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 Nineties: A Book Cover

Chuck Klosterman

The Nineties

A Book

Ezra mentioned that he enjoyed Klosterman's book "The 90s" a lot.

"

Chuck Klosterman's The 90s, which I enjoyed a lot.

— Episode: Would Bernie Have Won?

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Would Bernie Have Won?

Ezra mentioned that he enjoyed Klosterman's book "The 90s" a lot.

"

Chuck Klosterman's The 90s, which I enjoyed a lot.

Don't Get above Your Raisin': Country Music and the Southern Working Class (Music in American Life) Cover

Bill C Malone

Don't Get above Your Raisin'

Country Music and the Southern Working Class (Music in American Life)

Ezra said the book tells a story about country music and how it infused southern workingclass politics.

"

Don't Get Above Your Raisin, which is a story about country music and how it infused southern working class politics, by Bill Malone.

— Episode: Would Bernie Have Won?

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Would Bernie Have Won?

Ezra said the book tells a story about country music and how it infused southern workingclass politics.

"

Don't Get Above Your Raisin, which is a story about country music and how it infused southern working class politics, by Bill Malone.

Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better Cover

Jennifer Pahlka

Recoding America

Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better

Jennifer Palka described it as a topnotch book that explains why government fails in the digital age and offers ways to improve it. She highly recommended that listeners read it.

"

Jennifer Palka is the founder of Code for America and the author of one of the very best books on why government doesn't deliver, Recoding America, why government is failing in the di...

— Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Governme...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Government Fails

Jennifer Palka described it as a topnotch book that explains why government fails in the digital age and offers ways to improve it. She highly recommended that listeners read it.

"

Jennifer Palka is the founder of Code for America and the author of one of the very best books on why government doesn't deliver, Recoding America, why government is failing in the digital age and how we can do better. Highly recommend reading it.

The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement: The Battle for Control of the Law (Princeton Studies in American Politics: Historical, International, and Comparative Perspectives) Cover

Steven M. Teles

The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement

The Battle for Control of the Law (Princeton Studies in American Politics

Stephen Tellis referenced his own book to discuss the historical liberalization of the legal profession and its impact on institutions. He used it to illustrate his argument about the transformation of institutions.

"

And in the process, I talk about this in my book, The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement.

— Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Governme...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Government Fails

Stephen Tellis referenced his own book to discuss the historical liberalization of the legal profession and its impact on institutions. He used it to illustrate his argument about the transformation of institutions.

"

And in the process, I talk about this in my book, The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement.

Voice and Inequality: Poverty and Political Participation in Latin American Democracies Cover

Carew Boulding

Voice and Inequality

Poverty and Political Participation in Latin American Democracies

Theda Skocpol's book was highlighted as a classic exploring the transformation of American civic democracy and the decline of crossclass civic organizations. It was presented as essential reading for understanding institutional change.

"

The first is a classic by Theda Skocpol called Voice and Inequality, The Transformation of American Civic Democracy.

— Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Governme...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Government Fails

Theda Skocpol's book was highlighted as a classic exploring the transformation of American civic democracy and the decline of crossclass civic organizations. It was presented as essential reading for understanding institutional change.

"

The first is a classic by Theda Skocpol called Voice and Inequality, The Transformation of American Civic Democracy.

Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress―and How to Bring It Back Cover

Marc J. Dunkelman

Why Nothing Works

Who Killed Progress―and How to Bring It Back

Marc Dunkelman's upcoming book was noted for diagnosing why many reforms stall and for offering a clear view of the cultural and institutional obstacles that hinder progress. It was described as a helpful lecture on the roots of governmental inertia.

"

Why Nothing Works by Mark Dunkelman, because it's not out yet. It comes out in February, but you can preorder it. And it's essentially a lecture from the left to the left about how we...

— Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Governme...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Government Fails

Marc Dunkelman's upcoming book was noted for diagnosing why many reforms stall and for offering a clear view of the cultural and institutional obstacles that hinder progress. It was described as a helpful lecture on the roots of governmental inertia.

"

Why Nothing Works by Mark Dunkelman, because it's not out yet. It comes out in February, but you can preorder it. And it's essentially a lecture from the left to the left about how we've gotten in our way.

Abundance Cover

Ezra Klein

Abundance

The host mentioned a forthcoming book cowritten with Derek Thompson that examines why building and funding largescale science and infrastructure projects has become increasingly difficult. It focuses on trust and institutional challenges.

"

I've been working on a book called Abundance with Derek Thompson, sort of all about why it's become so hard to build, why it has become hard to fund the kind of science that leads to...

— Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Governme...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Government Fails

The host mentioned a forthcoming book cowritten with Derek Thompson that examines why building and funding largescale science and infrastructure projects has become increasingly difficult. It focuses on trust and institutional challenges.

"

I've been working on a book called Abundance with Derek Thompson, sort of all about why it's become so hard to build, why it has become hard to fund the kind of science that leads to new inventions.

Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better Cover

Jennifer Pahlka

Recoding America

Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better

Jennifer Palka was praised as the author of a toptier book that explains why government fails in the digital age and offers ways to improve it.

"

Jennifer Palka is the founder of Code for America and the author of one of the very best books on why government doesn't deliver, Recoding America, why government is failing in the di...

— Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Governme...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Government Fails

Jennifer Palka was praised as the author of a toptier book that explains why government fails in the digital age and offers ways to improve it.

"

Jennifer Palka is the founder of Code for America and the author of one of the very best books on why government doesn't deliver, Recoding America, why government is failing in the digital age and how we can do better.

Highly recommend reading it.

The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement: The Battle for Control of the Law (Princeton Studies in American Politics: Historical, International, and Comparative Perspectives) Cover

Steven M. Teles

The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement

The Battle for Control of the Law (Princeton Studies in American Politics

Steve Tellis referred to his own book while discussing how the legal movement became liberalized and professionalized.

"

And in the process, and I talk about this in my book, The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement.

— Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Governme...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Government Fails

Steve Tellis referred to his own book while discussing how the legal movement became liberalized and professionalized.

"

And in the process, and I talk about this in my book, The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement.

Voice and Inequality: Poverty and Political Participation in Latin American Democracies Cover

Carew Boulding

Voice and Inequality

Poverty and Political Participation in Latin American Democracies

Theda Skocpol's work was highlighted as a classic that chronicles the decline of crossclass civic organizations and their impact on American democracy.

"

The classic by Theda Skocpol called Voice and Inequality, The Transformation of American Civic Democracy.

— Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Governme...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Government Fails

Theda Skocpol's work was highlighted as a classic that chronicles the decline of crossclass civic organizations and their impact on American democracy.

"

The classic by Theda Skocpol called Voice and Inequality, The Transformation of American Civic Democracy.

Theda argued there that American democracy has experienced a remarkable decline in a wide range of crossclass civic organizations that used to be the real backbone of how America was organized for politics and society.

Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress―and How to Bring It Back Cover

Marc J. Dunkelman

Why Nothing Works

Who Killed Progress―and How to Bring It Back

Marc Dunkelman's forthcoming book was discussed as a timely analysis of why current policies often fail, and the hosts urged listeners to preorder it.

"

Why Nothing Works by Mark Dunkelman, because it's not out yet. It comes out in February, but you can preorder it.

— Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Governme...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: In This House, We’re Angry When Government Fails

Marc Dunkelman's forthcoming book was discussed as a timely analysis of why current policies often fail, and the hosts urged listeners to preorder it.

"

Why Nothing Works by Mark Dunkelman, because it's not out yet. It comes out in February, but you can preorder it.

I highly recommend it.

Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality Cover

Renée DiResta

Invisible Rulers

The People Who Turn Lies into Reality

The speaker recommended Rene Duresta's book as an excellent read about the hidden mechanisms of power that suppress free speech.

"

You can recommend to everybody who's listening to Rene Duresta's excellent book which is called Invisible Rulers which is about exactly this.

— Episode: Trump Kicks Down the Guardrails

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Trump Kicks Down the Guardrails

The speaker recommended Rene Duresta's book as an excellent read about the hidden mechanisms of power that suppress free speech.

"

You can recommend to everybody who's listening to Rene Duresta's excellent book which is called Invisible Rulers which is about exactly this.

Moneyland: The Inside Story of the Crooks and Kleptocrats Who Rule the World Cover

Oliver Bullough

Moneyland

The Inside Story of the Crooks and Kleptocrats Who Rule the World

The host described Moneyland as a beginnerfriendly overview of the history and mechanics of the offshore moneylaundering world.

"

One of them is a book by a British writer called Oliver Bullock and it's called Moneyland and it describes where the offshore world came from, what its history is, how it spread so fa...

— Episode: Trump Kicks Down the Guardrails

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Trump Kicks Down the Guardrails

The host described Moneyland as a beginnerfriendly overview of the history and mechanics of the offshore moneylaundering world.

"

One of them is a book by a British writer called Oliver Bullock and it's called Moneyland and it describes where the offshore world came from, what its history is, how it spread so far, how it works and it's written for somebody who doesn't know anything.

[Offshore, Human Voices, The Beginning of Spring (Everyman's Library)] [By: Fitzgerald, Penelope] [September, 2003] Cover

Penelope Fitzgerald

[Offshore, Human Voices, The Beginning of Spring (Everyman's Library)] [By

Fitzgerald, Penelope] [September, 2003]

Offshore was introduced as a short book that, drawing on the author's experience as a financial adviser, explains the inner workings and values of the offshore finance system.

"

It's a very short book it's called Offshore and it's by Brooke Harrington who is a sociologist trained as a financial adviser, so she entered that world and learned how it worked from the inside and w...

