Jon Stewart's most recommended books

Jon Stewart's favorite books

Between the World and Me
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Biography & Autobiography
Hailed by Toni Morrison as "required reading," a bold and personal literary exploration of America's racial history by "the single best writer on the subject of race in the United States" (The New York Observer)#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER | NAACP IMAGE AWARD WINNER | PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST | NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST | NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review O: The Oprah Magazine The Washington Post People Entertainment Weekly Vogue Los Angeles Times San Francisco Chronicle Chicago Tribune New York.
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“It really is a must read.”
Jul 23, 2015 — Source
Too Big to Fail
Andrew Ross Sorkin
The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System--and Themselves
Business & Economics
Brand New for 2018: an updated edition featuring a new afterword to mark the 10th anniversary of the financial crisis The brilliantly reported New York Times bestseller that goes behind the scenes of the financial crisis on Wall Street and in Washington to give the definitive account of the crisis, the basis for the HBO film “Too Big To Fail is too good to put down. . . . It is the story of the actors in the most extraordinary financial spectacle in 80 years, and it is told brilliantly.” —The Economist In one of the most gripping financial narratives in decades, Andrew Ross Sorkin—a New York Times columnist and one of the country's most respected financial reporters—delivers the first definitive blow-by-blow account of the epochal economic crisis that brought the world to the brink. Through unprecedented access to the players involved, he re-creates all the drama and turmoil of these turbulent days, revealing never-before-disclosed details and recounting how, motivated as often by ego and greed as by fear and self-preservation, the most powerful men and women in finance and politics decided the fate of the world's economy.
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“I have read it. It's excellent”
Dec 9, 2009 — Source
Without You, There Is No Us
Suki Kim
My Time with the Sons of North Korea's Elite
Biography & Autobiography
The award-winning author of The Interpreter traces her experiences as an English teacher to the sons of North Korea's elite during the last six months of Kim Jong Il's reign, an effort complicated by oppressive regime enforcers, propaganda and evangelical missionaries. 40,000 first printing.
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“It's like no other book I've ever read. It's a look into a society and culture objectively, yet humanizing, terrifying, amazing.”
— Source
Packing for Mars
Mary Roach
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“It's hilarious.”
Aug 2, 2010 — Source
The Psychopath Test
Jon Ronson
A Journey Through the Madness Industry
Psychology
They say one out of every hundred people is a psychopath. You probably passed one on the street today. These are people who have no empathy, who are manipulative, deceitful, charming, seductive, and delusional. The Psychopath Test is the New York Times bestselling exploration of their world and the madness industry. When Jon Ronson is drawn into an elaborate hoax played on some of the world's top scientists, his investigation leads him, unexpectedly, to psychopaths. He meets an influential psychologist who is convinced that many important business leaders and politicians are in fact high-flying, high-functioning psychopaths, and teaches Ronson how to spot them. Armed with these new abilities, Ronson meets a patient inside an asylum for the criminally insane who insists that he's sane, a mere run-of-the-mill troubled youth, not a psychopath—a claim that might be only manipulation, and a sign of his psychopathy. He spends time with a death-squad leader institutionalized for mortgage fraud, and with a legendary CEO who took joy in shutting down factories and firing people. He delves into the fascinating history of psychopathy diagnosis and treatments, from LSD-fueled days-long naked therapy sessions in prisons to attempts to understand serial killers. Along the way, Ronson discovers that relatively ordinary people are, more and more, defined by their most insane edges. The Psychopath Test is a fascinating adventure through the minds of madness.
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“Get a hold of it.”
May 16, 2011 — Source
Slander
Ann Coulter
Liberal Lies About the American Right
Political Science
The hottest and most controversial book of the year! Find out who really controls the media in America. “[Ann Coulter] is never in doubt. And that, along with her bright writing, sense of irony and outrage, and her relish at finally hitting back at political opponents (especially in the media) is what makes Slander such refreshing and provocative reading.” —Los Angeles Times “[Ann Coulter] is a fluent polemicist with a gift for Menckenesque invective . . . and she can harness such language to subtle, syllogistic argument.” —Washington Post Book World “The most popular nonfiction book in America.”—New York Times “The real value of Slander . . . is not in the jokes or devastating exposés of liberal politicians and their allies, but the serious and scholarly study of just how entrenched the media prejudice is against anyone whose politics are even faintly conservative.” —New York Sun “Written with a great deal of passion . . . the real source of its strength—and its usefulness—was its painstaking marshalling of evidence . . . More important than [High Crimes and Misdemeanors] because it addresses a much broader issue, and one of lasting significance.”—National Review
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“It strikes me as an old liberal, conservative battle between the older paradigm.”
