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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Books 1,807

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Latest Recommendations

The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict between the US and Xi Jinping's China cover

The Avoidable War

Kevin Rudd

Mentioned 1 week ago

What Xi Jinping Wants

Ezra Klein noted that Kevin Rudd is the author of this book, highlighting Rudd's work on China and Xi Jinping.

He's also the author of The Avonable War.

Buy on Amazon
The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping (Stanford–Hoover Series on Authoritarianism) cover

The Party's Interests Come First

Joseph Torigian

Mentioned 1 week ago

What Xi Jinping Wants

Ezra Klein recommended this book about Xi Jinping's father, calling it a great read.

There's a great book by Joseph Torigian, The Party's Interests Come First, The Life of Xi Zhongxin, Father of Xi Jinping. It's a great book and a great read.

Buy on Amazon
The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao cover

The Souls of China

Ian Johnson

Mentioned 1 week ago

What Xi Jinping Wants

Ezra Klein recommended Ian Johnson's book on the resurgence of religion in modern China, describing it as a great read.

The second is Ian Johnson, The Souls of China, The Return of Religion After Mao. It's about what has occurred on the grounds, in the grassroots with the rise of various forms of Taoism, Buddhism, Protestant Christianity, and other forms of religious belief as a reaction to the uber-materialism of, let's call it, China's ideological orthodoxy. And that is a great read.

Buy on Amazon
The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change cover

The Beginning Comes After the End

Rebecca Solnit

Mentioned 2 weeks ago

The Very Good and Very Bad News on Climate

The book was mentioned as a prominent political essay by RebeccaSolnit, suggested as essential reading.

Rebecca Solnit pound for pound maybe our best political essayist and her book The Beginning Comes After the End

Buy on Amazon
Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization cover

Here Comes the Sun

Bill McKibben

Mentioned 2 weeks ago

The Very Good and Very Bad News on Climate

The host described it as McKibben's most recent book, framing it as a last chance for the climate and a fresh chance for civilization.

He writes the subsect of crucial years and his most recent book is Here Comes the Sun, a last chance for the climate and a fresh chance for civilization.

Buy on Amazon
The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary cover

The Glorians

Terry Tempest Williams

Mentioned 2 weeks ago

The Very Good and Very Bad News on Climate

It was highlighted as a great nature essay written by Terry TempestWilliams.

Terry Tempest Williams great nature essayist a book called The Glorians

Buy on Amazon
The Carbon Wave: A Story of Democracy, Parenthood, and the Race to Protect Our Planet cover

The Carbon Wave

Leah C. Stokes

Mentioned 2 weeks ago

The Very Good and Very Bad News on Climate

It was presented as a new book by Leah Stokes that tells the inside story of the Inflation Reduction Act and her work on utilities.

Leah Stokes maybe our leading expert on utilities played a huge role in getting the IRA through and she tells that story in a book called The Carbon Wave

Buy on Amazon
Brought to You By: How Corporations Warped the Truth, Conned the Public, and Broke Democracy cover

Brought to You By

Amy Westervelt

Mentioned 2 weeks ago

The Very Good and Very Bad News on Climate

The host cited it as Amy Westervelt's new book exposing how corporations have warped the truth about climate and energy.

Amy Westervelt tremendous freelance reporter on a lot of climate and energy issues and on larger things a new book called Brought to You By How Corporations Have Warped the Truth

Buy on Amazon
The Holocaust and the Nakba: A New Grammar of Trauma and History (Religion, Culture, and Public Life, 39) cover

The Holocaust and the Nakba

Bashir Bashir

Mentioned 2 weeks ago

A Radical Vision for Israelis and Palestinians

Rula said it was very important to understand the current situation and that the book, written before October7th, remained essential.

