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...

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Why Europe? The Rise of the West in World History 1500-1850 Cover

Jack Goldstone

Why Europe? The Rise of the West in World History 1500-1850

Klein recommended the book as a way to learn more about Europe.

"

I really like Why Europe by Michael Mitterrand.

— Episode: If You’re Reading This, You’re Probably...

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Episode: If You’re Reading This, You’re Probably ‘WEIRD’

Klein recommended the book as a way to learn more about Europe.

"

I really like Why Europe by Michael Mitterrand.

By Maristella Botticini The Chosen Few: How Education Shaped Jewish History, 70-1492 (Princeton Economic History of the West [Hardcover] Cover

Maristella Botticini

By Maristella Botticini The Chosen Few

How Education Shaped Jewish History, 70-1492 (Princeton Economic History of the West [Hardcover]

Klein highlighted the book for its analysis of how education shaped Jewish history.

"

I really like this book A Chosen Few, How Education Shaped Jewish History because it really emphasizes how early changes in a religion of a particular group had big longterm consequences.

— Episode: If You’re Reading This, You’re Probably...

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Episode: If You’re Reading This, You’re Probably ‘WEIRD’

Klein highlighted the book for its analysis of how education shaped Jewish history.

"

I really like this book A Chosen Few, How Education Shaped Jewish History because it really emphasizes how early changes in a religion of a particular group had big longterm consequences.

Psychoanalytic Diagnosis: Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process Cover

Nancy McWilliams

Psychoanalytic Diagnosis

Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process

The guest highlighted Psychoanalytic Diagnosis as a clinicianoriented text that is clear and insightful enough for anyone interested in psychology.

"

As a psychologist, a book I go back to again and again was written by another psychologist, Nancy McWilliams. It's called Psychoanalytic Diagnosis.

— Episode: The Teen Mental Health Crisis, Part 2

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Episode: The Teen Mental Health Crisis, Part 2

The guest highlighted Psychoanalytic Diagnosis as a clinicianoriented text that is clear and insightful enough for anyone interested in psychology.

"

As a psychologist, a book I go back to again and again was written by another psychologist, Nancy McWilliams. It's called Psychoanalytic Diagnosis.

Generations Cover

Neil Howe

Generations

Klein introduced Twenge's new book Generations, which described a fullblown mental health crisis among young people that predated COVID19.

"

So in your new book Generations, you write, quote, that there's a full-blown mental health crisis among young people, and it was building long before the COVID-19 pandemic.

— Episode: The Teen Mental Health Crisis, Part 1

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Episode: The Teen Mental Health Crisis, Part 1

Klein introduced Twenge's new book Generations, which described a fullblown mental health crisis among young people that predated COVID19.

"

So in your new book Generations, you write, quote, that there's a full-blown mental health crisis among young people, and it was building long before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Problem with Everything: My Journey Through the New Culture Wars Cover

Meghan Daum

The Problem with Everything

My Journey Through the New Culture Wars

Klein said Meghan Daum's The Problem With Everything, which he frequently cites in Generations, offered insights into cultural shifts starting in the mid2010s.

"

The first is The Problem with Everything by Megan Daum. I quote that a lot in Generations.

— Episode: The Teen Mental Health Crisis, Part 1

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Episode: The Teen Mental Health Crisis, Part 1

Klein said Meghan Daum's The Problem With Everything, which he frequently cites in Generations, offered insights into cultural shifts starting in the mid2010s.

"

The first is The Problem with Everything by Megan Daum. I quote that a lot in Generations.

Nine Ladies: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Cover

Heather Moll

Nine Ladies

A Pride and Prejudice Variation

Klein mentioned Heather Moll's fiction novel Nine Ladies, likening it to a blend of Pride and Prejudice and Outlander.

"

The third is for fun. It's a fiction book called Nine Ladies, and it is Pride and Prejudice meets Outlander.

— Episode: The Teen Mental Health Crisis, Part 1

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Episode: The Teen Mental Health Crisis, Part 1

Klein mentioned Heather Moll's fiction novel Nine Ladies, likening it to a blend of Pride and Prejudice and Outlander.

"

The third is for fun. It's a fiction book called Nine Ladies, and it is Pride and Prejudice meets Outlander.

King George's Army, British Regiments and the Men Who Led Them 1793-1815: Volume 3: 31st to 60th Regiments of Foot (From Reason to Revolution 1721-1815) Cover

Steve Brown

King George's Army, British Regiments and the Men Who Led Them 1793-1815

Volume 3

He recommended the book for its historical analysis of antiimmigration arguments, noting it demonstrates how those arguments repeat across different immigrant groups.

"

And my last book is a book called Led Them In by Jason Reilly. He makes the case for much, much more immigration and shows that antiimmigration rhetoric repeats across different waves of newcomers.

