The Ezra Klein Show
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...

Episodes 550
Books 1,781
The Unbroken Thread: Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos Cover

Sohrab Ahmari

The Unbroken Thread

Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos

It was referenced repeatedly as Ahmari's book that weaves together his critiques of modern culture and economics.

"

And it also perpetuates ... this is a type of argument that ... in almost every chapter of The Unbroken Thread gets recapitulated

— Episode: Why This Conservative Wants a More Radic...

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Episode: Why This Conservative Wants a More Radical Republi...

It was referenced repeatedly as Ahmari's book that weaves together his critiques of modern culture and economics.

"

And it also perpetuates ... this is a type of argument that ... in almost every chapter of The Unbroken Thread gets recapitulated

Flamer Cover

Mike Curato

Flamer

Emily suggested *Flamer* by Mike Curato, describing it as a tender graphic novel about a kid grappling with sexual identity at a camp.

"

the second uh is a book that's on the list of the top 10 banned books from the ala called Flamer by mike corrado it's a book about a kid at sleepaway camp and i read it this summer wh...

— Episode: America’s Top Librarian on the Rise of B...

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Episode: America’s Top Librarian on the Rise of Book Bans

Emily suggested *Flamer* by Mike Curato, describing it as a tender graphic novel about a kid grappling with sexual identity at a camp.

"

the second uh is a book that's on the list of the top 10 banned books from the ala called Flamer by mike corrado it's a book about a kid at sleepaway camp and i read it this summer when my kid was at sleepaway camp and you know you read it and you in that what we're talking about like do they want to ban the book or they want to ban the person and you read this beautiful tender story of a kid struggling with his sexual identity at a boy scout camp and it's so beautiful and sweet and gorgeous so just a perfect graphic novel i think

The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made : Acheson, Bohlen, Harriman, Kennan, Lovett, McCloy Cover

Walter Isaacson

The Wise Men

Six Friends and the World They Made

Zakaria recommended The Wise Men, cowritten by Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas, as a biographical account of six architects of the postWorld WarII American order.

"

Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas wrote a book called The Wise Men, and it was a story of six people who were instrumental in building the post-World War II American order.

— Episode: The Dark Heart of Trump's Foreign Policy

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Episode: The Dark Heart of Trump's Foreign Policy

Zakaria recommended The Wise Men, cowritten by Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas, as a biographical account of six architects of the postWorld WarII American order.

"

Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas wrote a book called The Wise Men, and it was a story of six people who were instrumental in building the post-World War II American order.

What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies Cover

Tim Urban

What's Our Problem?

A Self-Help Book for Societies

Klein described Tim Urban's What's Our Problem as one of the best nonfiction books he had read, outlining its structure for understanding political polarization.

"

The second is called What's Our Problem by Tim Urban. This is one of the best nonfiction books I have read in a very long time.

— Episode: The Teen Mental Health Crisis, Part 1

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Episode: The Teen Mental Health Crisis, Part 1

Klein described Tim Urban's What's Our Problem as one of the best nonfiction books he had read, outlining its structure for understanding political polarization.

"

The second is called What's Our Problem by Tim Urban. This is one of the best nonfiction books I have read in a very long time.

The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century (The Princeton Economic History of the Western World, 74) Cover

Walter Scheidel

The Great Leveler

Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century (The Princeton Economic History of the Western World, 74)

Ezra cited the book as a source on how wars, plagues and societal collapse have historically reduced extreme inequality.

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another book about moments in time when inequality really changed The Great Leveler. And I would say that the takeaway of that book is the only forces stronger than those protecting g...

— Episode: Thomas Piketty’s Case For ‘Participatory...

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Episode: Thomas Piketty’s Case For ‘Participatory Socialism...

Ezra cited the book as a source on how wars, plagues and societal collapse have historically reduced extreme inequality.

"

another book about moments in time when inequality really changed The Great Leveler. And I would say that the takeaway of that book is the only forces stronger than those protecting great inequality of wealth are wars, plagues and total societal collapse.

