Podcast
Ezra Klein's book list: the books mentioned on The Ezra Klein Show
Ezra Klein invites you into a conversation on something that matters. How do we address climate change if the political system fails to act? Has the logic of markets infiltrated too many aspects of our lives? What is the future of the Republican Party? What do psychedelics teach us about consciousness? What does sci-fi understand about our present that we miss? Can our food system be just to human…
Books from the latest episodes
Most recommended on The Ezra Klein Show
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Hillbilly Elegy
J.D. Vance's memoir Hillbilly Elegy was analyzed across multiple episodes of The Ezra Klein Show by host Ezra Klein. Klein referenced the memoir to contrast Vance's past political period and working-class upbringing with his current political alignment, discussing themes of Appalachian migration, family history, and the author's personal struggles with feeling othered.
Discussed“and it is directly at odds with the lion version of JD Vance who wrote Hillbilly.”
Where to get it
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Amusing Ourselves to Death
Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death was featured on The Ezra Klein Show by host Ezra Klein, guest Chris Hayes, Sean Illing, and Abdul El-Sayed across multiple episodes. The speakers recommended the book as a classic media-ecology text and discussed its foundational thesis that television and modern entertainment platforms alter the logic of politics, warning that society risks amusing itself to death.
Recommended“The second is amusing ourselves to death. I know you talk about it all the time, but you know, I know Postman, Neil Postman.”
Where to get it
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The Origins of Totalitarianism
Hannah Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism was discussed and recommended across multiple episodes of The Ezra Klein Show. In October 2026, Sherry Turkle recommended the book during her appearance, highlighting its relevance to modern community loss. Pippa Norris also recommended the classic work in March 2023 and December 2024 to provide historical insight into contemporary far-right movements and authoritarian regimes. Additionally, host Ezra Klein brought up the book in February 2026 and November 2024 while discussing authoritarianism, loneliness, and political guardrails, noting that the text resonated strongly with political scientists and listeners alike.
Recommended“And the second is, uh, Hannah Arendt, uh, the origins of totalitarianism because she says look, agency can be taken from you if you really lose a sense of community, a sense of neighbor, a sense of caring about the, the society in which you live, which I think is a real, I think she's having a moment because I”
Where to get it
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Bowling Alone
Robert D. Putnam's book Bowling Alone was referenced across multiple episodes of The Ezra Klein Show. Guests including Ian Bremmer, Derek Thompson, Spencer Cox, and Dr. Jean Twenge cited the book alongside host Ezra Klein to discuss modern atomization, the decline of community groups and organized religion, the hollowing out of American places, and the historical impact of television on social isolation.
Discussed“The Robert Putnam book I think is much more specific and I wish people would talk in this language. We didn't hollow out the middle class. We hollowed out places.”
Where to get it
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Tomorrow Is Yesterday
The book Tomorrow Is Yesterday by Hussein Agha and Robert Malley was discussed across multiple episodes of The Ezra Klein Show. It was recommended by guests Shibley Telhami, Ali Vaez, and Aaron David Miller, who praised its insightful analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its critique of past US peacemaking efforts. Later, on October 17, 2025, co-author Rob Malley appeared on the show alongside Ezra Klein to discuss the book's critical view of presidential negotiation frameworks, the title's meaning regarding Israeli security, and potential future involvement from Jordan.
Recommended“The third book is by Hussein Agha, Robert Malley. "Tomorrow is Yesterday." These are two seasoned analysts. Robert Malley, of course, served in the US government for many years on israel-palestine as well as on Iran. And I had advised the Palestinian delegation they had written together in the past. But this book is a powerful book, really about looking”
Where to get it
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The Sabbath
Abraham Joshua Heschel's book The Sabbath came up across multiple episodes of The Ezra Klein Show. Ezra Klein first discussed receiving the book from a rabbi in college and later referenced it to explore the concept of rest and the word manuha. The book was also recommended by Judith Shulevitz, James Telerico, and David Robinson, who noted it as a favorite all-time read and a guide to pausing in a busy world.
Recommended“And then a third and most importantly, I guess, if you were gonna pick one, it would be The Sabbath by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.”
Where to get it
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Romney
McKay Coppins's biography "Romney: A Reckoning" was discussed on The Ezra Klein Show by host Ezra Klein and guests including Jigar Shah, Maggie Haberman, and Tim Alberta. The speakers recommended the book for its deep access to Mitt Romney, its exploration of his political journey, and the broader reckonings within the Republican party.
Recommended“and then the last book was I recently read um Romney a reckoning by I think McKay coppins and I think I think that when you think about his journey right and the journey of many folks who just want to do right by people”
Where to get it
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The making of the atomic bomb
Richard Rhodes's book 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb' was recommended on 'The Ezra Klein Show' by multiple guests, including Rachel Bard, Nate Silver, and Dario Amodei. The speakers praised the book for reading like a blockbuster while detailing complex physics, historical breakthroughs, and the social and political forces shaping scientific discovery. Guests also drew parallels between the rapid technological developments of the Manhattan Project and modern artificial intelligence.
Recommended“Rachel, um Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodess, which I think it it reads like a blockbuster movie, but it is an 850 page book about physics. um all about how scientific breakthroughs and discoveries happen and very much how about how they're shaped by um social forces, political events, and government priorities.”
Where to get it
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The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order
Gary Gerstle's The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order was discussed and recommended on The Ezra Klein Show in 2023, 2024, and 2026. Ezra Klein and guest Ray Madoff recommended the book, praising its analysis of historical political forces. Klein specifically highlighted Gerstle's introduction of political orders and decades-long structures of consensus to explore shifts within the Republican Party and American politics.
Recommended“The other is the book, "The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order" by Gary Gerstle. And I like this. All past guests of the show Tim Wu, Gary Gerstle Yeah, I love yeah, these are great books.”
Where to get it
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Middlemarch
On The Ezra Klein Show, Matt Yglesias recommended Middlemarch by George Eliot as an engaging piece of long-form writing in an episode from January 2025. In December 2024, Ezra Klein mentioned it as a famous novel. Additionally, in November 2023, Maryanne Wolf and Ezra Klein discussed the classic during a conversation on deep reading.
Recommended“Middlemarch is sort of my go-to on thinking about normal people being swept along by kind of the winds of change as a major technology revolution is taking place.”
Where to get it
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The undoing project
The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis was recommended by multiple guests on The Ezra Klein Show. Natasha Sarin, Kimberly Clausing, and Dr. Gloria Mark recommended the book across episodes in 2024 and 2025. The guests praised it as a profound story about the historic collaboration and friendship between Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky and their foundational contributions to behavioral economics.
Recommended“There's a great book by Michael Lewis called the undoing project that's about the relationship between Danny Conaman and Amoski, but also the ways in which the field evolved that I think is like pretty profound and a great story.”
Where to get it
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The Anxious Generation
On The Ezra Klein Show, Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation was discussed in the context of youth mental health and phone addiction. Host Ezra Klein and guest Spencer Cox explored the book's core thesis regarding how smartphones and social media have driven a mental health crisis among adolescents, with Cox recommending the text to examine the negative impacts of digital platforms on young people.
Recommended“who's who's written the kind of the pre-minent book the anxious generation I was talking to Jonathan well before anxious generation came out”
Where to get it
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How Democracies Die
Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt's How Democracies Die was discussed on The Ezra Klein Show by Andrew Morance, Ezra Klein, and Danielle Allen. The speakers used the book to explore political gatekeeping, competitive authoritarianism, and the necessity of stable democratic norms.
Discussed“So, Steven Levitzky who was one of the co-authors of how democracies die, he also was a co-author of this really seinal paper where he defined he invented the term competitive authoritarianism.”
Where to get it
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Of Boys and Men
On The Ezra Klein Show, host Ezra Klein discussed Richard Reeves's book 'Of Boys and Men' across multiple episodes in 2023 and 2024. Klein commended the book for addressing the struggles faced by modern men and boys, particularly regarding education and the need for more male professionals in fields like nursing and teaching. Klein highlighted the book's intersectional approach, exploring how systemic challenges impact males across different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, and featured Reeves as a guest to examine the underlying statistical trends.