I decided to choose three books that are related to the conversation that we are having today the first one is The Holocaust and the Nakba edited by good colleagues and friends Bashir Bashir and Amos Goldberg it's very important to understand what's happening now it was written before October 7th and the genocide in Gaza but it's still very important essential book

Buy on Amazon
States of Denial: Knowing about Atrocities and Suffering cover

States of Denial

Stanley Cohen

Mentioned 2 weeks ago

A Radical Vision for Israelis and Palestinians

She described the book as a way to understand collective denial among Israelis and recommended it for insight.

the second is state of denials it's not about Israel Palestine but I claim all the time that the Israelis are suffering from severe denial collective denial and blindness and I'm trying to understand that and I think a lot of people need want maybe to understand and this book States of denial written by Stanley Cohen is very ... book

Buy on Amazon
Tomorrow Is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine cover

Tomorrow Is Yesterday

Hussein Agha

Mentioned 2 weeks ago

A Radical Vision for Israelis and Palestinians

Rula mentioned the book as a lesson from past negotiations, recommending it for learning from mistakes.

the third is the Rob Malley book tomorrow is yesterday you know we're doing this as people on the ground who are committing to doing this bottom up work of building the movement and vision but they've been there in the negotiations learning from the mistakes and I think that is a practice we overlook and we need to really do more often learning from our mistakes

Buy on Amazon
A Psalm for the Wild-Built: A Monk and Robot Book (Monk & Robot, 1) cover

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

Becky Chambers

Mentioned 2 weeks ago

A Radical Vision for Israelis and Palestinians

She expressed surprise at the title but said she was grateful to have read it, noting its offgenre nature for her.

the psalm for the wild built it's a genre that I do you know this book ... I didn't expect it to pop up here yeah it's from a different world I which is very kind of off genre for me but I'm so grateful that I have read it

Buy on Amazon

Most Recommended

The Economic Consequences of the Peace Cover

John Maynard Keynes

The Economic Consequences of the Peace

He noted it as a classic that he suggested reading only the first third, dismissing the rest.

"

I would recommend John Minnick Kane's The Economic Consequences of the Peace, which just read the first third, the last two thirds not worth reading.

— Episode: Is Trump ‘Detoxing’ the Economy or Poiso...

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Episode: Is Trump ‘Detoxing’ the Economy or Poisoning It?

He noted it as a classic that he suggested reading only the first third, dismissing the rest.

"

I would recommend John Minnick Kane's The Economic Consequences of the Peace, which just read the first third, the last two thirds not worth reading.

Open: An Autobiography Cover

Andre Agassi

Open

An Autobiography

Kimberly Clausing was identified as the author of Open, a book making the case for free trade, immigration, and global capital.

"

She's the author of the book Open, The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital.

— Episode: Why Trump’s Tariffs Won’t Work

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Why Trump’s Tariffs Won’t Work

Kimberly Clausing was identified as the author of Open, a book making the case for free trade, immigration, and global capital.

"

She's the author of the book Open, The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital.

Abundance Cover

Ezra Klein

Abundance

The host expressed anticipation for the forthcoming book Abundance, noting it would address key issues of the time.

"

I'm really looking forward to your forthcoming book, Abundance, which I think will really speak to key issues of our time.

— Episode: Why Trump’s Tariffs Won’t Work

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Why Trump’s Tariffs Won’t Work

The host expressed anticipation for the forthcoming book Abundance, noting it would address key issues of the time.

"

I'm really looking forward to your forthcoming book, Abundance, which I think will really speak to key issues of our time.

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions: 50th Anniversary Edition Cover

Thomas S. Kuhn

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

50th Anniversary Edition

Kuhn was cited as showing historical examples of paradigm shifts and offering a framework for understanding scientific change.

"

how Kuhn in this book which was written in the 1960s gives a series of historical examples and theoretical frameworks for how do you think about a paradigm shift

— Episode: The Government Knows AGI is Coming

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Episode: The Government Knows AGI is Coming

Kuhn was cited as showing historical examples of paradigm shifts and offering a framework for understanding scientific change.

"

how Kuhn in this book which was written in the 1960s gives a series of historical examples and theoretical frameworks for how do you think about a paradigm shift

Rise of the Machines: A Cybernetic History Cover

Thomas Rid

Rise of the Machines

A Cybernetic History

Rid's work was mentioned as describing how machines evolved from niche tools to matters of national security importance.

