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
Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic Cover

Sam Quinones

Dreamland

The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic

The host highlighted the upcoming book on the U.S. diversity lottery and urged listeners to look out for its release.

"

There's a book that's not out yet, but it's coming out in May and it's brilliant. It's called Dreamland, America's Immigration Lottery in an Age of Restriction by Carly Goodman.

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

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: The War Within the Republican Party

The host highlighted the upcoming book on the U.S. diversity lottery and urged listeners to look out for its release.

"

There's a book that's not out yet, but it's coming out in May and it's brilliant. It's called Dreamland, America's Immigration Lottery in an Age of Restriction by Carly Goodman.

Freedom’s Dominion (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize): A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power Cover

Jefferson Cowie

Freedom’s Dominion (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize)

A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power

Ezra recommended the work as a sweeping saga of white resistance to federal authority, rooted in Alabama history.

"

The third one that I want to recommend is Jefferson Cowey's Freedom's Dominion, a saga of white resistance to federal power.

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

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: The War Within the Republican Party

Ezra recommended the work as a sweeping saga of white resistance to federal authority, rooted in Alabama history.

"

The third one that I want to recommend is Jefferson Cowey's Freedom's Dominion, a saga of white resistance to federal power.

The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism Cover

Matthew Continetti

The Right

The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism

The conversation noted Contenetti's recent history of the right titled The Right as a relevant recent publication.

"

Matt Contenetti, who was at the Weekly Standard and launched the Free Beacon and recently wrote this history of The Right called The Right.

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

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: The War Within the Republican Party

The conversation noted Contenetti's recent history of the right titled The Right as a relevant recent publication.

"

Matt Contenetti, who was at the Weekly Standard and launched the Free Beacon and recently wrote this history of The Right called The Right.

Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession Cover

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

Fit Nation

The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession

Fit Nation was highlighted as a timely book exploring America's exercise obsession and was strongly recommended.

"

One that I would recommend is actually really well-timed for the fact that we're at the beginning of a new year. It's a book called Fit Nation, the Gains and Pains of America's Exerci...

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

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: The War Within the Republican Party

Fit Nation was highlighted as a timely book exploring America's exercise obsession and was strongly recommended.

"

One that I would recommend is actually really well-timed for the fact that we're at the beginning of a new year. It's a book called Fit Nation, the Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession by Natalia Petrozzella.

Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic Cover

Sam Quinones

Dreamland

The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic

Dreamland was presented as an upcoming book about the U.S. immigration lottery and praised as brilliant.

"

There is a book that's not out yet, but it's coming out in May and it's brilliant. It's called Dreamland, America's Immigration Lottery in an Age of Restriction by Carly Goodman.

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

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: The War Within the Republican Party

Dreamland was presented as an upcoming book about the U.S. immigration lottery and praised as brilliant.

"

There is a book that's not out yet, but it's coming out in May and it's brilliant. It's called Dreamland, America's Immigration Lottery in an Age of Restriction by Carly Goodman.

Freedom’s Dominion (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize): A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power Cover

Jefferson Cowie

Freedom’s Dominion (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize)

A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power

Freedom's Dominion was described as a saga of white resistance to federal power, spanning 150 years in Barber County, Alabama.

"

the third one that I want to recommend is Jefferson Cowey's Freedom's Dominion, a saga of white resistance to federal power.

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

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: The War Within the Republican Party

Freedom's Dominion was described as a saga of white resistance to federal power, spanning 150 years in Barber County, Alabama.

"

the third one that I want to recommend is Jefferson Cowey's Freedom's Dominion, a saga of white resistance to federal power.

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 Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order was cited as a book offering insight into the neoliberal era and was strongly recommended.

"

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...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: The War Within the Republican Party

The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order was cited as a book offering insight into the neoliberal era and was strongly recommended.

"

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.

Realigners: Partisan Hacks, Political Visionaries, and the Struggle to Rule American Democracy Cover

Timothy Shenk

Realigners

Partisan Hacks, Political Visionaries, and the Struggle to Rule American Democracy

Realigners was mentioned as a book examining how parties and coalitions change over American history.

"

it actually reminds me of this book that I've been reading, Timothy Shank's Realigners, where he looks at the ways that parties and coalitions change over the course of American histo...

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

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: The War Within the Republican Party

Realigners was mentioned as a book examining how parties and coalitions change over American history.

"

it actually reminds me of this book that I've been reading, Timothy Shank's Realigners, where he looks at the ways that parties and coalitions change over the course of American history.