Discussed“last year I interviewed Richard Reeves about his book of boys and men about what has happened to men in America why they've fallen so far behind and what we should think about it what we can do about it”
Where to get it
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Recoding America
Recoding America by Jennifer Pahlka was recommended by Francis Fukuyama and Ezra Klein on The Ezra Klein Show. Francis Fukuyama praised Pahlka as an insightful critic of the American bureaucracy, and Ezra Klein lauded the book as one of the best policy books he had read. Pahlka herself appeared as a guest to discuss the book and recommend related foundational works.
Recommended“One is Jennifer Pala's uh recoding America. I think she is the most insightful in a way critic of what's wrong with the American bureaucracy”
Where to get it
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Children of Time
Adrian Tchaikovsky's science fiction novel Children of Time was discussed on The Ezra Klein Show. Guests Holly Herndon and Jerusalem Demsas recommended the book for its imaginative exploration of genetically modified spider societies and community building. Ezra Klein and the host also discussed the book in relation to listener recommendations following an episode on octopuses and its companion sequel.
Recommended“on a lighter side uh children of time by Adrien chovsky is a really enjoyable AI science fiction about intelligent genetically modified spiders and this one my favorite books yeah so good so you kind of see the kind of society and technology that a super intelligent spider um society would build which I love”
Where to get it
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The Virtue of Nationalism
Yoram Hazony's book The Virtue of Nationalism was discussed on The Ezra Klein Show in episodes from 2024 and 2025. Ezra Klein brought up the book in conversations with guests to analyze the theoretical foundations of the nationalist revival on the right and to question apparent tensions between nationalist theory and liberal tolerance. Emily Jashinsky also referenced the book to explain its early popularity and influence within early Trump circles.
Discussed“In 2018, Yor Mazonei, an Israeli political theorist, released a book that became a sensation on the right. It was called the virtue of nationalism and it sought to build a right that could withstand the challenge that liberals like Obama had posed.”
Where to get it
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A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders was recommended on three separate episodes of The Ezra Klein Show. Ben Buchanan suggested the book to highlight deeply human artistic endeavors and its focus on Russian short stories. Jerusalem Demsus recommended it as a book on writing that doubles as a guide on thinking, and Lisa Damour named Saunders's work as her favorite graduation gift and an influential read touching on Russian literature.
Recommended“and then the last book is is definitely an unusual one but I think is vital and that's a swim in the pond in the reain by George Saunders and he's this great essayist and short story writer and novel writer and he teaches Russian literature and he in this book takes uh seven Russian literature short stories and gives”
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Chip War
On The Ezra Klein Show, Chris Miller's book Chip War was recommended by Ezra Klein in July 2024 and April 2023 to explain the complexity and fragility of global semiconductor supply chains. Noah Smith also recommended the book in March 2023 to help listeners understand semiconductor export controls.
Recommended“I mean if people read chip Wars which is I think the best book on this the semiconductor supply chain is just extraordinarily complicated and and fragile”
Where to get it
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Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver's novel Demon Copperhead was recommended by guests on The Ezra Klein Show. Nadia Schadlow named it among her favorite fiction reads, Suzanne Mettler recommended it as her second book choice, and Darrin Lind praised it as a realistic rebuttal to sentimental debates regarding what has happened to the rural poor over the previous twenty-five years.
Recommended“And then a fourth fiction book that I loved this summer was is "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver. I loved that book.”
Where to get it
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The Courage to Be Free
The book The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival by Ron DeSantis was examined on The Ezra Klein Show in mid-2023. In episode sessions hosted by Ezra Klein and featuring guests like Carlos Lozada, the speakers analyzed the political narrative and messaging crafted by the Florida governor. They discussed recurring themes in the book, including DeSantis's framing of his COVID-19 response in contrast to Anthony Fauci, his perspective on government versus social media branding, and references to his elite education and legal career.
Discussed“and so I've been reading Rhonda Santos's book the courage to be free Florida's blueprint for America's Revival”
Where to get it
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The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium
Martin Gurri's book The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium was discussed across multiple episodes of The Ezra Klein Show in early 2025. Host Ezra Klein examined the book's core argument regarding how changing media landscapes transformed politics. Klein referenced Gurri's work to contrast the author's theory of a public revolt against institutional authority with his own perspective that contemporary political upheavals represent a revolt of the elites.
Discussed“I was talking about this ABS I was talking about this with Martin G that he has a sort of Revolt of the public there I was like no this is a Revolt of Elites”
Where to get it
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Gilead
On The Ezra Klein Show, host Ezra Klein frequently referenced Marilynne Robinson's novel Gilead. Klein described it as his favorite book and recommended it to listeners, noting that it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2005. During interviews and reflections, he quoted lines from the book, including an older man's letter to his young son about the Godlike nature of loving someone's being, using the work to illustrate themes of attentiveness and the joy of human existence.
Recommended“there's a really beautiful quote in the book Gilead about this uh by Marilyn Robinson which is I think my favorite book and it it's all the book is this letter of an older man to his young son and he says you see how it is Godlike to love the being of someone”
Where to get it
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How to Do Nothing
Jenny Odell's book How to Do Nothing was discussed on The Ezra Klein Show by host Ezra Klein, guest Chris Hayes, and Jia Tolentino. Hayes recommended the book as a fantastic read on modern attention, while Klein praised it as the premier book on attention and the mind in the current era, as Tolentino reflected on its themes of time and productivity.
Recommended“great um another book that has been mentioned on your podcast a lot and relevant which is again I I feel like I'm sort of citing can Tex here and it's important for me to do because I want to be clear as we all are as authors you know lots of people have been thinking about this very well”
Where to get it
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Daring Young Men
Richard Reeves's book about boys and men was discussed across multiple episodes of The Ezra Klein Show. In March 2023, host Ezra Klein brought up the book to introduce a discussion on the struggles faced by young males, highlighting its intersectional perspective. In August 2024, Klein revisited the work to examine counterintuitive arguments made regarding schooling, gender, and race.
Discussed“and this is a point you make in the book which I think is a little counterintuitive because there's a way of coding this conversation as an almost backlashing conversation”
Where to get it
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Adam Bede
On The Ezra Klein Show, during the episodes titled "Sabbath and the Art of Rest" in February 2023 and "Best Of: Sabbath and the Art of Rest" in December 2024, Judith Shulevitz recommended George Eliot's first novel, Adam Bede. Shulevitz highlighted the 1859 book for its vivid depiction of a pre-industrial Sabbath. Ezra Klein also joined the discussion, noting that the novel features what modern readers would consider a feminist plot while being set in a 19th-century English village.
Recommended“so I would say that the first book I recommend is by George Elliott so that's the gnome de plume of Maryann Evans and her most famous novel you've probably heard of it is middl March but her first novel was called Adam beid”
Where to get it
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Career and Family
On The Ezra Klein Show, Richard Reeves recommended Claudia Dale Goldin's book Career and Family during discussions about labor markets and gender roles. In episodes from March 2023 and August 2024, Reeves highlighted the book as essential reading, noting that although it focuses on women's careers and education, it also offers valuable insights into understanding men.
Recommended“the second book I'd recommend which really gets at both the educational and labor market stuff but actually more from looking at women I think you learn about men is Claudia Golden's book uh career and family which as I said I think golden is just absolutely the best in the business when it comes to looking at gender and”
Where to get it
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God, Human, Animal, Machine
On The Ezra Klein Show, Ezra Klein and Erik Davis recommended Meghan O'Gieblyn's God, Human, Animal, Machine. They praised the book for exploring the Christian mythology and theology operating beneath the surface of modern artificial intelligence and technology.
Recommended“and I've recommended it before but Megan ogubin's great book God human animal machine right is sort of all about a lot of the Christian mythology operating in a suburbs away here”
Where to get it
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Range
On The Ezra Klein Show, David Epstein's book 'Range' was recommended by Hannah Ritchie and Veronique de Rugy, as well as the host. The speakers highlighted the book in praise of generalists, recommending it as a top read during the conclusion of their respective interviews.