Jul 17, 2002 — Source
No god but God
Reza Aslan
The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam
Religion
In "No god but God," internationally acclaimed scholar Aslan explains Islam--the origins and evolution of the faith--in all its beauty and complexity. This updated edition addresses the events of the past decade, analyzing how they have influenced Islam's position in modern culture.
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“It's a fascinating book and well written”
Apr 21, 2005 — Source
Life, Animated
Ron Suskind
A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism | Now an Award Winning Motion Picture
Biography & Autobiography
Now an award winning motion picture! Imagine being trapped inside a Disney movie and having to learn about life mostly from animated characters dancing across a screen of color. A fantasy? A nightmare? This is the real-life story of Owen Suskind, the son of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind and his wife, Cornelia. An autistic boy who couldn't speak for years, Owen memorized dozens of Disney movies, turned them into a language to express love and loss, kinship, brotherhood.The family was forced to become animated characters, communicating with him in Disney dialogue and song; until they all emerge, together, revealing how, in darkness, we all literally need stories to survive. This edition has been updated with additional material from the Suskind family.
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“Phenomenal story”
May 13, 2014 — Source
Absence of Mind
Marilynne Robinson
Dispelling of Inwardness from the Modern Myth of the Self
Religion
In this ambitious book, acclaimed writer Marilynne Robinson applies her astute intellect to some of the most vexing topics in the history of human thought—science, religion, and consciousness. Crafted with the same care and insight as her award-winning novels, Absence of Mind challenges postmodern atheists who crusade against religion under the banner of science. In Robinson’s view, scientific reasoning does not denote a sense of logical infallibility, as thinkers like Richard Dawkins might suggest. Instead, in its purest form, science represents a search for answers. It engages the problem of knowledge, an aspect of the mystery of consciousness, rather than providing a simple and final model of reality.By defending the importance of individual reflection, Robinson celebrates the power and variety of human consciousness in the tradition of William James. She explores the nature of subjectivity and considers the culture in which Sigmund Freud was situated and its influence on his model of self and civilization. Through keen interpretations of language, emotion, science, and poetry, Absence of Mind restores human consciousness to its central place in the religion-science debate.
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“You must get”
Jul 8, 2010 — Source
All In
Paula Broadwell
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“There's great juicy anecdote in there about his plans for presidency”
Jan 25, 2012 — Source
I Like You
Amy Sedaris
Hospitality Under the Influence
Cooking
The inspiration for the TV show At Home with Amy Sedaris, here is a hilarious, helpful, and informative guide on how to entertain. Are you lacking direction in how to whip up a swanky soiree for lumberjacks? A dinner party for white-collar workers? A festive gathering for the grieving? Don't despair! Take a cue from entertaining expert Amy Sedaris and host an unforgettable fete that will have your guests raving. No matter the style or size of the gathering - from the straightforward to the bizarre - I LIKE YOU provides jackpot recipes and solid advice laced with Amy's blisteringly funny take on entertaining, plus four-color photos and enlightening sidebars on everything it takes to pull off a party with extraordinary flair. You don't even need to be a host or hostess to benefit - Amy offers tips for guests, too! (Rule number one: don't be fifteen minutes early.) Readers will discover unique dishes to serve alcoholics ("Broiled Frozen Chicken Wings with Applesauce"), the secret to a successful children's party (a half-hour time limit, games included), plus a whole appendix chock-full of arts and crafts ideas (from a mini-pantyhose plant-hanger to a do-it-yourself calf stretcher), and much, much more! "In At Home with Amy Sedaris, Ms. Sedaris offers deliriously twisted takes on the homemaking skills she skewered in her books I Like You and Simple Times." -- The New York Times AmySedarisRocks.com Instagram.com/AmySedaris Facebook.com/AmySedarisOfficial Youtube.com/OfficialAmySedaris
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“It's got real hospitality and very funny.”
Oct 17, 2006 — Source