— Episode: A Libertarian and I Debate the Debt Ceil...

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Episode: A Libertarian and I Debate the Debt Ceiling

He recommended the book for its historical analysis of antiimmigration arguments, noting it demonstrates how those arguments repeat across different immigrant groups.

"

And my last book is a book called Led Them In by Jason Reilly. He makes the case for much, much more immigration and shows that antiimmigration rhetoric repeats across different waves of newcomers.

Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change Cover

Victor J. Papanek

Design for the Real World

Human Ecology and Social Change

The book was cited as a seminal 1970s work on appropriate technology and thoughtful design, praised as a very good reference for sustainable design.

"

appropriate technology ... is a very good book by Victor Papenek from the 1970s

— Episode: Best Of: A Weird, Wonderful Conversation...

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Episode: Best Of: A Weird, Wonderful Conversation with Kim...

The book was cited as a seminal 1970s work on appropriate technology and thoughtful design, praised as a very good reference for sustainable design.

"

appropriate technology ... is a very good book by Victor Papenek from the 1970s

The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity Cover

David Graeber

The Dawn of Everything

A New History of Humanity

Robinson highlighted this thoughtprovoking book as an archaeological sciencefiction that challenges deterministic narratives of the past.

"

then I think it's interesting to read this last book by David Graeber with David Wengrow called The Dawn of Everything

— Episode: Best Of: A Weird, Wonderful Conversation...

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Episode: Best Of: A Weird, Wonderful Conversation with Kim...

Robinson highlighted this thoughtprovoking book as an archaeological sciencefiction that challenges deterministic narratives of the past.

"

then I think it's interesting to read this last book by David Graeber with David Wengrow called The Dawn of Everything

Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind Cover

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Metazoa

Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind

Ezra mentioned he was reading this wonderful book, which discusses the octopus and its unusual brain structure.

"

Peter Godfrey Smith's wonderful book I've just been reading, Metazoa, talks about the octopus.

— Episode: Best Of: Why Adults Lose the ‘Beginner’s...

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Episode: Best Of: Why Adults Lose the ‘Beginner’s Mind’

Ezra mentioned he was reading this wonderful book, which discusses the octopus and its unusual brain structure.

"

Peter Godfrey Smith's wonderful book I've just been reading, Metazoa, talks about the octopus.

The Children of Green Knowe Cover

Lucy M. Boston

The Children of Green Knowe

Ezra introduced this more obscure title, noting it features a grandmother, her grandson, and a house filled with ghosts and history.

"

the third book ... there's a book called The Children of Green Knowe ... about a grandmother and her grandson ... the house is full of spirits and ghosts and traditions.

— Episode: Best Of: Why Adults Lose the ‘Beginner’s...

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Episode: Best Of: Why Adults Lose the ‘Beginner’s Mind’

Ezra introduced this more obscure title, noting it features a grandmother, her grandson, and a house filled with ghosts and history.

"

the third book ... there's a book called The Children of Green Knowe ... about a grandmother and her grandson ... the house is full of spirits and ghosts and traditions.

Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind Cover

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Metazoa

Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind

Ezra mentioned that he had just been reading Peter Godfrey Smith's wonderful book Metazoa, which discusses the octopus and its unusual brain structure.

"

Peter Godfrey Smith's wonderful book I've just been reading, Metazoa, talks about the octopus.

— Episode: Best Of: Why Adults Lose the ‘Beginner’s...

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Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: Why Adults Lose the ‘Beginner’s Mind’

Ezra mentioned that he had just been reading Peter Godfrey Smith's wonderful book Metazoa, which discusses the octopus and its unusual brain structure.

"

Peter Godfrey Smith's wonderful book I've just been reading, Metazoa, talks about the octopus.

The Children of Green Knowe Cover

Lucy M. Boston

The Children of Green Knowe

Ezra highlighted this more obscure book, describing it as a story about a grandmother and grandson visiting a strange old house filled with ghosts and history.

"

There's a book called The Children of Green Knowe ... it's a book about a grandmother and her grandson ... he comes to visit her in this strange old house ... ghosts of the history of...

— Episode: Best Of: Why Adults Lose the ‘Beginner’s...

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Episode: Best Of: Why Adults Lose the ‘Beginner’s Mind’

Ezra highlighted this more obscure book, describing it as a story about a grandmother and grandson visiting a strange old house filled with ghosts and history.

"

There's a book called The Children of Green Knowe ... it's a book about a grandmother and her grandson ... he comes to visit her in this strange old house ... ghosts of the history of this house.

TechGnosis: Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of Information Cover

Erik Davis

TechGnosis

Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of Information

The book explored a Gnostic mindset and was cited as an early work that shaped Davis's thinking about technology and mysticism.

