review, Tom Perrotta discussed his various works and recommended specific reading orders for related novels. Specifically, he recommended reading Kate Atkinson's earlier novel Life After Life before picking up her subsequent book A God in Ruins, stating that he seriously advised reading Life After Life first. In addition to discussing other authors, Perrotta spoke extensively about his own writing, including his novel Election and its film adaptation. He noted that when the movie first came out, the main character Tracy Flick was often seen as a villain, and he reflected on how people perceived her lack of regret regarding a sexual relationship with a high school teacher. He also discussed the opening of his follow-up novel, Tracy Flick Can't Win, explaining that it begins right in the middle of the Me Too reckoning as Tracy reads newspaper stories about women taken advantage of by bosses and mentors. Furthermore, Perrotta described the character evolution of Tracy in the later book, highlighting her middle-aged heaviness, feeling of being stuck in life, and increased introspection. He compared the polyphonic, oral history style and multiple narrators of his writing process to his previous novel Election, and he explained that Tracy Flick Can't Win functions as a standalone novel set at a very different time in the character's life.

Books recommended by Tom Perrotta

Who said what is determined automatically. In hand-checked samples, at least 6% of mentions were credited to the wrong speaker — sometimes an interviewer’s line recorded as the guest’s, sometimes the reverse. Every entry below quotes the words and links to the episode, so you can check it.

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  1. Life After Life

    Kate Atkinson · Recommended · 1 episode

    Life After Life by Kate Atkinson is a celebrated novel that follows protagonist Ursula Todd as she repeatedly dies and is reborn across different eras of the twentieth century, most notably the Second World War.

    Discussed
    “so the book is a companion book to Life After Life which is acting 's Masterpiece”
    The Book Review Inside The New York Times Book Review: ‘A God in Ruins’ 2015-05-08 Listen at 4:27
    Where to get it
    AmazonListen on Audible

  2. Election

    Tom Perrotta · Discussed · 1 episode

    Election by Tom Perrotta is a sharp satirical novel about high school politics, ambition, and corruption, which gained widespread acclaim through its Oscar-nominated film adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon.

    Discussed
    “but the the other big change I think and this this is where the book actually begins is that people who have read election will know that Tracy had a sexual relationship with a high school teacher and in the book election and movie election she doesn't seem to have a lot of regrets”
    The Book Review Tom Perrotta on the Return of Tracy Flick 2022-06-10 Listen at 5:20
    Where to get it
    AmazonListen on Audible

  3. Tracy Flick Can't Win

    Tom Perrotta · Discussed · 1 episode

    Tracy Flick Can't Win by Tom Perrotta is a satirical novel that catches up with the famously ambitious protagonist of Election as she navigates the complexities of middle age and professional stagnation.

    Discussed
    “but when Tracy flick can't win starts it's right in the middle of the me too Reckoning and she's reading a lot of stories in the paper about women who who were taken advantage of by Bosses and mentors and teachers”
    The Book Review Tom Perrotta on the Return of Tracy Flick 2022-06-10 Listen at 5:50
    Where to get it
    AmazonListen on Audible

  4. A god in ruins

    Kate Atkinson · Recommended · 1 episode

    A god in ruins by Kate Atkinson is a companion novel and sequel to Life After Life, following the life of Teddy Todd during and after the London World War II Blitz era.

    Recommended
    “I would seriously recommend reading Life After Life before reading a God in Ruins”
    The Book Review Inside The New York Times Book Review: ‘A God in Ruins’ 2015-05-08 Listen at 5:53
    Where to get it
    AmazonListen on Audible

  5. Dept. of Speculation

    Jenny Offill · Discussed · 1 episode

    Dept.

    Discussed
    “I'm thinking of books like Carl oen asgard's uh my struggle I'm thinking of Jenny alul Department of speculation Ben learner leaving the Atocha station books with a single narrator”
    The Book Review Inside The New York Times Book Review: ‘A God in Ruins’ 2015-05-08 Listen at 2:09
    Where to get it
    AmazonListen on Audible

  6. Leaving the Atocha Station

    Ben Lerner; Cruz Rodríguez Juiz · Discussed · 1 episode

    Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner is a critically acclaimed contemporary novel that follows an American poetry fellow in Madrid as he navigates art, language, alienation, and the aftermath of the 2004 Madrid train bombings.

    Discussed
    “I'm thinking of books like Carl oen asgard's uh my struggle I'm thinking of Jenny alul Department of speculation Ben learner leaving the Atocha station books with a single narrator”
    The Book Review Inside The New York Times Book Review: ‘A God in Ruins’ 2015-05-08 Listen at 2:09
    Where to get it
    AmazonListen on Audible

  7. My Struggle

    Karl Ove Knausgård; Don Bartlett · Discussed · 1 episode

    My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård, translated by Don Bartlett, is a massive, multi-volume autobiographical novel that chronicles the intimate and mundane details of the author's daily life.

    Discussed
    “I'm thinking of books like Carl oen asgard's uh my struggle I'm thinking of Jenny alul Department of speculation Ben learner leaving the Atocha station books with a single narrator”
    The Book Review Inside The New York Times Book Review: ‘A God in Ruins’ 2015-05-08 Listen at 2:09
    Where to get it
    AmazonListen on Audible

Books Tom Perrotta wrote

Every book by Tom Perrotta mentioned on podcasts →

Appearances

EpisodePodcastDateBooks
Tom Perrotta on the Return of Tracy FlickThe Book Review2022-06-106
Inside The New York Times Book Review: ‘A God in Ruins’The Book Review2015-05-089