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
Of Two Minds: A History of American Psychiatry Cover

T.M. Luhrmann

Of Two Minds

A History of American Psychiatry

She mentioned the anthropological work as another book related to psychiatry.

"

Another book related to psychiatry is T.M. Luhrmann's Of Two Minds.

— Episode: When You Can’t Trust the Stories Your Mi...

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Episode: When You Can’t Trust the Stories Your Mind Is Tell...

She mentioned the anthropological work as another book related to psychiatry.

"

Another book related to psychiatry is T.M. Luhrmann's Of Two Minds.

Want: Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous Cover

Gillian Anderson

Want

Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous

She said she would recommend anything by Grace Paley after recalling a favorite story from her youth.

"

I guess I would recommend anything by Grace Paley.

— Episode: When You Can’t Trust the Stories Your Mi...

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Episode: When You Can’t Trust the Stories Your Mind Is Tell...

She said she would recommend anything by Grace Paley after recalling a favorite story from her youth.

"

I guess I would recommend anything by Grace Paley.

Strangers Drowning: Grappling with Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help Cover

Larissa MacFarquhar

Strangers Drowning

Grappling with Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help

She referenced the book while discussing a chapter about extreme altruists.

"

I was left thinking a bit about a similarly named book by another New Yorker writer, Strangers Drowning by Larissa McFarquhar.

— Episode: When You Can’t Trust the Stories Your Mi...

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Episode: When You Can’t Trust the Stories Your Mind Is Tell...

She referenced the book while discussing a chapter about extreme altruists.

"

I was left thinking a bit about a similarly named book by another New Yorker writer, Strangers Drowning by Larissa McFarquhar.

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure Cover

Greg Lukianoff

The Coddling of the American Mind

How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure

She cited the book when talking about how certain narratives shape mental health attitudes.

"

If you read the book, The Coddling of the American Mind by Hyde and Lukanov, they sort of make this argument that you have cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches you in a healthy...

— Episode: When You Can’t Trust the Stories Your Mi...

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Episode: When You Can’t Trust the Stories Your Mind Is Tell...

She cited the book when talking about how certain narratives shape mental health attitudes.

"

If you read the book, The Coddling of the American Mind by Hyde and Lukanov, they sort of make this argument that you have cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches you in a healthy way to tell better stories about the world.

Proof of Stake: The Making of Ethereum and the Philosophy of Blockchains Cover

Vitalik Buterin

Proof of Stake

The Making of Ethereum and the Philosophy of Blockchains

Ezra Klein noted that Vitalik Buterin was releasing a book titled Proof of Stake that laid out his vision for Ethereum and blockchain philosophy.

"

He's releasing a book laying out his vision. It's called Proof of Stake, the Making of Ethereum and the Philosophy of Blockchains.

— Episode: Ethereum’s Founder on What Crypto Can —...

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Episode: Ethereum’s Founder on What Crypto Can — and Can’t...

Ezra Klein noted that Vitalik Buterin was releasing a book titled Proof of Stake that laid out his vision for Ethereum and blockchain philosophy.

"

He's releasing a book laying out his vision. It's called Proof of Stake, the Making of Ethereum and the Philosophy of Blockchains.

Algorithmic Game Theory Cover

Noam Nisan

Algorithmic Game Theory

Buterin recalled a textbook on game theory he believes was titled Algorithmic Game Theory, which taught him finer points of cooperative game theory.

"

there was one textbook on game theory that i forget the name of it now i think it's like something like Algorithmic Game Theory but that taught me just some of the finer points of gam...

— Episode: Ethereum’s Founder on What Crypto Can —...

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Episode: Ethereum’s Founder on What Crypto Can — and Can’t...

Buterin recalled a textbook on game theory he believes was titled Algorithmic Game Theory, which taught him finer points of cooperative game theory.

"

there was one textbook on game theory that i forget the name of it now i think it's like something like Algorithmic Game Theory but that taught me just some of the finer points of game theory some of the finer points of like particularly how things break down when you have some you start to bring in assumptions of where people can coordinate with each other.

