Person
Every book Wright Thompson recommended on podcasts
Key facts
- Wright Thompson has recommended or discussed 5 books on podcasts, as of April 1, 2026.
- Wright Thompson has talked about books on 2 podcasts, as of April 1, 2026.
- Those books came up in 2 episodes, as of April 1, 2026.
- The 3 books Wright Thompson has mentioned in the most episodes, as of April 1, 2026: The End of the Myth, We Don't Know Ourselves and Absalom, Absalom!.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Wright Thompson aired on April 1, 2026.
Updated
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Wright Thompson appears on, in one place — not just one.
Wright Thompson is a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. He formerly worked at The Kansas City Star and Times-Picayune in New Orleans. Thompson's topics have covered a wide range of sports issues. During recent podcast appearances, including on How I Write and The Daily Stoic, Thompson recommended and discussed several works of art and historical literature that shaped his understanding of storytelling, identity, and place. He cited William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom! as the greatest piece of American art ever made while emphasizing the importance of place in writing. Thompson also expressed immense admiration for Fintan O'Toole's modern history of Ireland, We Don't Know Ourselves, describing it as a masterpiece that he read for fun, and recommended Sven Beckert's Empire of Cotton, a history of cotton that he read twice due to its significance. In addition to these recommendations, Thompson discussed Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score and Greg Grandin's The End of the Myth, utilizing them to explore historical memory, manifest destiny, and how geographical locations hold deep national history and trauma.
Books recommended by Wright Thompson
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The End of the Myth
The End of the Myth by Greg Grandin is a historical exploration of the American frontier, examining how the concept of manifest destiny and westward expansion has shaped the national soul, identity, and foreign policy.
Discussed“And you know, we manifest destiny is such an important idea to the American identity and you know, I love Greg Grandin's book The End of the Myth that like when we lose the desire and the ability to explore and to move, we've lost something essential about our national soul.”
Where to get it
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We Don't Know Ourselves
We Don't Know Ourselves by Fintan O'Toole is a sweeping history of modern Ireland that examines the profound social, cultural, and political transformations the country experienced over recent decades.
Recommended“I just read this book I loved called uh that it's just a master piece which is fent no tools we don't know ourselves oh it's a history of modern Ireland”
Where to get it
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Absalom, Absalom!
Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner is a monumental American novel exploring family trauma, ambition, race, and the heavy burdens of the past in the deep South.
Recommended“I think one of the tricks of like if you're trying to learn how to be a writer is to figure out the things that you're interested in. And so one of the for me like like I'm like I mean, for me the the greatest piece of American art ever made is Absalom, Absalom, and it is a deep,”
Where to get it
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Empire of cotton
Empire of Cotton by Sven Beckert is a groundbreaking global history that examines how the industrialization of a single commodity spurred the creation of modern capitalism, globalization, and systemic exploitation.
Recommended“and like you know the degree to which there's a book you should read if you haven't called uh Empire of cotton by Harvard professor at the back I read it twice like I L this is not an exaggeration”
Where to get it
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The Body Keeps the Score
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk is a comprehensive exploration of how trauma physically impacts the human mind and body.
Discussed“And you know, the the idea that you know, there's that book The Body Remembers the Score. The ground remembers the score, too.”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wright Thompson: Learn Storytelling in 63 Minutes | How I Write | How I Write | 2026-04-01 | 3 |
| America's Darkest Secrets | Wright Thompson | The Daily Stoic | 2024-10-07 | 5 |
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“And he goes, so, um, the—the man and wife who—funny, crazy story—the guy who bought this house, he built this dream house with his wife, and then like a year later he gets hit by a streetcar at the World Fair in Chicago and never like dies; never lives in the house; like, like The Devil in the White City,”
“like like the Devil in the White City World Fair”