Recommended“and then the final book for me is called range and it's by David Epstein”
Where to get it
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The Making of the President 1960
Theodore H. White's book 'The Making of the President 1960' was recommended by Elaine Kamarck on The Ezra Klein Show during discussions about open democratic conventions. Kamarck brought up the book to provide background information on that specific election year, offering listeners context on how John Kennedy secured the Democratic nomination and how Richard Nixon won the Republican nomination.
Recommended“I go to next the making of the president 1960 by Theodore White which is about that election and there's lots of background stuff on how John Kennedy won the Democratic nomination and how Richard Nixon won the Republican nomination”
Where to get it
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The Prize
On The Ezra Klein Show, Robin Wigglesworth and Jason Bordoff recommended Daniel Yergin's The Prize as a foundational, classic history of the oil market and its central role in global power and geopolitics over the last century. Megan O'Sullivan also acknowledged the book as a key work in the field before turning to her own recommendations.
Recommended“my second book, Daniel Jurgens's the prize. It's a history of the oil market. It's kind of the model for a lot of similar books that came first, but Jurgen's kind of the OG. It's I I love those histories that kind of tell a history of the world. This is almost a history of the 20th century, but through”
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Democracy in America
Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America was discussed and recommended across two episodes of The Ezra Klein Show in 2025. On the April 24 episode ("The Very American Roots of Trumpism"), Ezra Klein discussed the text with guest Stephen Hahn, who recommended it as an outsider's insightful observation rather than merely an iconic text on liberal democracy's ascent. Later, on the September 16 episode ("We Are Going to Have to Live Here With Each Other"), guest Ben Shapiro recommended the book during the final segment, calling it the best description of what America is and ought to be.
Recommended“I think that Democracy in America by Dtoqueville is still the best description of what America is and and in many ways ought to be.”
Where to get it
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Steadfast Democrats
On The Ezra Klein Show, guests Patrick Ruffini and Michael Podhorzer discussed the book 'Steadfast Democrats' by Ismail K. White and Chryl N. Laird across multiple episodes. Michael Podhorzer brought up the book in November 2023 to explain the historical voting patterns of Black Americans and the social dynamics surrounding community voting expectations. Later, in November 2024, Patrick Ruffini recommended and discussed the book, highlighting how it examines the history of modern Black politics and why Black voters have remained solidly within the Democratic Coalition despite shifting political changes.
Discussed“and there's a great book I was probably going to call it out at the end with your three books a segment called steadfast Democrats by Ismail white and Cheryl L which really talks about the ways in which we would have expected black voters to move more away from the Democratic party based on changes and sort of their”
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War and Peace
On The Ezra Klein Show, Stephanie Slade recommended War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy as one of her favorite big fiction novels, calling it a significant time investment that is completely worth the effort. In a separate episode, Ezra Klein brought up the novel to illustrate how students might rely on SparkNotes summaries rather than reading the full text in school.
Discussed“when I was in school you could buy spark notes and you know they were these little like pamphlet sized descriptions of what's going on in waren peace or what's going on in East of Eden”
Where to get it
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My Promised Land
Ari Shavit's My Promised Land was featured on The Ezra Klein Show. In August 2025, Mahmoud Khalil recommended the book, noting that it mirrors Rashid Khalidi's work on Palestine by demonstrating the historical roots of the Zionist project. Ezra Klein also discussed the book in May 2024, highlighting its exploration of both idealism and violence in Israel's history and referencing his own extensive notes and highlights from reading it.
Recommended“the third book um is um My Promised Land by Arish Shaveet. Um which is which mirrors Rashid Khaled's hundreds horse on on on on Palestine. Um, and to me that was helpful because it shows that the Zionist colonial project started like in the 1880s and sort of confirm what Rashid Khaled say in a lot of places.”
Where to get it
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Silent Spring
On The Ezra Klein Show, host Ezra Klein and guests Jim Pethokoukis and Jason Bordoff referenced Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring' in episodes from 2023 and 2024. The speakers cited the book as a foundational text for the environmental movement, noting how it raised awareness about environmental concerns and helped shape modern conservation efforts.
Discussed“people did begin worrying about budgets back then there books like Silent Spring and some events like the Santa Barbara oil film we began learning more about the radiation from Hiroshima all and worrying about nuclear”
Where to get it
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The Republic
Plato's Republic came up on The Ezra Klein Show when Marilynne Robinson mentioned it in March 2024 while discussing Moses creating an ideal culture. In February 2024, Agnes Callard referenced the text to explore concepts of an ideal society, social immobility, and status games.
Discussed“he's doing sort of what Plato does you know in the Republic he's creating an ideal culture that with very ancient features”
Where to get it
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A more beautiful and terrible history
On The Ezra Klein Show, Brendan Terry recommended Jeanne Theoharis's book "A More Beautiful and Terrible History". Terry highlighted the work as a recommended read for people approaching the study of the civil rights movement for the first time or wanting deeper context on Martin Luther King Jr.
Recommended“I also really like Gian Theo Harris's uh more beautiful and terrible history I think for people coming to the study of the Civil Rights Movement for the first time or kind of curious about why some of the things that I've said don't sound familiar to them”
Where to get it
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A World after Liberalism
On The Ezra Klein Show, guests and hosts recommended Matthew Rose's book A World after Liberalism. Ezra Klein praised it as a strong introduction to traditionalist and right-wing political thought, while another guest suggested it to help readers understand the potential shape and capacity of a post-liberal societal imaginary.
Recommended“Um, and I think for a third book, Matthew Rose is a world after liberalism, right? To give you a sense of what the the capacity for a post-liberal imaginary is like, what a world looks like when liberalism no longer is functioning, has been replaced, or what it could be, what people want it to be in the future,”
Where to get it
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Addiction by Design
Natasha Dow Schüll's book Addiction by Design was recommended by Nate Silver on The Ezra Klein Show in August 2024, where he described the author as an NYU anthropologist who studied Las Vegas for her thesis. The book was also recommended later that year in May 2024 by Darrin Burnett on the same podcast, who noted that Schüll is a science and technology studies scholar.
Recommended“The third is called Addiction by Design um by Natasha Schüll. And Natasha is an NYU anthropologist who studied Las Vegas as like her thesis, basically.”
Where to get it
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All the King's Men
On The Ezra Klein Show episodes concerning an open Democratic convention, Elaine Kamarck recommended Robert Penn Warren's novel All the King's Men when asked for book suggestions. She noted that the classic work contains valuable insights regarding party conventions and political deal-making.
Recommended“well I'd start with All the King's Men this is an old one by Robert pen Warren and there's lots in it about party conventions”
Where to get it
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American Cosmic
On The Ezra Klein Show in June 2023, guest Leslie Kean recommended the book American Cosmic by D.W. Pasulka across two related episodes covering UFO stories. Kean recommended the publication as a very unique academic work exploring the intersections of technology, religion, and mythology through the perspective of a university professor of religion.
Recommended“and a third one is a more recent book called American Cosmic by Diana pasilka who's a professor of religion at the University of North Carolina”
Where to get it
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Behind the Beautiful Forevers
Katherine Boo's book Behind the Beautiful Forevers was recommended by guests on The Ezra Klein Show. Anand Giridharadas recommended the book during an episode released on February 13, 2026, titled What the Epstein Files Reveal About How Elite Worlds Work. Ellie Hassenfeld also recommended the book as his final recommendation during an episode released on December 16, 2025, titled The Simplest Way to Save Lives With Your Money, noting that the author spent years in Anawadi.
Recommended“and "Behind the Beautiful Forevers" by Katherine Boo”
Where to get it
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Black Paper
Sheila Liming recommended Black Paper by Teju Cole on The Ezra Klein Show as part of her regular book recommendations. She described it as a collection of articles, essays, and lectures written by Teju Cole.
Recommended“so my first recommendation is a book by taju Cole it's called black paper and it's actually a collection of Articles and essays by taju Cole combined with some lectures”
Where to get it
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Breakneck
On The Ezra Klein Show, two different guests recommended Dan Wang's book Breakneck. On October 9, 2026, Arvind Narayanan brought up the book and noted its echoes of abundance and insights into different types of societies. Earlier, on December 23, 2025, Tracy Alloway recommended Breakneck as an excellent read for comparing the political economies of the United States and China.