A Culture of Growth: The Origins of the Modern Economy (Graz Schumpeter Lectures) Cover

Joel Mokyr

A Culture of Growth

The Origins of the Modern Economy (Graz Schumpeter Lectures)

Ezra Klein highlighted the book as fascinating, noting that it explores the cultural factors behind economic growth.

"

So let's talk about Joel Mocher's ideas for a minute. So Mocher is an economic historian. People should read his book, The Culture of Growth, which is really fascinating.

— Episode: We Know So Little About What Makes Human...

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Episode: We Know So Little About What Makes Humanity Prospe...

Ezra Klein highlighted the book as fascinating, noting that it explores the cultural factors behind economic growth.

"

So let's talk about Joel Mocher's ideas for a minute. So Mocher is an economic historian. People should read his book, The Culture of Growth, which is really fascinating.

Republic and Empire: Crisis, Revolution, and America’s Early Independence Cover

Trevor Burnard

Republic and Empire

Crisis, Revolution, and America’s Early Independence

Patrick Collison said he was currently reading the book about Edmund Burke and described it as fabulous.

"

I'm right now reading Revolution and Empire which is a book about Edmund Burke. And it is just fabulous.

— Episode: We Know So Little About What Makes Human...

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Episode: We Know So Little About What Makes Humanity Prospe...

Patrick Collison said he was currently reading the book about Edmund Burke and described it as fabulous.

"

I'm right now reading Revolution and Empire which is a book about Edmund Burke. And it is just fabulous.

Scene Change: Why Today's Nonprofit Arts Organizations Have to Stop Producing Art and Start Producing Impact Cover

Alan Harrison

Scene Change

Why Today's Nonprofit Arts Organizations Have to Stop Producing Art and Start Producing Impact

Collison mentioned WarrenWeaver's autobiography, calling it not a pageturner but one that stays on his mind.

"

I can't remember if it's called Scene of Change or Scene of the Action, but it's Warren Weaver's autobiography. That's not a great book in the sense that you read it and you don't find it to be a vivi...

— Episode: We Know So Little About What Makes Human...

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Episode: We Know So Little About What Makes Humanity Prospe...

Collison mentioned WarrenWeaver's autobiography, calling it not a pageturner but one that stays on his mind.

"

I can't remember if it's called Scene of Change or Scene of the Action, but it's Warren Weaver's autobiography. That's not a great book in the sense that you read it and you don't find it to be a vivid compelling page turner and your mind is not blown on every page. But I find myself thinking back to it quite a lot.

A Widening Sphere: Evolving Cultures at Mit Cover

Philip Alexander

A Widening Sphere

Evolving Cultures at Mit

Collison said the book is a history of MIT that he finds inspiring and often rereads.

"

I have on my desk at home right now, A Widening Sphere, which is a history of MIT. I was rereading it recently. Who doesn't reread their histories of MIT? It was inspiring, showing ho...

— Episode: We Know So Little About What Makes Human...

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Episode: We Know So Little About What Makes Humanity Prospe...

Collison said the book is a history of MIT that he finds inspiring and often rereads.

"

I have on my desk at home right now, A Widening Sphere, which is a history of MIT. I was rereading it recently. Who doesn't reread their histories of MIT? It was inspiring, showing how the founders had a broadbased desire for societal betterment and how MIT contributed to American prosperity and ingenuity.

Making Climate Policy Work Cover

Danny Cullenward

Making Climate Policy Work

The hosts said the book clearly explained the political economy of climate policies and offered useful recommendations for designing effective marketbased instruments.

"

the first is Making Climate Policy Work by Danny Cullenward and David Victor, which explores the political economy and really real world history and experience of using marketbased in...

— Episode: The Single Best Guide to Decarbonization...

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Episode: The Single Best Guide to Decarbonization I’ve Hear...

The hosts said the book clearly explained the political economy of climate policies and offered useful recommendations for designing effective marketbased instruments.