"

He's written books like Technosis and High Weirdness.

— Episode: The Culture Creating A.I. Is Weird. Here...

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Episode: The Culture Creating A.I. Is Weird. Here’s Why Tha...

The book explored a Gnostic mindset and was cited as an early work that shaped Davis's thinking about technology and mysticism.

"

He's written books like Technosis and High Weirdness.

One of your early books was called Technosis about the Gnostic mindset.

AI and Generative AI for Pharma Cover

Rao BS

AI and Generative AI for Pharma

The authors described reading Pharmaco AI, a book cowritten with GPT3, which blended shamanic themes with AI commentary.

"

When I finally read this book, Pharmaco AI by Kaylotta McDowell, which was cowritten with GPT3, ...

— Episode: The Culture Creating A.I. Is Weird. Here...

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Episode: The Culture Creating A.I. Is Weird. Here’s Why Tha...

The authors described reading Pharmaco AI, a book cowritten with GPT3, which blended shamanic themes with AI commentary.

"

When I finally read this book, Pharmaco AI by Kaylotta McDowell, which was cowritten with GPT3, ...

TechGnosis: Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of Information Cover

Erik Davis

TechGnosis

Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of Information

The host noted that Davis had authored Technosis, a work exploring Gnostic mindsets within countercultural contexts.

"

He's written books like Technosis and High Weirdness.

— Episode: The Culture Creating A.I. Is Weird. Here...

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Episode: The Culture Creating A.I. Is Weird. Here’s Why Tha...

The host noted that Davis had authored Technosis, a work exploring Gnostic mindsets within countercultural contexts.

"

He's written books like Technosis and High Weirdness.

One of the points that I made in Technosis is not unlike Giblin's book, where there are these religious structures and metaphors that recur with such intensity that we have to look at them as such.

AI and Generative AI for Pharma Cover

Rao BS

AI and Generative AI for Pharma

Davis explained that he read Pharmaco AI, a book cowritten with GPT3 that blends shamanic themes with AI discussion.

"

When I finally read this book, Pharmaco AI by Kaylotta McDowell, which was cowritten with GPT3, and Kay has a really - they are interested in shamanism and ayahuasca and the future of humanity and all...

— Episode: The Culture Creating A.I. Is Weird. Here...

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Episode: The Culture Creating A.I. Is Weird. Here’s Why Tha...

Davis explained that he read Pharmaco AI, a book cowritten with GPT3 that blends shamanic themes with AI discussion.

"

When I finally read this book, Pharmaco AI by Kaylotta McDowell, which was cowritten with GPT3, and Kay has a really - they are interested in shamanism and ayahuasca and the future of humanity and all these kind of very, very Bay Area topics all woven together in this bizarre braid.

God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning Cover

Meghan O'Gieblyn

God, Human, Animal, Machine

Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning

The conversation praised O'Gieblyn's book for its insightful look at Calvinist influences on American technology and culture.

"

Megan O'Geeblin's great book, God, Human, Animal, Machine, is sort of all about a lot of the Christian mythology operating in a subverse way here.

— Episode: The Culture Creating A.I. Is Weird. Here...

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Episode: The Culture Creating A.I. Is Weird. Here’s Why Tha...

The conversation praised O'Gieblyn's book for its insightful look at Calvinist influences on American technology and culture.

"

Megan O'Geeblin's great book, God, Human, Animal, Machine, is sort of all about a lot of the Christian mythology operating in a subverse way here.

The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era Cover

Gary Gerstle

The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order

America and the World in the Free Market Era

The guest cited the book as a useful lens for understanding the neoliberal era and encouraged listeners to read it.

"

So there's a view, if you can see it in books like Gary Grissle's The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order, which I think gives us real attention and I really recommend that book to...

— Episode: Best Of: The War Within the Republican P...

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Episode: Best Of: The War Within the Republican Party

The guest cited the book as a useful lens for understanding the neoliberal era and encouraged listeners to read it.

"

So there's a view, if you can see it in books like Gary Grissle's The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order, which I think gives us real attention and I really recommend that book to people.

Asymmetric Politics: Ideological Republicans and Group Interest Democrats Cover

Matt Grossmann

Asymmetric Politics

Ideological Republicans and Group Interest Democrats

The conversation referenced the book as an explanation for differing party dynamics and treated it as a relevant source.

"

I see that in this book, Asymmetric Politics by Matt Grossman and David Hopkins.

— Episode: Best Of: The War Within the Republican P...

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Episode: Best Of: The War Within the Republican Party

The conversation referenced the book as an explanation for differing party dynamics and treated it as a relevant source.

"

I see that in this book, Asymmetric Politics by Matt Grossman and David Hopkins.

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