Recommended“I liked Dan Wong's Breakneck a lot of echoes of abundance as well”
Where to get it
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Coercion
Guest Chris Miller recommended the book Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion on The Ezra Klein Show in episodes recorded in April and December of 2023. Miller strongly recommended the text as an exceptional account of high politics and political decision-making in China over the last half-century, offering it to listeners as a valuable resource to understand Chinese governance.
Recommended“and then a third book which was published last year which I strongly recommend is a book on decision-making in China called Prestige manipulation and coercion which is an extraordinary account of high politics in in China over the last half century that illustrates with just a really exceptional archival documentation how how Chinese politics has has shifted and the”
Where to get it
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Crashed
On The Ezra Klein Show, Michael Podhorzer recommended J. Adam Tooze's book Crashed to help listeners understand global economic connections. Guest Katarina Pistor also recommended the book, noting that the data and legal structures detailed by Tooze provided useful context for understanding the financial crisis.
Recommended“and the third is one actually I that you brought to my attention which is the book crashed by Adam TW which I think should open the aperture for people about how our economy all of these decisions are connected to the world in a way that makes everything make a lot more”
Where to get it
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Dark ghettos
On The Ezra Klein Show, Brendan Terry recommended Dark Ghettos by Tommie Shelby during episodes in February and July 2023. Terry described the book as a philosophical reflection inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. that examines the deep structure of ghetto poverty and societal redress.
Recommended“you know I want to recommend my colleague Tommy Shelby's book dark ghettos which is a king inspired philosophical reflection on the Deep structure of ghetto poverty and what it requires of us as a society to do to redress it”
Where to get it
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Dreamland
On The Ezra Klein Show, Nicole Hemmer recommended Carly Goodman's book 'Dreamland: America's Immigration Lottery in an Age of Restriction' during her book recommendations. Hemmer mentioned the title in both the February 17, 2023, episode and the April 25, 2023, best-of episode. She explained that the book focuses on the Diversity Lottery, a policy utilized by the United States to grant access to individuals from underrepresented countries.
Recommended“um it's called Dreamland America's immigration lottery in an age of restriction by Carly Goodman and it's about this thing called the Diversity Lottery”
Where to get it
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Factfulness
Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, and Anna Rosling Rönnlund's book Factfulness was recommended by guests on The Ezra Klein Show. Ellie Hassenfeld recommended the book as a resource that brings global health data to the world. Similarly, Hannah Ritchie cited the book as a major inspiration for her own work, noting her longstanding admiration for Hans Rosling.
Recommended“one is factfulness by the late Hans Rosling. This is a book that just brings global health data to to to the world.”
Where to get it
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Freedom's Dominion
Nicole Hemmer recommended Jefferson Cowie's book Freedom's Dominion on The Ezra Klein Show in February and April 2023. She highlighted the work as a saga exploring white resistance to federal power during her final book recommendations on the program.
Recommended“and then the third one that I want to recommend is Jefferson cowie's freedoms Dominion asaga of white resistance to Federal power”
Where to get it
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From the soil, the foundations of Chinese society
On The Ezra Klein Show, Fei Xiaotong's book From the Soil: The Foundations of Chinese Society was recommended by two separate guests. Matt Sheehan recommended it as his second book suggestion on September 15, 2026, while Yuen Yuen Ang recommended the same book on February 17, 2023, to help readers understand the agrarian foundations of Chinese society.
Recommended“It's called From the Soil: The Foundations of Chinese Society.”
Where to get it
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How the War Was Won
On The Ezra Klein Show, Paul Krugman recommended Phillips P. O'Brien's book How the War Was Won during his book recommendations. Krugman highlighted O'Brien as a military historian and praised the work for offering a wonderfully unromantic, anti-glory view of World War II that focuses heavily on modes of production.
Recommended“Um, and oh yeah, I'm just reading the latest uh book by Phillips O'Brien who's a military historian and uh he has a new book called War and Power and he is uh always uh fantastic.”
Where to get it
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Justice for Some
Justice for Some by Noura Erakat was recommended by guests on The Ezra Klein Show. Ta-Nehisi Coates and Aai Shakir both highlighted the book for its detailed legal analysis of how international law and rules have shaped Palestinian history, British colonial rule, and Israeli policy.
Recommended“the first book I I I would recommend is Justice for some by nura erot Justice for some is supposed to be an analysis and it is this of the legal work as she calls it uh that that underg guards Israel and Israeli rule of Palestinians”
Where to get it
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Master of the Game
On The Ezra Klein Show, Aaron David Miller recommended Martin Indyk's Master of the Game as an essential guide for understanding how to conduct successful Middle East diplomacy. Nimrod Novic also recommended the book to listeners for its insights into Henry Kissinger and diplomatic history in the region.
Recommended“Martin Indig's Master of the Game, Henry Kissinger and the art of Middle East diplomacy and Peter Baker and Sudan Glasser's masterful the man who ran Washington life at times of James Baker. Those are two books I would recommend about there are real lessons there about how to do successful diplomacy.”
Where to get it
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Nexus
On The Ezra Klein Show, Chris Miller recommended Nexus by Jonathan Reed Winkler during multiple episodes, including the December 2023 best-of episode. Miller highlighted the book as a fascinating study of early twentieth-century telegraph cables, praising its deep insights into historical government networks, communications infrastructure, and state connectivity.
Recommended“a second book I'd recommend which picks up on a lot of the discussions we've had about networks is a book called Nexus by Jonathan Winkler which is a a study of telegraph cables during the early 20th century and what's striking about it is the extent to which all of the world's governments saw telegraph cables as not only”
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Nixonland
On The Ezra Klein Show, Will Summer and Zeke Fox both recommended Rick Perlstein's Nixonland series. Will Summer mentioned it when offering recommendations to the audience, while Zeke Fox described reading it as feeling like reading the daily newspaper during the Nixon years.
Recommended“You know, I think we would also think of, you know, Rick Pearlstein's Nixon Land series, stuff like that.”
Where to get it
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On Beauty
On The Ezra Klein Show, Matt Sheehan and Ezra Klein discussed Zadie Smith's novel On Beauty. Sheehan recommended the book as a fun reading choice during his final book recommendations. Klein also praised Smith's previous works, highlighting On Beauty alongside her other novels for listeners who had not yet explored her back catalog.
Recommended“And the last one, just for fun, uh Zadeie Smith's On Beauty.”
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On the Clock
On The Ezra Klein Show, Judith Shulevitz recommended Emily Guendelsberger's book On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane. Shulevitz highlighted the title to illustrate the harsh realities and pressures of low-wage, on-demand, and just-in-time working schedules.
Recommended“and the third book I would recommend is uh by a young journalist named Emily gwend elberger and it's called on the clock what low AG work did to me and how it drives America insane”
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On the Inconvenience of Other People
Sheila Liming recommended On the Inconvenience of Other People by Lauren Berlant on The Ezra Klein Show during her closing book recommendations. She noted that the posthumously published book explores philosophy by unpacking the famous Sartrean phrase about hell being other people.
Recommended“the title of it is on the inconvenience of other people and in that book Lauren Berlant um from a philosophical angle basically tries to unpack the phrase from SAR that hell is other people”
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One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
On The Ezra Klein Show, Masha Gessen and Rob Malley both recommended Omar El Akkad's book One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. The guests brought up the award-winning book during closing recommendation segments, with Malley noting that its title alone deserved a prize.
Recommended“The other is a book that after I read it got the national book award which is uh one day everyone will have always been against this.”
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Party of the People
Patrick Ruffini's book 'Party of the People' was discussed on The Ezra Klein Show. Guest Kristen Soltis Anderson recommended the book on January 16, 2024, highlighting its focus on the multi-racial political coalition. Later, on November 9, 2024, host Ezra Klein also recommended the book to listeners as a key starting point for understanding recent political data.