"

the first is Making Climate Policy Work by Danny Cullenward and David Victor, which explores the political economy and really real world history and experience of using marketbased instruments like carbon taxes or emissions cap and trade programs to try to tackle climate change. I think the book does a really good job of summarizing both a range of scholarship and the kind of real world experience that we've gotten in the few places that have succeeded in implementing carbon pricing to show how political constraints inevitably make them far less effective than ideally they are.

Making Climate Policy Work Cover

Danny Cullenward

Making Climate Policy Work

The host said the book summed up scholarship and realworld experience with marketbased climate tools and offered recommendations for designing targeted policies and industrial programs like those in the Inflation Reduction Act.

"

The first is Making Climate Policy Work by Danny Cullenward and David Victor, which explores the political economy and really real world history and experience of using marketbased in...

— Episode: The Single Best Guide to Decarbonization...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: The Single Best Guide to Decarbonization I’ve Hear...

The host said the book summed up scholarship and realworld experience with marketbased climate tools and offered recommendations for designing targeted policies and industrial programs like those in the Inflation Reduction Act.

"

The first is Making Climate Policy Work by Danny Cullenward and David Victor, which explores the political economy and really real world history and experience of using marketbased instruments like carbon taxes or emissions cap and trade programs to try to tackle climate change.

I think the book does a really good job of summarizing both a range of scholarship and the kind of real world experience that we've gotten in the few places that have succeeded in implementing carbon pricing to show how political constraints inevitably make them far less effective than ideally they are, and they offer some useful recommendations on how we can design targeted policies and regulations, including industrial policies like those in the Inflation Reduction Act, to try to unlock progress over time.

The Middle Out: The Rise of Progressive Economics and a Return to Shared Prosperity Cover

Michael Tomasky

The Middle Out

The Rise of Progressive Economics and a Return to Shared Prosperity

He recommended Michael Tomasky's The Middle Out as a longform reported look at the people and ideas shaping the Biden agenda.

"

My first book is Michael Tomasky's Middle Out. And this one is kind of on brand for me, in part because Michael and I are actually the hosts of a new podcast called How to Save a Country. So I'm recom...

— Episode: Now All Biden Has to Do Is Build It

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Episode: Now All Biden Has to Do Is Build It

He recommended Michael Tomasky's The Middle Out as a longform reported look at the people and ideas shaping the Biden agenda.

"

My first book is Michael Tomasky's Middle Out. And this one is kind of on brand for me, in part because Michael and I are actually the hosts of a new podcast called How to Save a Country. So I'm recommending this because it's a long form reported look at everything that you and I have been talking about today. Michael really looks at all of the people and all of the activists who have been pushing Joe Biden for so long.

Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else) Cover

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò

Elite Capture

How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else)

He highlighted Elite Capture as an ambitious work that blends class analysis with race politics, noting its eclectic detours into philosophy and Black feminist history.

"

The second book is Olfmi O. Tw's Elite Capture, which is this amazing book. It started as an essay in Boston Review, and it really argues for a constructive politics by bringing an al...

— Episode: Now All Biden Has to Do Is Build It

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Episode: Now All Biden Has to Do Is Build It

He highlighted Elite Capture as an ambitious work that blends class analysis with race politics, noting its eclectic detours into philosophy and Black feminist history.

"

The second book is Olfmi O. Tw's Elite Capture, which is this amazing book. It started as an essay in Boston Review, and it really argues for a constructive politics by bringing an almost radically strong class lens to race politics. It was such a pleasure to read; it includes long detours into the philosophy of games and the history of the Black feminist Combahee River Collective.

The Chord Wheel Music Theory Guide | Visual Tool for Guitar Piano and All Instruments | Learn Chords Key Changes and Harmony | Essential Songwriting Resource for Musicians Teachers Cover

Jim Fleser

The Chord Wheel Music Theory Guide | Visual Tool for Guitar Piano and All Instruments | Learn Chords Key Changes and Harmony | Essential Songwriting Resource for Musicians Teachers

He described Chords of Change as a forthcoming strategy guide that surveys seven tactics underdogs use to win socialchange battles.

