Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs

By Jeffrey Sachs

Join world-renowned economist and Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs for lively conversations with the authors of scintillating, inspiring and remarkably important books about history, soc

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The podcast currently has 54 episodes available.

Best of Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: Season 5 Episode 6: Steven Nadler
Send us Fan Mail Join Professor Jeffrey Sachs and philosopher Professor Steven Nadler for a thought-provoking discussion of Baruch Spinoza and Nadler’s book, Spinoza: Atheist. Together, they explore Spinoza’s extraordinary life, his excommunication from Amsterdam’s Jewish community, and his groundbreaking ideas about religion, science, politics, and human freedom. At the heart of the conversation is Spinoza’s controversial conception of God: was he an atheist, a pantheist, or something else entirely? Sachs and Nadler examine Spinoza’s rejection of a personal and providential God, his belief in understanding nature through reason and science, and his vision of morality grounded not in divine reward or punishment, but in virtue, freedom, and human flourishing. The conversation also explores Spinoza’s connections to Aristotle and Epicurus, his lasting influence on modern thought, and Albert Einstein’s famous admiration for “Spinoza’s God.” The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org. ⭐️ Thanks for listening to Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs! 📚 Join the conversation and go deeper into the ideas shaping our world. ➡️ Watch the conversation on YouTube ➡️ Subscribe to the newsletter for episode updates, readings, and behind-the-scenes insights: https://bit.ly/subscribeBCJS ➡️ Explore past episodes, show notes, and featured books: https://bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org 🎧 Download and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. 📣 Love the show? Leave a rating and review - it helps more listeners find the podcast. 🔁 Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or book club who’d enjoy the discussion!
September 15, 202650min
Number 2: Season 5 Episode 5: Sam Dalrymple - Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia
Send us Fan Mail Join Professor Jeffrey Sachs and historian Sam Dalrymple for a fascinating discussion of his book Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia. Drawing on extensive archival research, personal histories, and overlooked narratives, Dalrymple reveals how the dissolution of the British Raj reshaped a vast region stretching from Yemen and the Gulf to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, giving rise to many of the political fault lines that continue to define the modern world. Together, they explore the five partitions that fractured the British Indian Empire, including the division of India and Pakistan, the creation of Bangladesh, the contested futures of Hyderabad and Kashmir, and the often-forgotten connections between South Asia and the Gulf. They examine the human consequences of partition, from mass displacement and divided families to enduring conflicts, militarized borders, and unresolved questions of identity and sovereignty. The conversation also highlights the immense cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity of the region and considers how the legacies of empire continue to shape contemporary geopolitics. This episode offers listeners a powerful rethinking of modern Asian history, challenging conventional narratives and illuminating the imperial roots of many of today's most pressing global challenges. It is a story of migration, memory, conflict, and resilience, one that underscores how understanding the past is essential for imagining a more peaceful and interconnected future. The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org. ⭐️ Thanks for listening to Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs! 📚 Join the conversation and go deeper into the ideas shaping our world. ➡️ Watch the conversation on YouTube ➡️ Subscribe to the newsletter for episode updates, readings, and behind-the-scenes insights: https://bit.ly/subscribeBCJS ➡️ Explore past episodes, show notes, and featured books: https://bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org 🎧 Download and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. 📣 Love the show? Leave a rating and review - it helps more listeners find the podcast. 🔁 Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or book club who’d enjoy the discussion!
July 07, 202655min
Number 3: Season 5, Episode 4 - Dorothy A. Brown, The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans--and How We Can Fix It
Send us Fan Mail Join Professor Jeffrey Sachs and tax policy expert Professor Dorothy A. Brown for a thought-provoking discussion of her books, The Whiteness of Wealth and Getting to Reparations. Drawing on decades of research, Brown examines how seemingly race-neutral tax policies have contributed to widening racial wealth disparities in the United States and explores what meaningful economic repair could look like in practice. Together, they discuss how the U.S. tax system has historically advantaged white households while limiting wealth-building opportunities for Black Americans. The conversation explores the hidden ways tax policy shapes homeownership, education, employment, and intergenerational wealth, as well as the broader historical forces that continue to influence economic inequality today. Brown also outlines her vision for reparations, arguing that confronting the legacy of slavery and systemic discrimination is essential to building a more equitable society. This episode offers listeners a deeper understanding of the intersection of race, public policy, and economic justice. It challenges conventional assumptions about fairness in the tax code and invites a broader conversation about how societies can address historical harms while creating more inclusive pathways to opportunity and prosperity. The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org. ⭐️ Thanks for listening to Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs! 