Recommended“rafini has been thinking about this and pouring through this data for years I recommend his book as an important place to start”
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Postcolonial Love Poem
Natalie Diaz's poetry collection 'Postcolonial Love Poem' was recommended by guests on The Ezra Klein Show. In February 2023, Ada Limón recommended the book at the conclusion of her interview. Later in June 2023, Derek Hamilton also recommended the book, praising the indigenous poet's work for its impactful presentation of social theory and prose linked to the environment.
Recommended“and then finally a book that I read more recently by Natalie Diaz who is an indigenous poet the book is called post-colonial love poems”
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Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion
On The Ezra Klein Show, Chris Miller strongly recommended Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion by Joseph Torigian during episode appearances in 2023. Miller highlighted the text as an exceptional and recent account of high politics and decision-making in China over the last half-century.
Recommended“and then a third book which was published last year which I strongly recommend is a book on decision-making in China called Prestige manipulation and coercion which is an extraordinary account of high politics in in China over the last half century that illustrates with just a really exceptional archival documentation how how Chinese politics has has shifted and the”
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Quiet Revolution
On The Ezra Klein Show, Elaine Kamarck recommended Byron E. Shafer's book Quiet Revolution as her final book recommendation. Kamarck explained that the book serves as the inside story of the McGovern-Fraser commission, providing essential historical background on how rule changes in the Democratic Party came to be.
Recommended“and I'd end with quiet Revolution by Byron schaer which is the inside story of the movern Fraser commission”
Where to get it
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Random Family
On The Ezra Klein Show, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc's Random Family was recommended twice across different episodes. Anand Giridharadas recommended it when Ezra Klein asked for book suggestions in the episode What the Epstein Files Reveal About How Elite Worlds Work, and Matthew Desmond suggested it as his final reading recommendation in Matthew Desmond On America’s Addiction to Poverty.
Recommended“"Random Family" by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc.”
Where to get it
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Spin Dictators
On The Ezra Klein Show, Pippa Norris recommended Spin Dictators by Sergei Guriev and Daniel Treisman across multiple episodes. She brought up the work to explore the changing face of tyranny, authoritarian regimes, and the strategic use of propaganda in the twenty-first century.
Recommended“second book which Builds on that is another good book by Serge gorov and Daniel triman and the book is called spin dictators and it's about the changing face of tyranny in the 21st century”
Where to get it
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Team of Rivals
On The Ezra Klein Show, Sarah McBride recommended Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals as a great book on political leadership and changing public opinion. Ehud Olmert also recommended the book as part of his reading recommendations during his appearance.
Recommended“So to this conversation, I think one of the best books on political leadership and understanding how to foster public opinion change is Team of Rivals by Doris Karns Goodwin. It's one of my favorite books.”
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The Amen Effect
On The Ezra Klein Show, Senator Brian Schatz mentioned that he had recently read and loved The Amen Effect by Rabbi Sharon Brous. Host Ezra Klein had also previously recommended the forthcoming book during an episode introduction after being moved by the author's sermons.
Recommended“I just finished reading uh the am man effect by um Rabbi Sharon Brouse which I loved”
Where to get it
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The Challenger launch decision
On The Ezra Klein Show, David Robinson recommended Diane Vaughan's book, The Challenger Launch Decision, to illustrate how organizations incrementally accept risks over time, comparing it to the AI industry's safety culture. Later in the podcast's run, Dr. Gloria Mark also recommended the book as part of her reading recommendations at the end of the episode.
Recommended“Number one, the Challenger launch decision. So this is a book about why the Challenger exploded and it's by Diane Fon, who's a social scientist.”
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The Constitution of Liberty
On The Ezra Klein Show, guests Ben Shapiro and Vivek Ramaswamy both recommended The Constitution of Liberty by Friedrich August Hayek in response to closing requests for book recommendations.
Recommended“and maybe I'll go with the Constitution of Liberty by FA Hayek.”
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The Expanse
On The Ezra Klein Show, Jim Pethokoukis and Dario Amodei both recommended James S.A. Corey's book series The Expanse. Pethokoukis highlighted it as hard science fiction with an optimistic approach to problem-solving, while Amodei recommended the books because the world blends advanced technology with familiar geopolitical conflicts.
Recommended“I would also recommend since I write about sci-fi so much on my book the expans series which they turned into a a TV series”
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The Fifth Risk
On The Ezra Klein Show, Darrin Lind and Nick Bagley both recommended Michael Lewis's book The Fifth Risk. The speakers suggested listeners revisit or read the book to understand the vital, unseen work performed by the federal civil service and to remind themselves of the innumerable functions of the government.
Recommended“I think that like the fifth Risk by Michael Lewis is probably a good book to revisit if you if you have it and to skim if you haven't read it checked it out yet just for a reminder of the innumerable things that the Federal government does that a like broad-based attack on the civil service is going to”
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The fire next time
On The Ezra Klein Show, Amjad Iraqi recommended James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time because its exploration of racism powerfully resonated with the experiences of Palestinians. Jane Hirschfield also recommended the book on the podcast, describing it as indispensable and invaluable for its clarity of seeing and commitment to affection for fellow human beings.
Recommended“and the third book uh is the fire next time by James Baldwin”
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The God Equation
Michio Kaku's book The God Equation was recommended by Dr. Gloria Mark on The Ezra Klein Show in January and August 2024. Mark highlighted the book as her third recommendation, explaining that she loves how it conveys Kaku's sheer wonder for physics, covering fascinating subjects like time travel and wormholes.
Recommended“and my third recommendation is the god equation by mitu Kaku I love this book because it conveys kaku's just sheer awe and wonder of physics and you know you learn about so many strange things wormholes and time travel and if I had read a book like this before I went to college I I might have wanted to”
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The Hundred Years' War on Palestine
On The Ezra Klein Show, Tarek Baconi recommended Rashid Khalidi's The Hundred Years' War on Palestine to provide necessary context for the historical conflict, noting it was deservedly on the New York Times bestseller list. Spencer Ackerman also recommended the accessible Palestinian history during the book recommendation segment.
Recommended“the first is Rashid khalid's 100 Years War on Palestine which is deservedly on the New York Times best seller list now and it shows the context for this moment that we find ourselves in this didn't begin on October 7th”
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The Life of Dad
On The Ezra Klein Show, Richard Reeves discussed The Life of Dad by Anna Machin during episodes in March 2023 and August 2024. Reeves recommended the book as a major influence on his understanding of modern fatherhood, praising the Oxford evolutionary anthropologist's work during the closing book recommendation segments.
Recommended“and the third book I got a huge amount out of was a book by Anna mein who's a anthropologist I think May evolutionary Anthropologist at the University of Oxford and her book maybe you'll know it actually as it's called the life of dad the making of a modern father as few years old now”
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The Premonition
On The Ezra Klein Show, Michael Lewis's book comes up in multiple discussions about government. In the 2023 episode "How Liberals — Yes, Liberals — Are Hobbling Government," guest Nick Bagley recommended the book, describing it as an accessible and moving account of federal agencies' unseen work during the Trump administration transition. Later, in the 2025 episode "What Trump Is Really Doing | The Ezra Klein Show," host Ezra Klein recommended the book as a valuable read or skim that reminds listeners of the federal government's innumerable functions and the risks from attacks on the civil service.
Recommended“but uh I think that like the fifth Risk by Michael Lewis is probably a good book to revisit if you if you have it and to skim if you haven't read it checked it out yet just for a reminder of the innumerable things that the Federal government does that a like broad-based attack on the civil service is”
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The Question of Palestine
Edward W. Said's classic book The Question of Palestine was recommended on The Ezra Klein Show by two separate guests. In October 2023, Peter Beinart described it as a foundational text that lays out the Palestinian experience. Later, in August 2025, Mahmoud Khalil recommended the 1970s publication as a valuable glimpse into early Palestinian thought regarding Zionism prior to the founding of Hamas.
Recommended“the second book is Edward Sed the the the question of Palestine. um that was actually published like in I think late '7s before Hamas was founded and it's it's a good glimpse into um the Palestinian um thought when it comes to Palestine and and Zionism and Zionism from the perspective of Palestinians.”