"

another book that has been very valuable for me is Rise of the Machines by Thomas Ridd and that really tells the story of how machines that were once the play things of dorks like me...

— Episode: The Government Knows AGI is Coming

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: The Government Knows AGI is Coming

Rid's work was mentioned as describing how machines evolved from niche tools to matters of national security importance.

"

another book that has been very valuable for me is Rise of the Machines by Thomas Ridd and that really tells the story of how machines that were once the play things of dorks like me became in the 60s and the 70s and the 80s things of national security importance

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life Cover

George Saunders

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life

Saunders' book, which interprets seven Russian short stories, was highlighted as an example of a uniquely human literary endeavor.

"

the last book is definitely an unusual one but I think it's vital and that's A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders and he's this great essayist and short story writer and novel writer ......

— Episode: The Government Knows AGI is Coming

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: The Government Knows AGI is Coming

Saunders' book, which interprets seven Russian short stories, was highlighted as an example of a uniquely human literary endeavor.

"

the last book is definitely an unusual one but I think it's vital and that's A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders and he's this great essayist and short story writer and novel writer ... he takes seven Russian literature short stories and gives a literary interpretation of them

The Jungle Grows Back: America and Our Imperiled World Cover

Robert Kagan

The Jungle Grows Back

America and Our Imperiled World

Fareed Zakaria recommended Robert Kagan's short book The Jungle Grows Back, describing it as an explanation of how America's erosion will let the "jungle" of realpolitik return.

"

I was thinking about it, and one of them, I think, would be Robert Kagan's book, The Jungle Grows Back, which is a short book that tries to explain the nature of this world that Ameri...

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

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: The Dark Heart of Trump's Foreign Policy

Fareed Zakaria recommended Robert Kagan's short book The Jungle Grows Back, describing it as an explanation of how America's erosion will let the "jungle" of realpolitik return.

"

I was thinking about it, and one of them, I think, would be Robert Kagan's book, The Jungle Grows Back, which is a short book that tries to explain the nature of this world that America built and how its erosion and decay will result in the jungle growing back, the jungle of realpolitik, war, poverty, and all the things that existed before.

Cicero: Tusculan Disputations (Marci Tulli Ciceronis Tusculanarum Disputationum) (Oxford Classical Texts) Cover

Robert A. Kaster

Cicero

Tusculan Disputations (Marci Tulli Ciceronis Tusculanarum Disputationum) (Oxford Classical Texts)

Zakaria highlighted Henry Kissinger's history book Diplomacy, noting it spans from the 17th century to the late 20th century.

"

Henry Kissinger wrote a wonderful kind of history called Diplomacy, and it begins in the 17th century, and it goes all the way to the 1970s, 80s, as I recall, and it's just called Diplomacy.

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

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: The Dark Heart of Trump's Foreign Policy

Zakaria highlighted Henry Kissinger's history book Diplomacy, noting it spans from the 17th century to the late 20th century.

"

Henry Kissinger wrote a wonderful kind of history called Diplomacy, and it begins in the 17th century, and it goes all the way to the 1970s, 80s, as I recall, and it's just called Diplomacy.

The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium Cover

Martin Gurri

The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium

The book was described as a selfpublished 2014 study of how abundant information erodes institutional power and fuels continual political upheaval.

"

Back in 2016, when Donald Trump won the first time, there was this book. It was selfpublished by a former CIA media analyst named Martin Gurry that became a kind of phenomenon in Silicon Valley. The b...

— Episode: A Theory of Media That Explains 15 Years...

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Episode: A Theory of Media That Explains 15 Years of Politi...

The book was described as a selfpublished 2014 study of how abundant information erodes institutional power and fuels continual political upheaval.

"

Back in 2016, when Donald Trump won the first time, there was this book. It was selfpublished by a former CIA media analyst named Martin Gurry that became a kind of phenomenon in Silicon Valley. The book was called The Revolt of the Public.

In 2014, you published this book, The Revolt of the Public.

