David Copperfield's Reading List

Notable reader profiled on radicalreads.com. 10 favorite books recommended in their radicalreads feature.

Favorite books (2021)

Favorite books recommended by David Copperfield, as compiled by radicalreads.com. Source article: https://radicalreads.com/david-copperfield-favorite-books/.

Source: radicalreads.com

Anna Karenina

Leo Tolstoy (also rec’d by Ernest Hemingway , Philip Roth & Susan Sontag ) · Buy on Amazon

"As good as they say. Tolstoy is a cardiologist. The man knew everything about the human heart. It’s all on display here."

Invisible Man

Ralph Ellison (also rec’d by Alice Walker , Colin Kaepernick , