The Avoidable War
Kevin Rudd
Mentioned 1 week ago
What Xi Jinping Wants
Book Recommendations
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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The Party's Interests Come First
Joseph Torigian
Mentioned 1 week ago
What Xi Jinping Wants
The Souls of China
Ian Johnson
Mentioned 1 week ago
What Xi Jinping Wants
The Beginning Comes After the End
Rebecca Solnit
Mentioned 1 week ago
The Very Good and Very Bad News on Climate
Here Comes the Sun
Bill McKibben
Mentioned 1 week ago
The Very Good and Very Bad News on Climate
The Glorians
Terry Tempest Williams
Mentioned 1 week ago
The Very Good and Very Bad News on Climate
The Carbon Wave
Leah C. Stokes
Mentioned 1 week ago
The Very Good and Very Bad News on Climate
Brought to You By
Amy Westervelt
Mentioned 1 week ago
The Very Good and Very Bad News on Climate
The Holocaust and the Nakba
Bashir Bashir
Mentioned 2 weeks ago
A Radical Vision for Israelis and Palestinians
States of Denial
Stanley Cohen
Mentioned 2 weeks ago
A Radical Vision for Israelis and Palestinians
Tomorrow Is Yesterday
Hussein Agha
Mentioned 2 weeks ago
A Radical Vision for Israelis and Palestinians
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
Becky Chambers
Mentioned 2 weeks ago
A Radical Vision for Israelis and Palestinians
Most Recommended
On The Road (Classics of Modern Literature Series)
The novel was cited as a 1957 publication that exemplified the Beat generation's spontaneous composition style, noted in the context of literary experimentation.
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It was a big novel, which was published in 1957. He actually wrote that novel in 1951. ... That's the big novel, which is On the Road.
— Episode: The Freeing of the American Mind
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Episode: The Freeing of the American Mind
The novel was cited as a 1957 publication that exemplified the Beat generation's spontaneous composition style, noted in the context of literary experimentation.
"
It was a big novel, which was published in 1957. He actually wrote that novel in 1951. ... That's the big novel, which is On the Road.
Extra Life
A Short History of Living Longer
He praised the book for highlighting how improvements in health and life expectancy have effectively added an extra life to humanity.
"
So I love Extra Life by Stephen Johnson. It's zooming out to say isn't it remarkable that we have basically added an Extra Life
— Episode: Birthrates Are Plummeting Worldwide. Why...
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Episode: Birthrates Are Plummeting Worldwide. Why?
He praised the book for highlighting how improvements in health and life expectancy have effectively added an extra life to humanity.
"
So I love Extra Life by Stephen Johnson. It's zooming out to say isn't it remarkable that we have basically added an Extra Life
Normal Accidents
Living with High Risk Technologies - Updated Edition
Ezra Klein said it was one of his favorite books, describing it as a study of highrisk technologies and accidents like Three Mile Island.
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One of my favorite books, I think, is Normal Accidents by Charles Perrault, which is Living with High Risk Technologies. And it's about like, sort of accidents like Three Mile Island.
— Episode: To Understand This Era, You Need to Thin...
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Episode: To Understand This Era, You Need to Think in Syste...
Ezra Klein said it was one of his favorite books, describing it as a study of highrisk technologies and accidents like Three Mile Island.
"
One of my favorite books, I think, is Normal Accidents by Charles Perrault, which is Living with High Risk Technologies. And it's about like, sort of accidents like Three Mile Island.
Addiction by Design
Machine Gambling in Las Vegas
The guest described it as a presmartphone study of how gambling machines were engineered to create addictive behavior. He highlighted its relevance to modern digital attentionhacking.
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It's called Addiction by Design.
— Episode: Your Mind Is Being Fracked
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Episode: Your Mind Is Being Fracked
The guest described it as a presmartphone study of how gambling machines were engineered to create addictive behavior. He highlighted its relevance to modern digital attentionhacking.
"
It's called Addiction by Design.
Natasha Dow Schll, Addiction by Design.