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The Rise and Fall of American Growth
On The Ezra Klein Show, guests Ethan Mollick and Martin Wolf recommended Robert J. Gordon's The Rise and Fall of American Growth. Mollick cited its argument about historical industrial growth limits, while Wolf called it a seminal book exploring the wave of innovation between 1880 and 1940.
Recommended“one of them is the rise and fall of American growth which is it's two things it's an argument about why we will never have the kind of growth that we did in the first part of the Industrial Revolution again”
Where to get it
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The Secret History
On The Ezra Klein Show, Derek Thompson and Ashley Parker both discussed Donna Tartt's novel The Secret History. Derek Thompson mentioned the book as one he recently reread, while Ashley Parker recommended it as a favorite at the end of the interview.
Recommended“Um, The Emperor's Children by Cla Massud, The Interestings by Me Witzer, and The Secret History by Donna Tart.”
Where to get it
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The Seven Day Circle
On The Ezra Klein Show, Judith Shulevitz recommended Eviatar Zerubavel's book The Seven-Day Circle. Shulevitz praised it as a definitive history of the week and noted that it heavily influenced the sociology of time concepts used in her own writing.
Recommended“the second book I would recommend is called the seven-day Circle and it's by a sociologist who actually invented something I draw on heavily in my book called The sociology of time his name is evat zerubavel”
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The Strategy of Denial
Yoram Hazony and Emma Ashford both recommended Elbridge Colby's book on The Ezra Klein Show. Hazony suggested it to explain foreign policy perspectives in the current administration, while Ashford recommended it to help listeners understand United States defense policy.
Recommended“The second book I thought to recommend is uh Bridge KBY's Strategy of Denial.”
Where to get it
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The Sword and the Shield
On The Ezra Klein Show, Brendan Terry strongly recommended Peniel E. Joseph's The Sword and the Shield. Terry described the work as a dual biography examining the lives and teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
Recommended“I really strongly recommend paneer Joseph's The Sword and the shield um it's a dual biography of uh Martin Luther King and Malcolm X”
Where to get it
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The trumpet of conscience
On The Ezra Klein Show, Brendan Terry recommended The Trumpet of Conscience by Martin Luther King Jr. during episodes in February and July 2023. Terry expressed his fondness for the book, which compiles King's posthumously published Canadian Broadcasting Corporation lectures.
Recommended“I also really love trumpet of conscience uh his Canadian Broadcasting Corporation lectures that were published posthumously”
Where to get it
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The UFO Evidence
On The Ezra Klein Show, Leslie Kean recommended The UFO Evidence by Richard H. Hall as a fascinating and thick volume published in 2001. Kean praised the author as a very astute investigator and highlighted the book for its extensive compilation of case evidence accumulated over a thirty-year report.
Recommended“another book I'd recommend is called the UFO evidence a 30-year report by Richard H Hall h-a-l-l published in 2001”
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The UFO Experience, A Scientific Inquiry
On The Ezra Klein Show, Leslie Kean recommended J. Allen Hynek's book The UFO Experience, A Scientific Inquiry. Kean highlighted the text as a foundational historical source, noting that the author previously worked as a scientist for Project Blue Book before acknowledging the reality of UFOs.
Recommended“it's a book called the UFO experience a scientific inquiry by J Allen heineck and heineck was the Project Blue Book scientist”
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The World for Sale, Complete
During appearances on The Ezra Klein Show in 2023, Chris Miller recommended The World for Sale by Gilbert Parker as part of his book suggestions. Miller described the work as an eye-opening and extraordinary account detailing how commodity traders operate invisibly behind the global networks responsible for delivering vital raw materials, oil, minerals, and metals.
Recommended“well I'd start with the world for sale which is an extraordinary account of commodity traders who play a unseen role in the middle of the networks that deliver oil and minerals and metals that we require it's sort of a eye-opening view as to to how all the world's raw materials get shipped around the world”
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The World of Yesterday
On March 3, 2026, during an episode of The Ezra Klein Show, Ben Rhodes recommended Stefan Zweig's memoir The World of Yesterday. He stated that he read the haunting and beautiful book multiple times to help make sense of living through a collapsing liberal order.
Recommended“Then I personally, as someone who's been trying to make sense of what it's like to live in a collapsing liberal order, um The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig I found myself reading twice since Trump's election. But it's it's just haunting and beautiful um contemporaneous uh you know, Stefan Zweig was a great Austrian writer writing this writing”
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These Truths
On The Ezra Klein Show, Sarah McBride recommended These Truths by Jill Lepore as a useful one-volume history of the United States that highlights how cyclical and recurring many of our modern challenges are. David Remnick also recommended Lepore's survey during a separate episode, praising it as a moving and brilliantly written historical work.
Recommended“two, I've been reading over time, it's not new, um, these truths by Joe Laapora, one volume, history of the United States, which helps to reinforce that so many of the challenges and dynamics that we face in this moment are actually not unique, even if the specifics are, how cyclical our challenges are and our history is.”
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Tyranny, Inc
On The Ezra Klein Show, guests Michael Lind and Michael Podhorzer recommended Sohrab Ahmari's book "Tyranny, Inc." in episodes from November 2023 and November 2024. The guests highlighted the book for its examination of private power crushing American liberty and its accurate depiction of modern American labor conditions and workplace dictatorship.
Recommended“one of them is uh soram Mari uh in his book also from last year a tyranny ink how private power crushed American Liberty and what to do about it whether this is influential or not in the the Trump fance Administration we'll see but but it's it's worth reading by itself”
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What Hath God Wrought
On The Ezra Klein Show, Jake Auchincloss recommended What Hath God Wrought as the third book in his concluding list of recommendations, noting its depiction of Andrew Jackson building the Democratic party in 1828 as a Christian nationalist, anti-elitist party. John Gans also recommended the book on March 29, 2024, describing it as a comprehensive and wonderful history of America during the Jacksonian era from 1815 to 1848.
Recommended“and then the third is what hath God rot which is the Oxford History of the United States and it discusses how Andrew Jackson built the Democratic party in 1828 as a Christian nationalist anti- elitist party that sounds familiar to people and then how the wigs came to contest him and ultimately won in the 1840 election and I”
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WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE : CHAOS OR COMMUNITY? / by Martin Luther King, Jr. ; with a special introduction by Coretta Scott King
On The Ezra Klein Show, Brendan Terry recommended Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? by Martin Luther King Jr. during episodes in February and July 2023. Terry suggested the 1967 book as an essential starting point for readers wanting to understand King's mature thought and address enduring societal questions.
Recommended“I I would probably say I think you get the best sense of his mature thought from uh his 1967 book Where Do We Go From Here chaos or community which is still our question so I would definitely recommend that”
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Cultural Backlash and the Rise of Populism
Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart's book Cultural Backlash and the Rise of Populism was discussed on The Ezra Klein Show. Ezra Klein introduced the text in March 2023 as a crucial work for understanding global populist authoritarians. Later, in August 2024, Zach Beauchamp recommended the book during his appearance on the program.
Recommended“the second book is cultural backlash by Pepa Norris and Ron Englehart they're two political scientists”
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East West Street
On The Ezra Klein Show, Amjad Iraqi recommended Philippe Sands's East West Street because it explores family history, European antisemitism, and the architects of genocide, which resonated with him regarding recent events. Ezra Klein also brought up the book to introduce Sands and his work on the origins of the legal concept of genocide.
Discussed“And he's the author of among other books, East West Street, which is about how the idea of genocide was developed and written into international law.”
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Far From the Tree
On The Ezra Klein Show, Andrew Solomon's Far From the Tree was featured in two episodes. Raina Cohen recommended it as part of her end-of-episode reading list in What Relationships Would You Want, if You Believed They Were Possible?, while Lydia Polgreen discussed horizontal identities using the book in We Need Better Narratives About Gender.
Recommended“so my first book Is by Andrew Solomon it's called far from the tree and it made a huge impact on me”
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From the war on poverty to the war on crime
On The Ezra Klein Show, Elizabeth Hinton's book From the war on poverty to the war on crime came up in discussions regarding modern liberalism and historical policy. Stephen Hahn recommended the book to listeners as a compelling framework for understanding how illiberal sensibilities quietly infiltrated major modern liberal projects and laid the groundwork for mass incarceration. Additionally, Brendan Terry referenced the work to describe a tragic historical narrative concerning the erosion of specific ideals like maximum feasible participation.