📚 Join the conversation and go deeper into the ideas shaping our world. ➡️ Watch the conversation on YouTube ➡️ Subscribe to the newsletter for episode updates, readings, and behind-the-scenes insights: https://bit.ly/subscribeBCJS ➡️ Explore past episodes, show notes, and featured books: https://bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org 🎧 Download and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. 📣 Love the show? Leave a rating and review - it helps more listeners find the podcast. 🔁 Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or book club who’d enjoy the discussion!
June 09, 20261h 1min
Number 4: Season 5 Episode 3: Rana Mitter, Forgotten Ally: China's World War II, 1937-1945
Send us Fan Mail Join Professor Jeffrey Sachs and historian Professor Rana Mitter, for a compelling discussion of his book Forgotten Ally: China’s World War II, 1937–1945. Drawing on extensive archival research and long-overlooked sources, Mitter brings to light China’s central, and often underappreciated, role in the global fight against Imperial Japan during World War II. Together, they explore how China’s prolonged resistance tied down vast numbers of Japanese troops, shaping the broader trajectory of the war in Asia and beyond. They examine the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek, the fragile alliances between Nationalists and Communists, and the immense human cost borne by Chinese civilians. The conversation also addresses how China’s wartime experience influenced its postwar political order and its place in the emerging international system. This episode offers listeners a powerful reframing of World War II, challenging Eurocentric narratives and highlighting the global dimensions of the conflict. It is a story of resilience, sacrifice, and strategic complexity, one that continues to shape how we understand China’s role in the world today and the enduring legacy of a “forgotten ally.” The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org. Footnotes:Books by Rana MitterChina’s Role in World War IISecond Sino-Japanese WarInvasion of Manchuria Chiang Kai-shekMao ZedongOpium Wars in ChinaEzra F. Vogel Marco Polo Bridge IncidentChongqhing BombingWang JingweiJoseph StilwellP5 UN Security CouncilCairo Conference⭐️ Thanks for listening to Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs! 📚 Join the conversation and go deeper into the ideas shaping our world. ➡️ Watch the conversation on YouTube ➡️ Subscribe to the newsletter for episode updates, readings, and behind-the-scenes insights: https://bit.ly/subscribeBCJS ➡️ Explore past episodes, show notes, and featured books: https://bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org 🎧 Download and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. 📣 Love the show? Leave a rating and review - it helps more listeners find the podcast. 🔁 Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or book club who’d enjoy the discussion!
May 05, 20261h 3min
Number 5: Season 5 Episode 2: James W. Douglass: Martyrs to the Unspeakable: The Assassinations of JFK, Malcolm, Martin, and RFK
Send us Fan Mail Join Professor Jeffrey Sachs for a compelling conversation on Martyrs to the Unspeakable: The Assassinations of JFK, Malcolm, Martin, and RFK by James W. Douglass. In this sweeping work, Douglass reexamines the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy, arguing that these four leaders were killed not by isolated actors, but within a deeper context of national security power and Cold War politics. Drawing on extensive documentary evidence, witness testimony, and declassified records, Douglass challenges the official lone-gunman narratives and situates each assassination within a broader struggle between movements for peace and justice and entrenched systems of violence. At the heart of the book is the concept of the “Unspeakable,” a term Douglass uses to describe the hidden structures of power capable of silencing transformative leadership. Together, they explore how each of these figures, in different ways, broke with prevailing orthodoxies, opposing nuclear brinkmanship, militarism, racism, and war, and how their evolving commitments to peace may have placed them in direct conflict with powerful institutions. This episode invites listeners into a profound reconsideration of one of the most turbulent eras in American history. It is a story of conscience and consequence and of how the unresolved traumas of the 1960s continue to echo in political life today. Footnotes:Books by James W. DouglassJFK AssassinationMalcolm X AssassinationMLK AssassinationRFK AssassinationUS Central Intelligence AgencyThe Warren Commission ReportJames Jesus AngeltonEisenhower Farewell Address Khrushchev and JFK CommunicationsPeace on Earth Encyclical Pope John XXIII Lee Harvey OswaldDavid Talbot - The Devils ChessboardDag HammarskjöldAllen Dulles⭐️ Thanks for listening to Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs! 📚 Join the conversation and go deeper into the ideas shaping our world. ➡️ Watch the conversation on YouTube ➡️ Subscribe to the newsletter for episode updates, readings, and behind-the-scenes insights: https://bit.ly/subscribeBCJS ➡️ Explore past episodes, show notes, and featured books: https://bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org 🎧 Download and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. 📣 Love the show? Leave a rating and review - it helps more listeners find the podcast. 🔁 Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or book club who’d enjoy the discussion!
March 10, 20261h 1min