She did an extraordinary book on video poker machines, gambling machines in Vegas. It's a kind of a presmartphone book about the engineering of addiction by the folks who designed those gambling machines and the environments in which they sit.
Liquidated
An Ethnography of Wall Street (a John Hope Franklin Center Book)
Karma called the ethnography of Wall Street an incredibly readable book that illuminates the culture of overwork on finance and consulting. He suggested it helps readers understand what they want to reject.
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The first that I would recommend is a book I returned to again and again, and it's called Liquidated, an Ethnography of Wall Street by Karen Ho.
— Episode: The Office is Dying. It’s Time to Rethin...
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Episode: The Office is Dying. It’s Time to Rethink How We W...
Karma called the ethnography of Wall Street an incredibly readable book that illuminates the culture of overwork on finance and consulting. He suggested it helps readers understand what they want to reject.
"
The first that I would recommend is a book I returned to again and again, and it's called Liquidated, an Ethnography of Wall Street by Karen Ho.
It is a fantastic and incredibly readable book. And I think that anyone who hates the culture of overwork and wants to understand exactly what they want to reject, will find this really illuminating.
The Message
Coates's new collection of essays was described as focusing on his trip to the West Bank and the sharp, lessclouded view it gave of Palestinians.
"
In Ta-Nehisi Coates' new book, The Message, he writes of a trip he took to Israel and the West Bank in May of 2023.
— Episode: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Israel: ‘I Felt Lied...
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Episode: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Israel: ‘I Felt Lied To.’
Coates's new collection of essays was described as focusing on his trip to the West Bank and the sharp, lessclouded view it gave of Palestinians.
"
In Ta-Nehisi Coates' new book, The Message, he writes of a trip he took to Israel and the West Bank in May of 2023.
the political importance of your book is you're somebody who walked in, opened your eyes, and this is what you see.
Wait Till Next Year
A Memoir
It was recommended as a personal story by Doris Kearns Goodwin about her time in Brooklyn during the Dodgers era, noted as absolutely fascinating.
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I can recommend also, you know, the book of Dory Kearns Goodwin. I like to read her history books, which are absolutely fascinating about, you know, the revivals and of Lincoln, of Johnson, of you nam...
— Episode: Ehud Olmert on Israel's Catastrophic War...
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Episode: Ehud Olmert on Israel's Catastrophic War in Gaza
It was recommended as a personal story by Doris Kearns Goodwin about her time in Brooklyn during the Dodgers era, noted as absolutely fascinating.
"
I can recommend also, you know, the book of Dory Kearns Goodwin. I like to read her history books, which are absolutely fascinating about, you know, the revivals and of Lincoln, of Johnson, of you name it. But she read also Wait Till Next Year, which is a personal story, not her biography, but a personal story about her time in Brooklyn, where the Brooklyn Dodgers were still the most popular baseball team, which was part of her life.
The Premonition
A Pandemic Story
The host said he struggled with Michael Lewis's new book, The Premonition, noting it was a joy to read like all of Lewis's work but he wrestled with its central argument.
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I struggled with Michael Lewis's new book, The Premonition. Not the reading it, of course. It's a joy to read, like everything Michael Lewis does, but I did struggle with its central...
— Episode: Michael Lewis Is Asking the Right Questi...
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Episode: Michael Lewis Is Asking the Right Question
The host said he struggled with Michael Lewis's new book, The Premonition, noting it was a joy to read like all of Lewis's work but he wrestled with its central argument.
"
I struggled with Michael Lewis's new book, The Premonition. Not the reading it, of course. It's a joy to read, like everything Michael Lewis does, but I did struggle with its central argument.
And there were people who had that plan. Michael Lewis's book, he's following characters who saw this coming early and were trying to raise the alarms on it.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
A Novel
She said it was a lovely story about a woman finding companionship with an octopus that brought her a lot of joy during a lonely time.
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Remarkably Bright Creatures, which is this, like, lovely story about a woman who finds companionship with an octopus. ... it brought me a lot of joy.