Postjournalism and the death of newspapers. The media after Trump: manufacturing anger and polarization Cover

Andrey Mir

Postjournalism and the death of newspapers. The media after Trump

manufacturing anger and polarization

Gurri highlighted the book as a detailed history of journalism's business model shift from selling eyeballs to advertisers and its role in modern polarization.

"

Anything by Andrei Mir. I would pick Postjournalism and the Death of Newspapers, which is basically a history of the art form, a very detailed history of the art form, kind of explaining, and your new...

— Episode: A Theory of Media That Explains 15 Years...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: A Theory of Media That Explains 15 Years of Politi...

Gurri highlighted the book as a detailed history of journalism's business model shift from selling eyeballs to advertisers and its role in modern polarization.

"

Anything by Andrei Mir. I would pick Postjournalism and the Death of Newspapers, which is basically a history of the art form, a very detailed history of the art form, kind of explaining, and your newspaper is kind of front and center, explaining how the business model has changed from selling eyeballs to advertisers, to sort of commodifying polarization, right? Beautiful book.

Why Most Things Fail Cover

Paul Ormerod

Why Most Things Fail

Gurri recommended the book for its datadriven examination of why governmental and economic initiatives repeatedly fall short over the past 150 years.

"

Second one, a British economist, Paul Ormerod, has got a book called Why Most Things Fail. And you should read it, first of all, because it's a great title.

— Episode: A Theory of Media That Explains 15 Years...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: A Theory of Media That Explains 15 Years of Politi...

Gurri recommended the book for its datadriven examination of why governmental and economic initiatives repeatedly fall short over the past 150 years.

"

Second one, a British economist, Paul Ormerod, has got a book called Why Most Things Fail. And you should read it, first of all, because it's a great title.

Math for the Modern World Cover

Giovanni Viglino

Math for the Modern World

Ezra Klein highlighted the work as one of his favorite long reads and included it among his top three book recommendations for listeners.

"

One is an article, How Mathematics Built the Modern World, on Works in Progress, one of my favorite long reads of the last several years.

— Episode: A Democrat Who Is Thinking Differently

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: A Democrat Who Is Thinking Differently

Ezra Klein highlighted the work as one of his favorite long reads and included it among his top three book recommendations for listeners.

"

One is an article, How Mathematics Built the Modern World, on Works in Progress, one of my favorite long reads of the last several years.

Radical Markets: Uprooting Capitalism and Democracy for a Just Society Cover

Eric A. Posner

Radical Markets

Uprooting Capitalism and Democracy for a Just Society

Klein recommended the book as part of his threebook list, suggesting it as a mustread for the audience.

"

The second is Radical Markets by Glenn Weil and Eric Posner.

— Episode: A Democrat Who Is Thinking Differently

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: A Democrat Who Is Thinking Differently

Klein recommended the book as part of his threebook list, suggesting it as a mustread for the audience.

"

The second is Radical Markets by Glenn Weil and Eric Posner.

What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 (The Oxford History of the United States, Vol. 5) Cover

Daniel Walker Howe

What Hath God Wrought

The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 (The Oxford History of the United States, Vol. 5)

Klein cited the Oxford history as his third recommendation, noting its insight into early American political development.

"

And the third is What Hath God Wrought, which is the Oxford history of the United States.

— Episode: A Democrat Who Is Thinking Differently

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: A Democrat Who Is Thinking Differently

Klein cited the Oxford history as his third recommendation, noting its insight into early American political development.

"

And the third is What Hath God Wrought, which is the Oxford history of the United States.

A Survivor's Education: Women, Violence, and the Stories We Don’t Tell Cover

Joy Neumeyer

A Survivor's Education

Women, Violence, and the Stories We Don’t Tell

Ezra Klein described it as an astonishing book that follows a graduate student's experience with abuse and the TitleIX process, highlighting how she weaves personal trauma into broader historical work.

"

I think we will recommend an astonishing book about her experience as a graduate student in history at Berkeley surviving an abusive relationship and going through the Title IX process and the reason...

