The Ezra Klein Show
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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 consciousne...

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Beloved (Everyman's Library) Cover

Toni Morrison

Beloved (Everyman's Library)

Hamid highlighted Beloved as a hauntingly beautiful novel that skillfully confronts America's racial and slavery legacy through lyrical prose.

"

I would recommend Toni Morrison's Beloved as a book that I think many people have read ... it's one of the most beautifully, hauntingly written novels of the last century.

— Episode: How Do We Face Loss With Dignity?

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Episode: How Do We Face Loss With Dignity?

Hamid highlighted Beloved as a hauntingly beautiful novel that skillfully confronts America's racial and slavery legacy through lyrical prose.

"

I would recommend Toni Morrison's Beloved as a book that I think many people have read ... it's one of the most beautifully, hauntingly written novels of the last century.

A River Runs Through It and Other Stories, Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition [Deluxe Edition] 1st (first) edition Text Only Cover

Norman Maclean

A River Runs Through It and Other Stories, Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition [Deluxe Edition] 1st (first) edition Text Only

The guest mentioned Maclean's finished classic A River Runs Through It as a beautiful work of art.

"

A River Runs Through It is his finished work and it is a beautiful work of art.

— Episode: Michael Lewis Is Asking the Right Questi...

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Episode: Michael Lewis Is Asking the Right Question

The guest mentioned Maclean's finished classic A River Runs Through It as a beautiful work of art.

"

A River Runs Through It is his finished work and it is a beautiful work of art.

The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy Cover

John J. Mearsheimer

The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy

The book was referenced as a famed work by Mearsheimer and Waltz that has been the subject of heated debates.

"

There's a famed book by Mir Sharma and Waltz called The Israel Lobby.

— Episode: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Israel: ‘I Felt Lied...

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Episode: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Israel: ‘I Felt Lied To.’

The book was referenced as a famed work by Mearsheimer and Waltz that has been the subject of heated debates.

"

There's a famed book by Mir Sharma and Waltz called The Israel Lobby.

You would have these huge fights for whether or not you could even really talk about that book.

Parting the Waters Cover

TAYLOR BRANCH

Parting the Waters

He called it a beautifully written and comprehensive biography of Martin Luther King, offering inspiration for oppressed peoples.

"

The second book that I really have been reading ... Taylor Branch's Parting the Waters about Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement. The book is beautifully written and very...

— Episode: Watching the Protests From Israel

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Episode: Watching the Protests From Israel

He called it a beautifully written and comprehensive biography of Martin Luther King, offering inspiration for oppressed peoples.

"

The second book that I really have been reading ... Taylor Branch's Parting the Waters about Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement. The book is beautifully written and very comprehensive, but what Martin Luther King brings us is the best of what happened in the post-war era.

The Vagina Monologues: The V-Day Edition Cover

Eve Ensler

The Vagina Monologues

The V-Day Edition

Ezra mentioned this wellknown work as part of V's literary legacy while discussing her newer memoir.

"

who of course wrote The Vagina Monologues.

— Episode: It's Not Your Fault You Can't Pay Attent...

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Episode: It's Not Your Fault You Can't Pay Attention. Here'...

Ezra mentioned this wellknown work as part of V's literary legacy while discussing her newer memoir.

"

who of course wrote The Vagina Monologues.

Open: An Autobiography Cover

Andre Agassi

Open

An Autobiography

Caitlin praised Open, saying the tennis player's autobiography hooked her and she highly recommended it.

"

Beyond COVID is Open by Andre Agassi. It's about a tennis player, and I never really cared about tennis before, but he is such a good storyteller. I've just been hooked this summer re...

— Episode: It’s Time to Talk About ‘Pandemic Revisi...

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Episode: It’s Time to Talk About ‘Pandemic Revisionism’

Caitlin praised Open, saying the tennis player's autobiography hooked her and she highly recommended it.

"

Beyond COVID is Open by Andre Agassi. It's about a tennis player, and I never really cared about tennis before, but he is such a good storyteller. I've just been hooked this summer reading his story. So highly recommend that autobiography.

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow Cover

Yuval Noah Harari

Homo Deus

A Brief History of Tomorrow

The host highlighted that Harari's bestselling book Homo Deus, like Sapiens, centers on cooperation as a driving force in human history.

"

I think if you look across his mega bestselling books like Sapiens and Homo Deus, you all know Harari really has one major topic. That topic is cooperation.

— Episode: Yuval Noah Harari on the Mistake Strongm...

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Episode: Yuval Noah Harari on the Mistake Strongmen Keep Ma...

The host highlighted that Harari's bestselling book Homo Deus, like Sapiens, centers on cooperation as a driving force in human history.

"

I think if you look across his mega bestselling books like Sapiens and Homo Deus, you all know Harari really has one major topic. That topic is cooperation.