— Episode: Trump vs. the U.S. Economy
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Episode: Trump vs. the U.S. Economy
She said it was a lovely story about a woman finding companionship with an octopus that brought her a lot of joy during a lonely time.
"
Remarkably Bright Creatures, which is this, like, lovely story about a woman who finds companionship with an octopus. ... it brought me a lot of joy.
The Social Transformation of American Medicine
Matt Iglesias revisited it to refocus his attention on healthcare issues.
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Paul Starr's classic Social Transformation of American Medicine because I've been trying to get my attention back on the health care issue.
— Episode: The Disaster That Just Passed the Senate
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Episode: The Disaster That Just Passed the Senate
Matt Iglesias revisited it to refocus his attention on healthcare issues.
"
Paul Starr's classic Social Transformation of American Medicine because I've been trying to get my attention back on the health care issue.
Uncommon Type
Some Stories
The host noted that Tom Hanks's earlier shortstory collection Uncommon Type featured a typewriter in every story and called it a real delight.
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he has a new book out, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece, which follows up his short story collection Uncommon Type, both of which are a real delight.
— Episode: What Tom Hanks Thinks of America
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Episode: What Tom Hanks Thinks of America
The host noted that Tom Hanks's earlier shortstory collection Uncommon Type featured a typewriter in every story and called it a real delight.
"
he has a new book out, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece, which follows up his short story collection Uncommon Type, both of which are a real delight.
So I wanted to start in your earlier book of short stories, Uncommon Type.
The Situation Room
The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis
He suggested The Situation Room as a way to understand the role of a national security advisor, describing it as a narrative of the room's history across multiple presidencies.
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The third book, a totally different kind of book, is a book called The Situation Room, which George Stephanopoulos wrote. ... this book actually walks through the history of T...
— Episode: Biden Promised to ‘Turn the Page’ on Tru...
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Episode: Biden Promised to ‘Turn the Page’ on Trump. What W...
He suggested The Situation Room as a way to understand the role of a national security advisor, describing it as a narrative of the room's history across multiple presidencies.
"
The third book, a totally different kind of book, is a book called The Situation Room, which George Stephanopoulos wrote. ... this book actually walks through the history of The Situation Room as told through a series of episodes over multiple presidents.
Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs
A Journey Through the Deep State
The guest recommended Howley's book as a look at the surveillance state and how the national intelligence community has evolved into a dangerous, opaque apparatus.
"
Kerry Howley's book, Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs, which is a book on the surveillance state and reality winner, and how the national intelligence community has kind of evolved int...
— Episode: Trump Is Building His Own Paramilitary F...
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Episode: Trump Is Building His Own Paramilitary Force
The guest recommended Howley's book as a look at the surveillance state and how the national intelligence community has evolved into a dangerous, opaque apparatus.
"
Kerry Howley's book, Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs, which is a book on the surveillance state and reality winner, and how the national intelligence community has kind of evolved into what it is now, especially relevant because Trump has been able to manipulate these tools that were put in place by previous administrations.
The Candy House
A Novel
He noted that the novel also explores a similar technology of recording reality through one's eyes.
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Yes, Candy House does this too. Which is an amazing novel. It's great. I love it.
— Episode: Emily St. John Mandel on Time Travel, Pa...
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Episode: Emily St. John Mandel on Time Travel, Parenting an...
He noted that the novel also explores a similar technology of recording reality through one's eyes.
"
Yes, Candy House does this too. Which is an amazing novel. It's great. I love it.
Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible
The Surreal Heart of the New Russia
Peter J. Wilson recommended Pomerantsev's first book as a lighter entry to understand Putin's worldview, noting its title comes from a HannahArendt quote.
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I would strongly recommend Peter Pomerantsev's books, especially his first one. His first one is called Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible, which of course is a quotation from...
— Episode: Timothy Snyder on the Myths That Blinded...
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Episode: Timothy Snyder on the Myths That Blinded the West...
Peter J. Wilson recommended Pomerantsev's first book as a lighter entry to understand Putin's worldview, noting its title comes from a HannahArendt quote.