Recommended“Elizabeth Hinton's book from the war on poverty to the war on crime which focuses on the 1960s into the early 1970s and is I think a very very interesting way of understanding how illiberal sensibilities kind of infuse their way into what are major modern liberal projects and paved the way for mass mass incarceration, which I learned a”
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How Buildings Learn
Stewart Brand's book How Buildings Learn was discussed by Brian Eno and Ezra Klein across episodes of The Ezra Klein Show. Eno recommended the book while talking about architecture and generative processes, while Klein highlighted it as an example of Brand's unusual and beautiful writing.
Discussed“It is very, very long, and along the way brand has been writing these very beautiful, unusual books, not just the whole Earth Catalog, but "How Buildings Learn" in 1994, which I love.”
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Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor
Yossi Klein Halevi's book Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor was featured on The Ezra Klein Show in November 2023. Ezra Klein recommended the book at the close of one episode as an essential read in anticipation of discussions on the region. In another episode, Klein brought up the book to quote a line about self-definition and self-determination as an introduction to the conversation.
Recommended“Yosi K Hali you have many great books but one that I read in anticipation of this and that I would really recommend to people in this moment is letters to my Palestinian neighbor which is excellent”
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MOBY-DICK; or, THE WHALE
On The Ezra Klein Show, Joe Weisenthal enthusiastically recommended Moby-Dick after reading it and finding that it changed his life, while Ezra Klein discussed how the book slowly grew into an iconic work of literature over a century without initial engagement metrics.
Recommended“I read Moby Dick this year and it changed my life and I've read a bunch of sort of whaling related books... Just read Moby Dick people if you haven't.”
Where to get it
The other 872 books mentioned on The Ezra Klein Show, ranked, with the latest episode and time
- Not the End of the World by Hannah Ritchie
- Open by Andre Agassi
- Power and Progress by Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson
- Public opinion by Walter Lippmann
- The Age of Extraction by Tim Wu
- The Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Lisa Damour, Ph.D.
- The Sabbath World by Judith Shulevitz
- The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
- The Secret of Our Success by Joseph Henrich
- The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn
- The True Believer by Eric Hoffer
- To Shape a New World - Essays on the Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr by Tommie Shelby
- Where Have All the Democrats Gone? by Ruy Teixeira
- White Teeth by Zadie Smith
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Asymmetric Politics by Matt Grossmann
- Full Surrogacy Now by Sophie Lewis
- In Defense of Politics by Bernard Crick
- Negroes with Guns by Robert F. Williams
- Primary Politics by Elaine Kamarck
- Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag
- Righteous discontent by Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham
- Smart on Crime by Kamala Harris
- Strength to love by Martin Luther King Jr.
- The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith
- The Hollow Parties by Daniel Schlozman
- The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris
- Abundance by Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson
- Bread of Angels by Patti Smith
- Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
- The End of History and the Last Man by Francis Fukuyama
- What Art Does by Bette Adriaanse
- Just Kids by Patti Smith
- Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
- The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism by Martin Wolf
- Age of Revolutions by Fareed Zakaria
- Bright dead things by Ada Limón
- David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
- The Disengaged Teen by Jenny Anderson, Rebecca Winthrop
- The Fraud by Zadie Smith
- A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel
- Against Excess by Mark A. Kleiman
- American Kleptocracy by Casey Michel
- Built to Last by Collins, James C.
- Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy by Daniel Ziblatt
- Death by Joan Tollifson
- Deep Work by Cal Newport
- Democracy and Education by John Dewey
- Dictators at War and Peace by Jessica L. P. Weeks
- Experiences in Visual Thinking by Robert H. McKim
- Finding Freedom by Walter T. McDonald, Ruby West Jackson
- Flash Boys by Michael Lewis
- Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
- How to Think Like an Anthropologist by Matthew Engelke
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- Into the Bright Sunshine by Samuel G. Freedman
- Justice Gender And F by Susan M. Okin
- Mediated by Thomas de Zengotita
- Mind and Cosmos by Thomas Nagel
- Moneyland by Oliver Bullough
- National Power and the Structure of Foreign Trade by Albert Hirschman
- Not Born Yesterday by Hugo Mercier
- Offshore by Brooke Harrington
- On Repentance and Repair by Danya Ruttenberg
- Our Man by George Packer
- Permutation City by Greg Egan
- Playing and Reality by D. W. Winnicott
- Race and Reunion by David W. Blight
- String Theory by David Foster Wallace
- The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory by Tim Alberta
- The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver
- The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy
- The Sirens' Call by Chris Hayes
- The Stoic Challenge by William B. Irvine
- The swerve by Stephen Greenblatt
- The Uncontrollability of the World by Hartmut Rosa
- Thinking About Crime by James Q. Wilson
- Tired of Winning by Jonathan Karl
- Underground Asia by Tim Harper
- Walk, Ride, Paddle by Tim Kaine
- War on the West by Douglas Murray
- Why Most Things Fail by Paul Ormerod
- Wounded Knee by Heather Cox Richardson
- Your Face Belongs to Us by Kashmir Hill
- Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty
- Political Liberalism by John Rawls
- Public Citizens by Paul Sabin
- The Darkened Light of Faith by Melvin L. Rogers
- The Hurting Kind by Ada Limón
- The Lost History of Liberalism by Helena Rosenblatt
- The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro
- The Reasoning Voter by Samuel L. Popkin
- The Road to Serfdom by F. A. Hayek
- When Affirmative Action Was White by Ira Katznelson
- A First-Rate Madness by Nassir Ghaemi
- Comfortable with Uncertainty by Pema Chödrön
- Dreams From Our Founding Fathers by Ron DeSantis
- Evicted by Matthew Desmond
- Feel Free by Zadie Smith
- Generations by Jean M. Twenge
- Lifted to the Shoulders of a Mountain by Pat Turner Mitchell
- Maintenance of Everything by Stewart Brand
- Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
- Nobody's Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre
- Paris by Paris Hilton
- Rebooting AI by Gary Marcus
- The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
- The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
- The High Sierra by Kim Stanley Robinson
- The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
- The Last Men by Charles Cornish-Dale
- The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- The Overstory by Richard Powers
- The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
- The Shallows by Nicholas Carr
- 2666 by Roberto Bolaño
- A Brief History of Equality by Thomas Piketty
- A Dictionary of Chinese-Japanese Words in the Japanese Language by John Harrington Gubbins
- A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman
- A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
- A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
- A high price by Daniel Byman
- A history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by Mark A. Tessler
- A Nation Without Borders by Steven Hahn
- A New Deal for the World by Elizabeth Borgwardt
- A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander
- A preface to morals by Walter Lippmann
- A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
- A Survivor's Education by Joy Neumeyer
- A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz
- A theory of justice by John Rawls
- A Time to Build by Yuval Levin
- A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
- A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
- A World Safe for Democracy by G. John Ikenberry
- After by Bruce Greyson
- After atlas by Emma Newman
- After Nationalism by Samuel Goldman
- Ages of American Capitalism by Jonathan Levy
- All or Nothing by Michael Wolff
- All the best, George Bush by George Bush
- America as Second Creation by David E. Nye
- America in the World by Robert B. Zoellick
- American Carnage by Tim Alberta
- American Covenant by Yuval Levin
- American Democracy by Robert Kenneth Carr
- American hostages in Iran : the conduct of a crisis by Unknown
- American Lion by Jon Meacham
- American Politics by Samuel P. Huntington
- American Tabloid by James Ellroy
- An American Melodrama. The Presidential Campaign of 1968. Lewis Chester, Godfrey Hodgson, Bruce Page. (1. Publ.) by Lewis Chester
- An hour before daylight by Jimmy Carter
- An Image of My Name Enters America by Lucy Ives
- An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- And the Band Played on by Randy Shilts