The World For Sale: Money, Power, and the Traders Who Barter the Earth's Resources Cover

Javier Blas

The World For Sale

Money, Power, and the Traders Who Barter the Earth's Resources

He noted that the book is about the commodities market and explains an area with massive geopolitical, economic, and financial consequences that is not as well understood as it should be.

"

And then the third one is The World For Sale. It's about the commodities market. It's about an area that has massive geopolitical as well as economic and financial consequences, and t...

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

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

He noted that the book is about the commodities market and explains an area with massive geopolitical, economic, and financial consequences that is not as well understood as it should be.

"

And then the third one is The World For Sale. It's about the commodities market. It's about an area that has massive geopolitical as well as economic and financial consequences, and that's not as well understood as it should be.

Stalin's War: A New History of World War II Cover

Sean McMeekin

Stalin's War

A New History of World War II

The guest mentioned it as a recommended history of World WarII that focuses on Stalin's role and the broader conflict.

"

I was reading one of the books I was going to recommend to you at the end of this conversation. It's a book called Stalin's War by Sean McMeekin. It's a history of World WarII.

— Episode: What Is DOGE’s Real Goal?

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Episode: What Is DOGE’s Real Goal?

The guest mentioned it as a recommended history of World WarII that focuses on Stalin's role and the broader conflict.

"

I was reading one of the books I was going to recommend to you at the end of this conversation. It's a book called Stalin's War by Sean McMeekin. It's a history of World WarII.

The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict Cover

Elbridge A. Colby

The Strategy of Denial

American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict

He described the work as an analysis of greatpower competition, focusing on China's challenge to U.S. global leadership and why it should be a priority.

"

The fourth one, because I'm cheating, is a book by a former housemate of mine, Elbridge Colby called The Strategy of Denial, which is essentially about this new age of great power com...

— Episode: A Conservative's View on Democrats' Bigg...

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Episode: A Conservative's View on Democrats' Biggest Weakne...

He described the work as an analysis of greatpower competition, focusing on China's challenge to U.S. global leadership and why it should be a priority.

"

The fourth one, because I'm cheating, is a book by a former housemate of mine, Elbridge Colby called The Strategy of Denial, which is essentially about this new age of great power competition and the challenge to US global leadership that China poses, what we ought to do about it, why we ought to prioritize it.

Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid Cover

Meredith Angwin

Shorting the Grid

The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid

It offered a clear explanation of electricity markets and argued that market structures hinder decarbonization, favoring natural gas and renewables over nuclear.

"

the third book a little controversial is called Shorting the Grid by meredith angwin ... the first half of the book is like the best explanation of how electricity markets actually wo...

— Episode: This Taught Me a Lot About How Decarboni...

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Episode: This Taught Me a Lot About How Decarbonization Is...

It offered a clear explanation of electricity markets and argued that market structures hinder decarbonization, favoring natural gas and renewables over nuclear.

"

the third book a little controversial is called Shorting the Grid by meredith angwin ... the first half of the book is like the best explanation of how electricity markets actually work ... she argues that electricity markets are not the right structure to organize our electricity system and that they give preferential treatment to natural gas and renewables

Beautiful Country: A Memoir Cover

Qian Julie Wang

Beautiful Country

A Memoir

Rana called it a memoir about a Chinese immigrant family in New York, praising its narrative honesty and labeling it a "real keeper."

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Beautiful Country ... was a story of an immigrant family who had come from China to live in New York and what it's like to be undocumented ... it was a memoir and a narrative tale whi...

— Episode: The End of 'The Everything Bubble'

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Episode: The End of 'The Everything Bubble'

Rana called it a memoir about a Chinese immigrant family in New York, praising its narrative honesty and labeling it a "real keeper."

"

Beautiful Country ... was a story of an immigrant family who had come from China to live in New York and what it's like to be undocumented ... it was a memoir and a narrative tale which I often give memoirs a hard time, but this one was a real keeper.