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup Cover

John Carreyrou

Bad Blood

Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

He described the book as the story of Elizabeth Holmes and said it showed how people can become carried away in both pursuing and investing in a venture.

"

The second one that has impacted me is Bad Blood, is the story of Elizabeth Holmes. And it just shows you how people can get carried away both in pursuing a certain venture and invest...

— Episode: Three Signals We’ve Entered a New Econom...

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Episode: Three Signals We’ve Entered a New Economic Era

He described the book as the story of Elizabeth Holmes and said it showed how people can become carried away in both pursuing and investing in a venture.

"

The second one that has impacted me is Bad Blood, is the story of Elizabeth Holmes. And it just shows you how people can get carried away both in pursuing a certain venture and investing in that venture.

Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West (Modern Library (Hardcover)) Cover

Cormac McCarthy

Blood Meridian

Or the Evening Redness in the West (Modern Library (Hardcover))

The audiobook version was highlighted for its vivid narration, with the host praising the narrator's Southern accent and the book's intense, almost Dantelike experience.

"

The audiobook of Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is, like, the trippiest possible-- it's an extraordinary book that's basically like a sort of 20th century Dante explaining an absol...

— Episode: What We Got Right — and Wrong — in ‘Abun...

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Episode: What We Got Right — and Wrong — in ‘Abundance’

The audiobook version was highlighted for its vivid narration, with the host praising the narrator's Southern accent and the book's intense, almost Dantelike experience.

"

The audiobook of Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is, like, the trippiest possible-- it's an extraordinary book that's basically like a sort of 20th century Dante explaining an absolutely hellacious experience of a bunch of people in the mid19th century along the TexasMexico border. The guy who reads it has the most incredible, sonorous Southern accent. It's just this, like, amazing auditory experience.

How to Win Friends and Influence People: Updated For the Next Generation of Leaders (Dale Carnegie Books) Cover

Dale Carnegie

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Updated For the Next Generation of Leaders (Dale Carnegie Books)

Carnegie's classic teaches timeless interpersonal skills; the 1936 edition is especially recommended.

"

The third book is Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People; I urge you to read it ideally in the 1936 edition--it's so charming.

— Episode: ‘Our Kids Are the Least Flourishing Gene...

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Episode: ‘Our Kids Are the Least Flourishing Generation We...

Carnegie's classic teaches timeless interpersonal skills; the 1936 edition is especially recommended.

"

The third book is Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People; I urge you to read it ideally in the 1936 edition--it's so charming.

Dead Souls (Everyman's Library) Cover

Nikolai Gogol

Dead Souls (Everyman's Library)

George mentioned returning to Gogol's novel repeatedly because he loved it.

"

I go back to Gogol's Dead Souls a lot just because I love it so much and I have never been able to figure out why.

— Episode: Best of: George Saunders on Kindness in...

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Episode: Best of: George Saunders on Kindness in a Cruel Wo...

George mentioned returning to Gogol's novel repeatedly because he loved it.

"

I go back to Gogol's Dead Souls a lot just because I love it so much and I have never been able to figure out why.

Silent Spring Cover

Rachel Carson

Silent Spring

Carson's classic environmental work was referenced when discussing the impact of pesticides on ecosystems.

"

Rachel Carson touches on it powerfully in Silent Spring where in Northern California, they want to wipe out a certain species of gnat on a lake.

— Episode: Lessons on Living Well, From Nick Offerm...

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Episode: Lessons on Living Well, From Nick Offerman

Carson's classic environmental work was referenced when discussing the impact of pesticides on ecosystems.

"

Rachel Carson touches on it powerfully in Silent Spring where in Northern California, they want to wipe out a certain species of gnat on a lake.

Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World Cover

Michele Gelfand

Rule Makers, Rule Breakers

How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World

The host described the book as an examination of how tight and loose cultures affect behavior in crises, using examples like Singapore and the U.S., and suggested it helps explain pandemic responses.

"

The second one I read last year, and it's called Rulemakers, Rule Breakers, How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World by Michelle Gelfand. She studies human behavior across societies and shows how t...

— Episode: The Good and Bad News About the Delta Va...

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Episode: The Good and Bad News About the Delta Variant

The host described the book as an examination of how tight and loose cultures affect behavior in crises, using examples like Singapore and the U.S., and suggested it helps explain pandemic responses.

"

The second one I read last year, and it's called Rulemakers, Rule Breakers, How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World by Michelle Gelfand. She studies human behavior across societies and shows how tighter cultures tend to enforce stricter norms, which she argues predicts more effective pandemic responses compared to looser cultures.

The Road to Character Cover

David Brooks

The Road to Character

Brooks said he had authored The Road to Character, a book about the distinction between resume virtues and eulogy virtues.

"

I wrote a book called The Road to Character a couple years ago based on this distinction between the resume virtues and the eulogy virtues.

