Listen to the full episode at 3books.co/chapters/123

Trailer: Chapter 123: Suzy Batiz on suffering, surviving, and selling shit

3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 22-year-long quest to uncover and discuss the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter discusses the 3 most formative books of one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Brené Brown, David Sedaris, Malcolm Gladwell, Roxane Gay, Cheryl Strayed, Rich Roll, Soyoung the Variety Store Owner, Derek the Hype Man, Kevin the Bookseller, Shirley The Nurse, Vishwas the Uber Driver, Angie Thomas, David Mitchell, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Mark Manson, Seth Godin, Judy Blume, and Quentin Tarantino. 3 Books is published on the lunar calendar with each of the 333 chapters dropped on the exact minute of every single full moon all the way up to 10:37 PM EST on April 26, 2040. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show and is 100% non-profit with no ads, no sponsors, no commercials, and no interruptions. 3 Books has 3 clubs including the End of the Podcast Club, the Cover to Cover Club, and the Secret Club, which operates entirely through the mail and is only accessible by calling 1-833-READ-A-LOT. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome, The Happiness Equation, Two-Minute Mornings, etc.

For more info check out: https://www.3books.co

Arts

Literature

Performing Arts

Design

Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Books

Self-Improvement

I remember getting the knife.     It was near Christmas about 10 years ago and Leslie and I were zipping up a tiny suitcase before a beach trip with her grandparents and extended family. We weren’t married and I was making a desperate last-second plea to stuff a 576-page novel called ‘The Corrections’ by Jonathan Franzen into our bag. “It just won’t fit,” Leslie said. “You have … 100 pages left? Want to leave it and read it when we’re back?”     I did *not* want to do that.     The book was slipping under my skin—serrating my soul.     So I remember getting that knife.     The deep blasphemous pain I felt slicing the paperback spine and carving the last 100-ish pages off the book was far outweighed by the exquisite suite of pleasures I had slowly savoring it on the beach all week.     I had never read anything like ‘The Corrections’—with a clarity of character, wildly spinning plot, and unique three-dimensional *realness* that, page by page, twist by twist, left pits in my stomach, lumps in my throat, and tears in my eyes.     The book single-handedly elevated what I thought books could do.     I read ‘Freedom’ (2010), ‘Purity’ (2014), and Crossroads (2021) the same way—equal parts admiration, fascination, and with a psychologically-transporting feeling of living outside of myself.     Jonathan Franzen is one of the most successful, accomplished, and decorated writers in the world. He is a Fulbright Scholar, National Book Award Winner, Pulitzer Prize Finalist, PEN/Faulkner Finalist, 2x Oprah’s Book Club Pick, voted to TIME’s ‘100 Most Influential’ list as well as gracing their cover as "Great American Novelist," and much, much more.     The NYT calls his books "masterpieces of American fiction," NYMag calls his books "works of total genius," and Chuck Klosterman writing in GQ says "Franzen is the most important fiction writer in America, and—if viewed from a distance—perhaps the only important one.”     Tall praise! But there is just nothing like a Jonathan Franzen novel and it was sheer delight going deep with the master of the deep to discuss writing advice, the magic of the written word, what heroes look like today, competing with David Foster Wallace, the best thing we can do for the climate, Jon’s 3 most formative books, and much, much more…     Let’s turn the page to Chapter 137 now…

Chapter 137: Jonathan Franzen finds fellow freaks and forges fantastic fiction

Pages are 333-second or less highlights from Chapters of 3 Books.   They are released at 3:33am between Chapters.     Page 126 comes from Chapter 12 with Chris Anderson, Head of TED.   Listen to the full chapter: https://www.3books.co/chapters/12   Get the 3 Books email: http://www.3books.co/3mail   Join our community: Follow @neilpasricha on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, & YouTube

Page 126: What is humanity's biggest superpower?

Pages are 333-second or less highlights from Chapters of 3 Books.   They are released at 3:33am between Chapters.     Page 125 comes from Chapter 12 with Chris Anderson, Head of TED.   Listen to the full chapter: https://www.3books.co/chapters/12   Get the 3 Books email: http://www.3books.co/3mail   Join our community: Follow @neilpasricha on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, & YouTube

Page 125: A book for people who want to change the world

Pages are 333-second or less highlights from Chapters of 3 Books.   They are released at 3:33am between Chapters.     Page 124 comes from Chapter 12 with Chris Anderson, Head of TED.   Listen to the full chapter: https://www.3books.co/chapters/12   Get the 3 Books email: http://www.3books.co/3mail   Join our community: Follow @neilpasricha on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, & YouTube

Page 124: How does the Head of TED define optimism?

Pages are 333-second or less highlights from Chapters of 3 Books.   They are released at 3:33am between Chapters.     Page 123 comes from Chapter 12 with Chris Anderson, Head of TED.   Listen to the full chapter: https://www.3books.co/chapters/12   Get the 3 Books email: http://www.3books.co/3mail   Join our community: Follow @neilpasricha on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, & YouTube

Trailer: Chapter 123: Suzy Batiz on suffering, surviving, and selling shit

Download our free app to listen on your phone