Asymmetric Politics: Ideological Republicans and Group Interest Democrats Cover

Matt Grossmann

Asymmetric Politics

Ideological Republicans and Group Interest Democrats

Asymmetric Politics was referenced as a book discussing the differing coalition dynamics of Democrats and Republicans.

"

you see it in this book, Asymmetric Politics by Matt Grossman and David Hopkins.

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

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: The War Within the Republican Party

Asymmetric Politics was referenced as a book discussing the differing coalition dynamics of Democrats and Republicans.

"

you see it in this book, Asymmetric Politics by Matt Grossman and David Hopkins.

The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism Cover

Matthew Continetti

The Right

The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism

The Right was noted as a history of the right written by Matt Contenetti.

"

Matt Contenetti ... wrote this history of The Right called The Right.

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

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Best Of: The War Within the Republican Party

The Right was noted as a history of the right written by Matt Contenetti.

"

Matt Contenetti ... wrote this history of The Right called The Right.

Poverty, by America Cover

Matthew Desmond

Poverty, by America

Desmond introduced his new book, Poverty by America, as a different kind of poverty study that focuses on the people who benefit from the poor rather than the poor themselves.

"

Matthew Desmond writes that in his new book about poverty, Poverty by America. But Poverty by America is supposed to be something a bit different.

— Episode: Matthew Desmond On America’s Addiction t...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Matthew Desmond On America’s Addiction to Poverty

Desmond introduced his new book, Poverty by America, as a different kind of poverty study that focuses on the people who benefit from the poor rather than the poor themselves.

"

Matthew Desmond writes that in his new book about poverty, Poverty by America. But Poverty by America is supposed to be something a bit different.

Homelessness Is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns Cover

Gregg Colburn

Homelessness Is a Housing Problem

How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns

The hosts called Homelessness Is a Housing Problem a great book that argues homelessness is fundamentally a housing supply issue.

"

So this is a great book, Homelessness Is a Housing Problem.

— Episode: Matthew Desmond On America’s Addiction t...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Matthew Desmond On America’s Addiction to Poverty

The hosts called Homelessness Is a Housing Problem a great book that argues homelessness is fundamentally a housing supply issue.

"

So this is a great book, Homelessness Is a Housing Problem.

Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much Cover

Sendhil Mullainathan

Scarcity

Why Having Too Little Means So Much

The book Scarcity was cited as the source of the "bandwidth tax" concept, showing how poverty taxes mental bandwidth.

"

the bandwidth tax is an idea that comes from a book called Scarcity, which is by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir.

— Episode: Matthew Desmond On America’s Addiction t...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Matthew Desmond On America’s Addiction to Poverty

The book Scarcity was cited as the source of the "bandwidth tax" concept, showing how poverty taxes mental bandwidth.

"

the bandwidth tax is an idea that comes from a book called Scarcity, which is by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir.

What Then Must We Do?: Straight Talk about the Next American Revolution Cover

Gar Alperovitz

What Then Must We Do?

Straight Talk about the Next American Revolution

Desmond recommended Tolstoy's 1886 work What Then Must We Do, praising its spiritual clarity on the question of poverty.

"

I recommend What Then Must We Do by Leo Tolstoy. He wrote it in 1886. It's a weird book, but I kind of love it because the great writer is really wrestling with the same question this book is wrestlin...

— Episode: Matthew Desmond On America’s Addiction t...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Matthew Desmond On America’s Addiction to Poverty

Desmond recommended Tolstoy's 1886 work What Then Must We Do, praising its spiritual clarity on the question of poverty.

"

I recommend What Then Must We Do by Leo Tolstoy. He wrote it in 1886. It's a weird book, but I kind of love it because the great writer is really wrestling with the same question this book is wrestling with.

Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership (Justice, Power, and Politics) Cover

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

Race for Profit

How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership (Justice, Power, and Politics)

Desmond expressed strong admiration for Race for Profit, noting its historical analysis of predatory inclusion in housing policy after 1968.

"

I really loved Race for Profit by KeeangaYamahtta Taylor. This is a historical work, and it's looking at what happens when we kind of do policy halfway.

— Episode: Matthew Desmond On America’s Addiction t...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Matthew Desmond On America’s Addiction to Poverty

Desmond expressed strong admiration for Race for Profit, noting its historical analysis of predatory inclusion in housing policy after 1968.

"

I really loved Race for Profit by KeeangaYamahtta Taylor. This is a historical work, and it's looking at what happens when we kind of do policy halfway.

Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time Cover

Sheila Liming

Hanging Out

The Radical Power of Killing Time

The guest described her new book as a manifesto that diagnoses a "quiet catastrophe" in social life and explores how we have lost the skill of simply being together.

"

Sheila Lyman is the author of the new book, Hanging Out, which diagnoses what she calls the "quiet catastrophe" brewing in our social lives.

— Episode: The ‘Quiet Catastrophe’ Brewing in Our S...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: The ‘Quiet Catastrophe’ Brewing in Our Social Live...

The guest described her new book as a manifesto that diagnoses a "quiet catastrophe" in social life and explores how we have lost the skill of simply being together.

"

Sheila Lyman is the author of the new book, Hanging Out, which diagnoses what she calls the "quiet catastrophe" brewing in our social lives.

One of the things I understand your book is doing is exploring this downstream consequence of isolation, of loneliness, of atomization, which I think is pretty underexplored.

In the book, in the chapter where I talk about third spaces, borrowing this concept from the sociologist Ray Oldenburg, I talk about how third spaces, which are supposed to be those spaces that exist between home and work, are something that becomes increasingly difficult for one particular class, I think, to access.

Black Paper Notebook | Plain Ruled Journal with Softcover for Work, School and College Supplies | 100 Pages | Compact Size 6" x 9": Black Pages Notebook for Gel Pens and White Ink Cover

Memo Pads Edition

Black Paper Notebook | Plain Ruled Journal with Softcover for Work, School and College Supplies | 100 Pages | Compact Size 6" x 9"

Black Pages Notebook for Gel Pens and White Ink

The book was recommended as a 2021 collection of essays and lectures that explore modern ethical sensibilities.

"

My first recommendation is a book by TejuCole called Black Paper, a collection of articles and essays combined with some lectures; the book was published in 2021 and includes lectures from 2019 where...

— Episode: The ‘Quiet Catastrophe’ Brewing in Our S...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: The ‘Quiet Catastrophe’ Brewing in Our Social Live...

The book was recommended as a 2021 collection of essays and lectures that explore modern ethical sensibilities.

"

My first recommendation is a book by TejuCole called Black Paper, a collection of articles and essays combined with some lectures; the book was published in 2021 and includes lectures from 2019 where he thinks about concepts like ethics in the modern world.

Hair Love Cover

Matthew A. Cherry

Hair Love

Described as a feminist gothic thriller released in 2021 by the small press Two Dollar Radio, the book was praised as dark, fun, and gorgeously written.

"

The third book is lighter reading but still wonderful--a novel called The Hair by MelanieFinn, published in 2021 by Two Dollar Radio, a feminist gothic thriller that's super fun, very dark, and gorgeo...

— Episode: The ‘Quiet Catastrophe’ Brewing in Our S...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: The ‘Quiet Catastrophe’ Brewing in Our Social Live...

Described as a feminist gothic thriller released in 2021 by the small press Two Dollar Radio, the book was praised as dark, fun, and gorgeously written.

"

The third book is lighter reading but still wonderful--a novel called The Hair by MelanieFinn, published in 2021 by Two Dollar Radio, a feminist gothic thriller that's super fun, very dark, and gorgeously written.

Justice by Means of Democracy Cover

Danielle Allen

Justice by Means of Democracy

The book presented a sweeping vision of powersharing liberalism and argued for a fundamental overhaul of democratic institutions.

"

Allen's vision, which she puts forward in her new book Justice by Means of Democracy - and yeah, I know I'm saying democracy a lot - Allen's vision is something called power sharing l...

— Episode: This Philosopher Wants Liberals to Take...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: This Philosopher Wants Liberals to Take Political...

The book presented a sweeping vision of powersharing liberalism and argued for a fundamental overhaul of democratic institutions.

"

Allen's vision, which she puts forward in her new book Justice by Means of Democracy - and yeah, I know I'm saying democracy a lot - Allen's vision is something called power sharing liberalism.

In my book, Justice by Means of Democracy goes well beyond process, right? There's a different vision for political economy.

How Democracies Die Cover

Steven Levitsky

How Democracies Die

The authors warned that democratic norms and guardrails are essential for a durable constitutional democracy.

"

the kind of things that Dan Ziblatt and Steve Levitsky talk about in How Democracies Die.

— Episode: This Philosopher Wants Liberals to Take...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: This Philosopher Wants Liberals to Take Political...

The authors warned that democratic norms and guardrails are essential for a durable constitutional democracy.

"

the kind of things that Dan Ziblatt and Steve Levitsky talk about in How Democracies Die.

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