— Episode: Timeless Wisdom for Leading a Life of Lo...

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Episode: Timeless Wisdom for Leading a Life of Love, Friend...

Brooks said he had authored The Road to Character, a book about the distinction between resume virtues and eulogy virtues.

"

I wrote a book called The Road to Character a couple years ago based on this distinction between the resume virtues and the eulogy virtues.

The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000 Cover

Paul Kennedy

The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers

Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000

Tim mentioned Kennedy's historical analysis to illustrate that empires have predictable cycles, which can inform our view of today's technological empires.

"

The last book I guess this is where I got some ideas about tech platforms and the big picture is from Paul Kennedy rise and fall of the great powers I feel everything is on a cycle.

— Episode: Everything Wrong With the Internet and H...

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Episode: Everything Wrong With the Internet and How to Fix...

Tim mentioned Kennedy's historical analysis to illustrate that empires have predictable cycles, which can inform our view of today's technological empires.

"

The last book I guess this is where I got some ideas about tech platforms and the big picture is from Paul Kennedy rise and fall of the great powers I feel everything is on a cycle.

An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s Cover

Doris Kearns Goodwin

An Unfinished Love Story

A Personal History of the 1960s

This book was recommended as a brilliant book about how to write about history, specifically mentioning the author's background as a special advisor to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

"

The second is not exactly a book about presidents, but a book about the history of how to write history of presidents. It's An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Goodman.

— Episode: The Israeli Right’s Plan to Carve Up Gaz...

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Episode: The Israeli Right’s Plan to Carve Up Gaza

This book was recommended as a brilliant book about how to write about history, specifically mentioning the author's background as a special advisor to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

"

The second is not exactly a book about presidents, but a book about the history of how to write history of presidents. It's An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Goodman.

Macbeth Cover

William Shakespeare

Macbeth

Kate Marvel explained that the play Macbeth originated from JamesI's obsession with witches during the Little Ice Age, linking it to the episode's climate discussion.

"

Because he was really obsessed with witches, being the king in the middle of the Little Ice Age... And so if you are a playwright... what are you going to write? And so that's where Macbeth

— Episode: What Have We Learned From a Summer of Cl...

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Episode: What Have We Learned From a Summer of Climate Reck...

Kate Marvel explained that the play Macbeth originated from JamesI's obsession with witches during the Little Ice Age, linking it to the episode's climate discussion.

"

Because he was really obsessed with witches, being the king in the middle of the Little Ice Age... And so if you are a playwright... what are you going to write? And so that's where Macbeth comes from.

Exhalation: Stories Cover

Ted Chiang

Exhalation

Stories

Ezra indicated that Chiang's second collection, released in 2019, was the newer of his two books.

"

He's published only two collections, The Stories of Your Life and Others in 2002, and then Exhalation more recently in 2019.

— Episode: Best Of: Why Sci-Fi Legend Ted Chiang Fe...

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Episode: Best Of: Why Sci-Fi Legend Ted Chiang Fears Capita...

Ezra indicated that Chiang's second collection, released in 2019, was the newer of his two books.

"

He's published only two collections, The Stories of Your Life and Others in 2002, and then Exhalation more recently in 2019.

Mr. Churchill in the White House: The Untold Story of a Prime Minister and Two Presidents Cover

Robert Schmuhl

Mr. Churchill in the White House

The Untold Story of a Prime Minister and Two Presidents

The book was noted as an interesting and sometimes fun read about Churchill's time in Washington and his relationships with Roosevelt and Eisenhower.

"

I have a book called Mr. Churchill in the White House by Bob Shmuel, who's a scholar of American studies ... there's an interesting psychodrama of how he related to Roosevelt and Eise...

— Episode: What Pete Buttigieg Learned Playing JD V...

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Episode: What Pete Buttigieg Learned Playing JD Vance

The book was noted as an interesting and sometimes fun read about Churchill's time in Washington and his relationships with Roosevelt and Eisenhower.

"

I have a book called Mr. Churchill in the White House by Bob Shmuel, who's a scholar of American studies ... there's an interesting psychodrama of how he related to Roosevelt and Eisenhower and a fascinating description of how executive power worked back then.

Ready Player One Cover

Ernest Cline

Ready Player One

The conversation referenced Ready Player One as an example of a book that imagined a metaverselike world.

"

I had this one encounter that reminded me so much of kind of the original coining of the Metaverse and books like Ready Player One.

— Episode: Hard Fork: Elon’s Hidden Motives + A Mee...

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Episode: Hard Fork: Elon’s Hidden Motives + A Meetup in the...

The conversation referenced Ready Player One as an example of a book that imagined a metaverselike world.

"

I had this one encounter that reminded me so much of kind of the original coining of the Metaverse and books like Ready Player One.

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.