— Episode: Trump Kicks Down the Guardrails

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Trump Kicks Down the Guardrails

Offshore was introduced as a short book that, drawing on the author's experience as a financial adviser, explains the inner workings and values of the offshore finance system.

"

It's a very short book it's called Offshore and it's by Brooke Harrington who is a sociologist trained as a financial adviser, so she entered that world and learned how it worked from the inside and writes very well about the rules, the way the system functions and the values of the people inside of it.

American Kleptocracy: How the U.S. Created the World's Greatest Money Laundering Scheme in History Cover

Casey Michel

American Kleptocracy

How the U.S. Created the World's Greatest Money Laundering Scheme in History

The final recommendation was Casey Michel's American Kleptocracy, noted for exposing modern U.S. corruption and kleptocratic practices.

"

As a third book to the trilogy I would say read American Kleptocracy which is a book by Casey Michel which talks about how grand corruption is already visible and already at play in t...

— Episode: Trump Kicks Down the Guardrails

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Trump Kicks Down the Guardrails

The final recommendation was Casey Michel's American Kleptocracy, noted for exposing modern U.S. corruption and kleptocratic practices.

"

As a third book to the trilogy I would say read American Kleptocracy which is a book by Casey Michel which talks about how grand corruption is already visible and already at play in the United States.

Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America Cover

Elliott J. Gorn

Mother Jones

The Most Dangerous Woman in America

Mother Jones was recommended as a biography of the famed IrishAmerican labor activist, highlighted for its vivid portrait of an influential figure in American labor history. The hosts suggested it as a powerful read for listeners.

"

And my third book is about one of my heroes or heroines, Mary Harris Jones, Mother Jones, as she was nicknamed, who lived from 1837 to 1930... The book is Elliot J. Gorn, Moth...

— Episode: The End of the Obama Coalition

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: The End of the Obama Coalition

Mother Jones was recommended as a biography of the famed IrishAmerican labor activist, highlighted for its vivid portrait of an influential figure in American labor history. The hosts suggested it as a powerful read for listeners.

"

And my third book is about one of my heroes or heroines, Mary Harris Jones, Mother Jones, as she was nicknamed, who lived from 1837 to 1930... The book is Elliot J. Gorn, Mother Jones, the most dangerous woman in America.

The real majority Cover

Richard M Scammon

The real majority

Ruffini listed this Nixonera study as a recommendation for understanding historic white workingclass shifts to the GOP.

"

The real majority by Richard Scammon and Ben Wattenberg.

— Episode: The Book That Predicted the 2024 Electio...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: The Book That Predicted the 2024 Election

Ruffini listed this Nixonera study as a recommendation for understanding historic white workingclass shifts to the GOP.

"

The real majority by Richard Scammon and Ben Wattenberg.

The New Americans: Colonial Times: 1620-1689 (The American Story Series, 3) Cover

Betsy Maestro

The New Americans

Colonial Times

Ruffini recommended Barone's work on the history of immigrant groups to illustrate longterm voting patterns.

"

The New Americans by Michael Barone.

— Episode: The Book That Predicted the 2024 Electio...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: The Book That Predicted the 2024 Election

Ruffini recommended Barone's work on the history of immigrant groups to illustrate longterm voting patterns.

"

The New Americans by Michael Barone.

I Shouldn't Be Telling You This: (But I'm Going to Anyway) – A Funny Feminist Memoir of Rags to Riches and Family Secrets Cover

Chelsea Devantez

I Shouldn't Be Telling You This

(But I'm Going to Anyway) – A Funny Feminist Memoir of Rags to Riches and Family Secrets

Jon Stewart recommended the memoir, noting it was a recent release by his friend Chelsea Devantez and that he found it absolutely wonderful.

"

I Shouldn't Be Telling You This by Chelsea Devantes. That's what I have there.

— Episode: America Has Changed. So Has Jon Stewart.

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: America Has Changed. So Has Jon Stewart.

Jon Stewart recommended the memoir, noting it was a recent release by his friend Chelsea Devantez and that he found it absolutely wonderful.

"

I Shouldn't Be Telling You This by Chelsea Devantes. That's what I have there.

No, the book is called I Shouldn't Be Telling You This. She's a friend of mine who is a wonderful comedian and a writer. And her memoir, she just written, I think, a few months ago, and it's absolutely wonderful.

Cat's Cradle (S.F. MASTERWORKS) Cover

Kurt Vonnegut

Cat's Cradle (S.F. MASTERWORKS)

Stewart recommended Cat's Cradle, stating you can't go wrong with it.

"

Cat's Cradle. You can't go wrong.

— Episode: America Has Changed. So Has Jon Stewart.

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: America Has Changed. So Has Jon Stewart.

Stewart recommended Cat's Cradle, stating you can't go wrong with it.

"

Cat's Cradle. You can't go wrong.

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