The Metamorphosis Cover

Franz Kafka

The Metamorphosis

Hamid referenced Kafka's novella to illustrate the uncanny, bodily transformation at the start of his own novel, drawing a parallel between Gregor's change and his protagonist's skin shift.

"

So right at the beginning there is almost a beat-for-beat reference to the beginning of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis.

— Episode: How Do We Face Loss With Dignity?

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Episode: How Do We Face Loss With Dignity?

Hamid referenced Kafka's novella to illustrate the uncanny, bodily transformation at the start of his own novel, drawing a parallel between Gregor's change and his protagonist's skin shift.

"

So right at the beginning there is almost a beat-for-beat reference to the beginning of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis.

Truths: The Future of America First Cover

Vivek Ramaswamy

Truths

The Future of America First

Ramaswamy announced that he had just published the book, indicating it laid out the arguments he was discussing about the future direction of the America First movement.

"

He just published a book making some of these arguments,

— Episode: Vivek Ramaswamy Has a Different Vision f...

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Episode: Vivek Ramaswamy Has a Different Vision for Trumpis...

Ramaswamy announced that he had just published the book, indicating it laid out the arguments he was discussing about the future direction of the America First movement.

"

He just published a book making some of these arguments,

The Education of Henry Adams Cover

Henry Adams

The Education of Henry Adams

A famous line from Henry Adams's work was cited to characterize politics as the systematic organization of hatreds, which the speakers contrasted with politics as a moral activity focused on building connections.

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Politics as a practice, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organization of hatreds.

— Episode: The Blue Wave Cometh?

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Episode: The Blue Wave Cometh?

A famous line from Henry Adams's work was cited to characterize politics as the systematic organization of hatreds, which the speakers contrasted with politics as a moral activity focused on building connections.

"

Politics as a practice, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organization of hatreds.

The Silmarillion: Illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien (Tolkien Editions) (Tolkien Illustrated Editions) Cover

J. R. R. Tolkien

The Silmarillion

Illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien (Tolkien Editions) (Tolkien Illustrated Editions)

Kelsey Piper recalled being obsessed with the book in her teenage years, calling it a unique, almost biblical worldbuilding work and warning that AI surpassing Tolkien would be alarming.

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I was obsessed for my entire teenagehood with The Silmarillion, Tolkien's prequel to Lord of the Rings. It's not even a good fiction book. It reads something between a Bible and like...

— Episode: Freaked Out? We Really Can Prepare for A...

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Episode: Freaked Out? We Really Can Prepare for A.I.

Kelsey Piper recalled being obsessed with the book in her teenage years, calling it a unique, almost biblical worldbuilding work and warning that AI surpassing Tolkien would be alarming.

"

I was obsessed for my entire teenagehood with The Silmarillion, Tolkien's prequel to Lord of the Rings. It's not even a good fiction book. It reads something between a Bible and like a packet of world building notes but I was in love with it. It's a beautiful insight into how someone puts a story together. When AIs can surpass Tolkien, that's when I'll know we're really in trouble.

The Hours: A Novel (Picador Modern Classics, 1) Cover

Michael Cunningham

The Hours

A Novel (Picador Modern Classics, 1)

A novel that explores the lives of three women across different time periods, linked by Virginia Woolf's unfinished manuscript.

"

There's a great line that Michael Cunningham who wrote The Hours said to me at one point. He just, I didn't even realize he was saying it but I was asking him how it was possible that...

— Episode: This Conversation Made Me a Sharper Edit...

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Episode: This Conversation Made Me a Sharper Editor

A novel that explores the lives of three women across different time periods, linked by Virginia Woolf's unfinished manuscript.

"

There's a great line that Michael Cunningham who wrote The Hours said to me at one point. He just, I didn't even realize he was saying it but I was asking him how it was possible that when he'd written a draft of the book, he had to throw away the draft, and I kind of probed him about that and didn't that feel just really awful? He said, nah, there's plenty more where that came from. And he just said it like that and that is a one sentence description of a thing that is absolutely essential to an artist which is the faith that they can keep doing it.