"
I would strongly recommend Peter Pomerantsev's books, especially his first one. His first one is called Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible, which of course is a quotation from Hannah Arendt, Origins of Totalitarianism.
Beautiful World, Where Are You
A Novel
Ezra said he recently read the novel, finding it unusually depressing and a mix of young leftism and social conservatism.
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I recently read Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney, and I found all of her work kind of very depressing in a way because just to the extent she is a voice of a generation,...
— Episode: Is Climate Change a Reason to Avoid Havi...
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Episode: Is Climate Change a Reason to Avoid Having Childre...
Ezra said he recently read the novel, finding it unusually depressing and a mix of young leftism and social conservatism.
"
I recently read Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney, and I found all of her work kind of very depressing in a way because just to the extent she is a voice of a generation, like the level of anxiety and selfloathing and selfquestioning that her book reveals really worries me about people's psyche. It's a very, very unusual book, and it's kind of mixtures of young leftism and almost social conservatism.
Dreams From Our Founding Fathers
First Principles in the Age of Obama
Carlos Lozada noted that DeSantis's littleknown 2011 book was better than the newer campaign book and that it was a loveletter to the founders while attacking Obama.
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He won me by reading his littleknown 2011 book Dreams From Our Founding Fathers.
— Episode: What We Learned Reading Ron DeSantis's B...
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Episode: What We Learned Reading Ron DeSantis's Books
Carlos Lozada noted that DeSantis's littleknown 2011 book was better than the newer campaign book and that it was a loveletter to the founders while attacking Obama.
"
He won me by reading his littleknown 2011 book Dreams From Our Founding Fathers.
I read it. It's actually much better than the courage to be free. It's called dreams from my founding fathers.
It's an attack on Obama and a love letter to the founders in particular Madison and Hamilton.
King Leopold's Ghost
A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
Adam Hochschild's King Leopold's Ghost recounted the exploitation of rubber in the Belgian Congo and the resulting genocide, highlighting both humanity's darkest and hopeful aspects.
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... Adam Hochschild's King Leopold's Ghost which tells the story of the exploitation of rubber in the Belgian Congo and the horrendous genocide that emerged out of that...
— Episode: Why Do We Work So Damn Much?
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Episode: Why Do We Work So Damn Much?
Adam Hochschild's King Leopold's Ghost recounted the exploitation of rubber in the Belgian Congo and the resulting genocide, highlighting both humanity's darkest and hopeful aspects.
"
... Adam Hochschild's King Leopold's Ghost which tells the story of the exploitation of rubber in the Belgian Congo and the horrendous genocide that emerged out of that...
Give Us the Ballot
The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America
Klein introduced Berman as the author of the book while noting his extensive reporting on voting rights and state election laws.
"
Ari Berman is a senior reporter at Mother Jones where he's done remarkable work covering voting rights and voter laws in the states over the past couple of years. He's the author of Give Us a Ballot,...
— Episode: Republicans Are Setting Off a ‘Doom Loop...
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Episode: Republicans Are Setting Off a ‘Doom Loop’ for Demo...
Klein introduced Berman as the author of the book while noting his extensive reporting on voting rights and state election laws.
"
Ari Berman is a senior reporter at Mother Jones where he's done remarkable work covering voting rights and voter laws in the states over the past couple of years. He's the author of Give Us a Ballot, The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America.
American War
A novel
The novel imagined a future conflict that expands the moral imagination and gives dignity to those targeted by the war on terror.
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And that's Omar alAqqa's American War, a novel that I believe expands the moral imagination, a novel that permits in a culture that treats the targets of the war on terror as all but...
— Episode: We’re Living in the World the War on Ter...
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Episode: We’re Living in the World the War on Terror Built
The novel imagined a future conflict that expands the moral imagination and gives dignity to those targeted by the war on terror.
"
And that's Omar alAqqa's American War, a novel that I believe expands the moral imagination, a novel that permits in a culture that treats the targets of the war on terror as all but subhuman with dignity, with empathy, with understanding and allows a voice of frustrated resistance to the apparatus to emerge in force.
Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.