Best books . . . chosen by Chazz Palminteri
Chazz Palminteri is an Academy Award
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
The Bible. I’m not a born-again Christian, but I am a Catholic. Reading the Bible gives me a great feeling. I’m a believer in righteousness. My favorite phrase is from Matthew 7:13-14: “Wide is the gate and broad the road which leads to destruction . . . But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life.” I try to go through that narrow gate in life, to do the right thing.
Dante’s Inferno by Dante Alighieri (Signet, $6). The story of a man’s journey to salvation. He begins his life at 35 and has to go through hell before he can get there. It’s incredibly well written and full of allegory. I named my son after Dante.
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli (Dover, $2). I read this when I was very young. I think it was a wise guy who gave it to me. Machiavelli was one of the first to ask, “Is it better to be loved or feared?” My father used to say, “Money makes good people better and bad people worse.” You have to be aware of that evil.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Penguin, $8). This book is just so perfect and so wonderful. I read it a long time ago and need to read it again. I remember thinking, What a great piece of literature! With the story of George and Lenny, Steinbeck had captured the human spirit.
How to Know Higher Worlds: A Modern Path of Initiation by Rudolf Steiner (Steiner, $17). Steiner founded anthroposophy, which is the study of humans through spiritual means. This is a great work. Steiner teaches us that we have to suffer to learn; the world is only perfect because it’s imperfect. He said that most people go through life unconscious, and as soon as you become conscious, your life will change. That happened for me. I didn’t start writing until later in life, and once I did, I was finally conscious.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
How will the writers' deal shape the future of Hollywood screenwriting?
Today's Big Question The post-strike entertainment industry could look very different for screenwriters
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Cozy box home
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
Can Meta woo Gen Z with AI chatbots?
Talking Point Meta is set to release the first of dozens of AI 'personas' aimed at driving Gen Z engagement
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Etaf Rum recommends 6 empowering reads centered around women
Feature The author suggests works by Zora Neale Hurston, Sylvia Plath and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
Jeff Daniels suggests 6 books that informed his writing and acting
The star recommends works by Gabriel García Márquez, Shelby Foote and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
6 books to get cozy with this fall
The Week Recommends A cornucopia of literary greatness awaits this autumn
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Peter Heller recommends 6 poetic reads for prose lovers
feature The award-winning adventure writer suggests works by Beryl Markham, Ada Limón and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
5 illuminating books about the video game industry
Speed Read Cozy up with a few reads that dig into some of the most fascinating parts of video game history
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Andrew Lipstein's 6 favorite books that combine wealth and humanity
feature The author recommends works by Hernan Diaz, Charles Dickens and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
Tom Rachman chooses 6 books to read before you die
feature The author suggests works from George Orwell, Virginia Woolf and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
Patrick deWitt recommends 6 books that are both dark and funny
feature The author suggests works by Frank Conroy, Leonard Gardner and more
By The Week Staff Published