- Apple in China by Patrick McGee
- Asterisk by Leif Madsen
- Autocracy Rising by Javier Corrales
- Awakening Corporate Soul by Eric Klein, John Baptist Izzo
- Babel by R. F Kuang
- Back from the Brink by Peter Moskos
- Bad Samaritans by Ha-Joon Chang
- Ball Four by Jim Bouton
- Barbarians at the Gate by Bryan Burrough, John Helyar
- Beartown by Fredrik Backman
- Before Roe V. Wade by Reva B. Siegel
- Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky
- Being You by Anil Seth
- Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson
- Berlin diary by William L. Shirer
- Between Two Fires by Stephen J. Pyne
- Beyond Measure by James Vincent
- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
- Black Pill by Elle Reeve
- Blindsight by Peter Watts
- Blood by Douglas P. Starr
- Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
- Blueprint for Revolution by Srdja Popovic
- Book of Mercy by Leonard Cohen
- Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs by Kerry Howley
- Breaking Twitter by Ben Mezrich
- British and American Naval Power by Phillips Payson O'Brien
- Buckley by Sam Tanenhaus
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- The Encyclopædia Britannica by Hugh Chisholm
- The Federalist papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay, James Madison, John Jay
- The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse
- The Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Source of Consciousness by Mark Solms
- The Homevoter Hypothesis by William A. Fischel
- The hungry brain by Stephan J. Guyenet
- The Lincoln Miracle by Edward Achorn
- the Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks
- The Metatheory of Physics Theories, and the Theory of Everything as a Quantum Computer Language by Stephen Blaha
- The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
- The Much Too Promised Land by Aaron David Miller
- The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation by Chögyam Trungpa
- The Only Language They Understand by Nathan Thrall
- The Only Networking Book You Will Need by The Only Networking Book You Will Need
- The Origins of Elected Strongmen by Erica Frantz, Senior Fellow and Director of the Transatlantic Security Program Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Joe Wright
- The Other Significant Others by Rhaina Cohen
- The Philosophical Baby by Alison Gopnik
- The Population Bomb by Paul R. Ehrlich
- The Power Elite by C. Wright Mills
- The prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
- The Right to Sex by Amia Srinivasan
- The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
- The Rise and Decline of Nations by Mancur Olson
- The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño
- The Shadow by Hans Christian Andersen
- The System by Haynes Johnson
- The Toddler in Chief by Daniel W. Drezner
- the two culture and the scientific revolution by c.p. snow
- The Unabomber's Manifesto: Industrial Society and Its Future by Ted Kaczynski
- The Unprotected Class by Jeremy Carl
- The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James
- The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Patrick Henrich
- The Weirdness of the World by Eric Schwitzgebel
- The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
- The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson
- Time for Socialism by Thomas Piketty
- To Shape a New World by Tommie Shelby
- Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
- Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino, Juan Trejo
- Trust by Pete Buttigieg
- UFOs : Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record by Leslie Kean
- Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks
- Under a White Sky by Elizabeth Kolbert
- Under Pressure by Lisa K. Damour
- Underground Empire by Henry Farrell
- Understanding the Old Testament by Bernhard W. Anderson
- Up from Liberalism by William F. Buckley (Jr.)
- Utopia by Thomas More
- Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman
- Vigil by George Saunders
- War on Sacred Grounds by Ron E. Hassner
- What Is It Like to Be a Bat? by Thomas Nagel
- What is this? by Martine Batchelor
- What Were We Thinking by Carlos Lozada
- When the Clock Broke by John Ganz
- Where good ideas come from by Steven Johnson
- White House Witness, 1942-1945 by Jonathan Daniels
- Why Liberalism Failed by Patrick J. Deneen
- Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
Guests who recommended books
- Brendan Terry (18)
- Patti Smith (12)
- Fareed Zakaria (11)
- Zack Beauchamp (11)
- Matt Yglesias (8)
- Paul Krugman (8)
- Jonathan Haidt (8)
- Jillian Tett (8)
- Judith Shulevitz (8)
- Darrin Burnett (8)
- David French (8)
- Chris Miller (8)
- Francis Fukuyama (7)
- Mark Dunkelman (7)
- Michael Pollan (7)
- Salman Rushdie (7)
- Sheila Liming (7)
- Kristin Godsey (7)
- Annie Lowrey (6)
- Maggie Haberman (6)
- Derek Thompson (6)
- John Gans (6)
- Rob Malley (6)
- Jon Favreau (6)
- Brian Eno (6)
- Spencer Cox (6)
- Zadie Smith (6)
- Elaine Kamarck (6)
- Nilay Patel (6)
- Maryanne Wolf (6)
- Barbara Kingsolver (6)
- Leslie Kean (6)
- Nicole Hemmer (6)
- Jane Hirschfield (6)
- Christopher Rufo (5)
- Chris Hayes (5)
- Naomi Klein (5)
- Tim Wu (5)
- Masha Gessen (5)
- Aaron David Miller (5)
Latest mentions
“Middlemarch is sort of my go-to on thinking about normal people being swept along by kind of the winds of change as a major technology revolution is taking place.”
“Liberty's Dawn by Emma Griffin, which is a collection of the average worker's biographies and notes from during the Industrial Revolution.”
“And the last one that I always put is Samuel Insul, a largely forgotten figure. He was the, probably one of the most important entrepreneurs of the 1920s whose empire in electricity shows what happens that you can build, building an empire on top of a GPT and even doing that successfully can still end up in collapse and calamity.”
“So my three books. The first is The Day the Universe Changed. It's written by a BBC science journalist back in the early 80s.”
“The second book is Fathers and Sons by Turgenev, which is a book written in the 19th century. It's at that moment where the ideas of science and modernity are making their way into Russia”
“And then the final one which I'm just re-reading again is Condide by Voltaire.”
“one of the books that I'm going to say is one of the, I know you asked for my favorite books, and one of the books I'm going to suggest is ZW Winnicott playing in reality, where he talks about the early internalization of objects, how we grow, how we develop in inner life, how we bring things inside.”
“And the second is, uh, Hannah Arendt, uh, the origins of totalitarianism because she says look, agency can be taken from you if you really lose a sense of community, a sense of neighbor, a sense of caring about the, the society in which you live, which I think is a real, I think she's having a moment because I”
“And then the third is Joseph Weisenbaum, computer power and human reason, the book that talks about the Eliza program, yes, but he also talks about technology more in general, which is you can have, you know, if you don't just think that computers can be like people, but that people can be like machines, you, you give up your”
“so maybe in keeping with that I really like Hannah Ritchie's book Not the End of the World she has a newer book but this one's from 2024 and I still like it very much”
“I liked Dan Wong's Breakneck a lot of echoes of abundance as well”
“and that led me to the book Systems Thinking by Donella Meadows from many many years ago”
“Number one, the Challenger launch decision. So this is a book about why the Challenger exploded and it's by Diane Fon, who's a social scientist.”
“The second book I will name, I have a two-year-old and a four-year-old, Little Witch Hazel. It's a picture book by Phoebe Wall. It's just absolutely beautiful.”
“And then a third and most importantly, I guess, if you were gonna pick one, it would be The Sabbath by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.”
“number one it's a book of poetry called The Voice That Is Great Within Us it's by Hayden Carruth and it is a remarkable collection of 20th century poetry that's where I first became aware of my favorite poem of all time which is a poem by Charles Olson called Maximus to himself P.S. I name my dog Maximus that's”
“number two is what I think is one of the greatest love stories of all time it's a book written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez called Love in the time of cholera which has the greatest last line of all time in a book and so you have to read it all the way through before you get to that”
“and then my third book is a book that I hope one day to be able to do a visual version of I fell in love with this book in college it's James Joyce's Ulysses I even went to Ireland for Blooms Day which is the day that the day in the life of Leopold Bloom that James Joyce wrote”
“but more recently in 2017 I started reading a book called Hunger by Roxane Gay and when I read that book I fell in love with the author sight unseen just reading her words so much so that I reached out to her I wanted to get her on my podcast she said no I tried to stay in touch”
“well when i literally binged this weekend was the correspondent by virginia evans that's you know fiction very touching very upbeat”
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