Marc Maron
Marc Maron, co-host of the Morning Sedition program on Air America Radio, is the author of The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah.
Buy The Jerusalem Syndrome at Amazon
Home Land by Sam Lipsyte (Picador, $13). Lipsyte is not only a master of language and prose, but he is the funniest writer I know. His most recent novel will make you laugh the kind of laugh that can crumble into tears of recognition for those of us who feel that our lives didn’t quite work out the way we dreamed they would.
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.
The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker (Free Press, $14). The first time I saw this book it was screaming at me from a bin at a Los Angeles Goodwill store. The title seemed to sum up and explain its surroundings, and when I picked it up, I believed it could explain me. This is a heavy, dense book that shouldn’t be read while on medication because it will have no effect. It will explain why you’re on medication and probably shouldn’t be. I keep it nearby at all times.
Nation of Rebels by Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter (Collins, $15). Written by a couple of Canadian smarties, this recent book deconstructs the history of modern radicalism and provides a good case for it being a chaotic growth spurt of capitalism.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Dino by Nick Tosches (Delta, $14). Tosches is one of the glowing dark lights in the even darker darkness, and this is a genius biography. Tosches uses Dean Martin’s enigmatic persona to explore the nature of celebrity and the gritty, seductive truth about show business from the ’40s through the ’70s.
Straight Life by Art Pepper and Laurie Pepper (Da Capo, $22). I wasn’t a big jazz fan when I read this autobiography of the great alto sax player Art Pepper, but the reason the book is awesome is that it is also an autobiography of addiction. It’s an insane, egocentric screed—about 50 pages of sax and 250 pages of drugs, jail, and insanity. In the end, though, Pepper puts across a simple code for living: Don’t be a rat.
Generation of Swine
-
Airlines ramp up the hunt for sustainable aviation fuel
The Week Recommends Several large airlines have announced sustainability goals for the coming decades
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Codeword: January 13, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: January 13, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Alan Cumming's 6 favorite works with resilient characters
Feature The award-winning stage and screen actor recommends works by Douglas Stuart, Alasdair Gray, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Shahnaz Habib's 6 favorite books that explore different cultures
Feature The essayist and translator recommends works by Vivek Shanbhag, Adania Shibli, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Niall Williams' 6 favorite books with rich storytelling
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Charles Dickens, James McBride, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Nigel Hamilton's 6 inspirational books for fellow writers
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by John Banville, Ann Patchett, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Ed Park's 6 favorite works about self reflection and human connection
Feature The Pulitzer Prize finalist recommends works by Jason Rekulak, Gillian Linden, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Kate Summerscale's 6 favorite true crime books about real murder cases
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Helen Garner, Gwen Adshead, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Bonnie Jo Campbell's 6 favorite books about unconventional relationships
Feature The former National Book Award finalist recommends works by Tove Jansson, Virginia Woolf, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Peter Ames Carlin's 6 favorite books on pop culture icons
Feature The author recommends works by James McBride, Jim Bouton, and more
By The Week US Published