"

The final book is not yet a book. It's just a draft, but it's so good that I wanted to recommend it to your listeners. It's Deepak Bhargava and Stephanie Luce's Chords of Change. The subtitle is Seven...

— Episode: Now All Biden Has to Do Is Build It

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Episode: Now All Biden Has to Do Is Build It

He described Chords of Change as a forthcoming strategy guide that surveys seven tactics underdogs use to win socialchange battles.

"

The final book is not yet a book. It's just a draft, but it's so good that I wanted to recommend it to your listeners. It's Deepak Bhargava and Stephanie Luce's Chords of Change. The subtitle is Seven Strategies Underdogs Use to Win. It's a strategic history of different tactics for social change and a howto guide, arguing that we need multiple strategies to win the kind of victories we hope for.

The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play it Cover

Will Storr

The Status Game

On Human Life and How to Play it

Ezra described picking up the book and noted that it argued status is a fundamental cultural system that permeates everyday life. He said the work synthesized decades of research on why status matters.

"

I had one of those moments recently when I picked up the book Status by Cecilia Ridgway.

— Episode: We Build Civilizations on Status. But We...

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Episode: We Build Civilizations on Status. But We Barely Un...

Ezra described picking up the book and noted that it argued status is a fundamental cultural system that permeates everyday life. He said the work synthesized decades of research on why status matters.

"

I had one of those moments recently when I picked up the book Status by Cecilia Ridgway.

Envy Up, Scorn Down: How Status Divides Us Cover

Susan T. Fiske

Envy Up, Scorn Down

How Status Divides Us

Ezra recommended the book as a recent work that explains how status beliefs shape our emotions and behavior, dividing us along status lines.

"

First book I would recommend is Envy Up, Scorn Down, How Status Divides Us by Susan Fiske.

— Episode: We Build Civilizations on Status. But We...

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Episode: We Build Civilizations on Status. But We Barely Un...

Ezra recommended the book as a recent work that explains how status beliefs shape our emotions and behavior, dividing us along status lines.

"

First book I would recommend is Envy Up, Scorn Down, How Status Divides Us by Susan Fiske.

The Psychology of Social Status Cover

Joey T. Cheng

The Psychology of Social Status

Ezra described it as a recent collection of perspectives on status, edited by three scholars, offering a broad view of status research.

"

There's a recent collection of people's perspectives on status, called The Psychology of Social Status by three people.

— Episode: We Build Civilizations on Status. But We...

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Episode: We Build Civilizations on Status. But We Barely Un...

Ezra described it as a recent collection of perspectives on status, edited by three scholars, offering a broad view of status research.

"

There's a recent collection of people's perspectives on status, called The Psychology of Social Status by three people.

The Vanishing Half: A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel) Cover

Brit Bennett

The Vanishing Half

A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)

Ezra described the novel as a story about how social identities and status differences play out when two lightskinned AfricanAmerican sisters take divergent racial paths.

"

The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett.

— Episode: We Build Civilizations on Status. But We...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: We Build Civilizations on Status. But We Barely Un...

Ezra described the novel as a story about how social identities and status differences play out when two lightskinned AfricanAmerican sisters take divergent racial paths.

"

The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett.

Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death Cover

Irvin D. Yalom

Staring at the Sun

Overcoming the Terror of Death

It was cited as a major influence on the guest's thinking about "Easy Beauty," praised as an academic work on disability theory and the cultural history of staring.

"

A book that played a huge role in how I thought about Easy Beauty is Rosemary Garland Thompson's book, Staring, which is an academic work but... Love that book.

— Episode: The Subtle Art of Appreciating ‘Difficul...

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Episode: The Subtle Art of Appreciating ‘Difficult Beauty’

It was cited as a major influence on the guest's thinking about "Easy Beauty," praised as an academic work on disability theory and the cultural history of staring.

"

A book that played a huge role in how I thought about Easy Beauty is Rosemary Garland Thompson's book, Staring, which is an academic work but... Love that book.

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