To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings Cover

John O'Donohue

To Bless the Space Between Us

A Book of Blessings

Brous called O'Donohue's book sublime, beautiful, and a reminder of humanity and mutual belonging.

"

The second is John O'Donohue's book To Bless the Space Between Us. It is just sublime and beautiful and enchanting and reminds me of my own humanity and of other people's, of our abil...

— Episode: The Sermons I Needed to Hear Right Now

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Episode: The Sermons I Needed to Hear Right Now

Brous called O'Donohue's book sublime, beautiful, and a reminder of humanity and mutual belonging.

"

The second is John O'Donohue's book To Bless the Space Between Us. It is just sublime and beautiful and enchanting and reminds me of my own humanity and of other people's, of our ability to bless each other with love.

The Grasshopper - Third Edition: Games, Life and Utopia Cover

Bernard Suits

The Grasshopper - Third Edition

Games, Life and Utopia

Klein said he discovered Bernard Suits' The Grasshopper, a 1970s work that defines playing a game as voluntarily taking on unnecessary obstacles to achieve a goal.

"

I found this incredible book, Bernard Suits' The Grasshopper.

— Episode: A Philosophy of Games That Is Really a P...

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Episode: A Philosophy of Games That Is Really a Philosophy...

Klein said he discovered Bernard Suits' The Grasshopper, a 1970s work that defines playing a game as voluntarily taking on unnecessary obstacles to achieve a goal.

"

I found this incredible book, Bernard Suits' The Grasshopper.

Piers Plowman: A Norton Critical Edition (Norton Critical Editions) Cover

William Langland

Piers Plowman

A Norton Critical Edition (Norton Critical Editions)

The guest said Piers Plowman was one of her favorite books, a 14thcentury work by William Langland.

"

One of my favorite books is Piers Plowman, William Langland, coming out of the 14th century.

— Episode: Marilynne Robinson on Biblical Beauty, H...

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Episode: Marilynne Robinson on Biblical Beauty, Human Evil...

The guest said Piers Plowman was one of her favorite books, a 14thcentury work by William Langland.

"

One of my favorite books is Piers Plowman, William Langland, coming out of the 14th century.

Hollywood Babylon Cover

Kenneth Anger

Hollywood Babylon

Hussein called *Hollywood Babylon* a funny, underrated book that he enjoys reading for comic relief.

"

Hollywood Babylon. I find that very kind of, how should I say, amusing. It's a very funny book and I think Kenneth Anger is very underrated.

— Episode: Can the Israel-Hamas Deal Hold?

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Episode: Can the Israel-Hamas Deal Hold?

Hussein called *Hollywood Babylon* a funny, underrated book that he enjoys reading for comic relief.

"

Hollywood Babylon. I find that very kind of, how should I say, amusing. It's a very funny book and I think Kenneth Anger is very underrated.

See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love Cover

Valarie Kaur

See No Stranger

A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love

Ezra Klein presented it as a roadmap for overcoming deep societal divisions, emphasizing a vision that looks beyond differences to what unites people.

"

And finally, the last book I'll recommend is a book by my very good friend Valerie Kaur called See No Stranger. And if one of the challenges that we have here is overcoming the very d...

— Episode: Is This How a Cold War With China Begins...

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Episode: Is This How a Cold War With China Begins?

Ezra Klein presented it as a roadmap for overcoming deep societal divisions, emphasizing a vision that looks beyond differences to what unites people.

"

And finally, the last book I'll recommend is a book by my very good friend Valerie Kaur called See No Stranger. And if one of the challenges that we have here is overcoming the very deep divisions here in our society to figure out what is that kind of affirmative vision, that future that we want to create. Her book, I think, provides a roadmap to looking beyond the many things that divide us to thinking about what unites us.

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