— Episode: What if Trump Just Ignores the Courts?

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Episode: What if Trump Just Ignores the Courts?

Ezra Klein described it as an astonishing book that follows a graduate student's experience with abuse and the TitleIX process, highlighting how she weaves personal trauma into broader historical work.

"

I think we will recommend an astonishing book about her experience as a graduate student in history at Berkeley surviving an abusive relationship and going through the Title IX process and the reason that I mention it here is that I think what Joy does in a really astonishing way is weave together the details of her experience as somebody who suffered from this abuse as somebody who was testifying to her own experience with what it means to do the work of history when the archive is uncertain as to what it's telling you.

Confederates in the Attic : Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War Cover

Tony Horwitz

Confederates in the Attic

Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War

The guest mentioned the book as a noteworthy work by a friend, noting its subject matter.

"

Tony Horowitz, who is a friend of mine... he wrote Confederates in the Attic. It's a beautiful rumination on mortality and history.

— Episode: What Elon Musk Wants

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Episode: What Elon Musk Wants

The guest mentioned the book as a noteworthy work by a friend, noting its subject matter.

"

Tony Horowitz, who is a friend of mine... he wrote Confederates in the Attic. It's a beautiful rumination on mortality and history.

Why Congress (Studies in Postwar American Political Development) Cover

Philip A. Wallach

Why Congress (Studies in Postwar American Political Development)

Wallach's book argued for the essential role and centrality of the national legislature in American politics.

"

a book by Philip Wallach ... it's called Why Congress and is really a wonderful argument about the reasons for the centrality of the national legislature and our national politics.

— Episode: The Breaking of the Constitutional Order

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: The Breaking of the Constitutional Order

Wallach's book argued for the essential role and centrality of the national legislature in American politics.

"

a book by Philip Wallach ... it's called Why Congress and is really a wonderful argument about the reasons for the centrality of the national legislature and our national politics.

Regime Change: Toward a Postliberal Future Cover

Patrick J. Deneen

Regime Change

Toward a Postliberal Future

The guest recommended it as a key text that explains elite replacement and what Deneen calls a constitutional regime change, which many on the new right believe they are experiencing.

"

I would recommend Patrick Deneen's book, Regime Change. I like to think of it as like Curtis Yarvin for normies, but it explains this whole idea of elite replacement and what you're t...

— Episode: MAGA’s Big Tech Divide

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: MAGA’s Big Tech Divide

The guest recommended it as a key text that explains elite replacement and what Deneen calls a constitutional regime change, which many on the new right believe they are experiencing.

"

I would recommend Patrick Deneen's book, Regime Change. I like to think of it as like Curtis Yarvin for normies, but it explains this whole idea of elite replacement and what you're trying to do and what Deneen calls a constitutional Regime Change that I think a lot of people on that side of things are now hoping we're living through.

Between Two Fires Cover

Christopher Buehlman

Between Two Fires

He described it as a detailed, possibly boring but revealing history of American fire that teaches a lot about the American landscape.

"

There's a great, fat, really boring, way too detailed, but really revealing book called Between Two Fires that is like a history of American fire. It really teaches you a lot about th...

— Episode: MAGA’s Big Tech Divide

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: MAGA’s Big Tech Divide

He described it as a detailed, possibly boring but revealing history of American fire that teaches a lot about the American landscape.

"

There's a great, fat, really boring, way too detailed, but really revealing book called Between Two Fires that is like a history of American fire. It really teaches you a lot about the American landscape and I think people might benefit from it.

Techno-Optimist Manifesto Cover

Marc Andreessen

Techno-Optimist Manifesto

He mentioned it as a work authored by Marc Andreessen that outlines a technooptimist perspective.

"

Marc Andreessen is the author of something titled A Techno Optimist Manifesto.

— Episode: MAGA’s Big Tech Divide

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: MAGA’s Big Tech Divide

He mentioned it as a work authored by Marc Andreessen that outlines a technooptimist perspective.

"

Marc Andreessen is the author of something titled A Techno Optimist Manifesto.

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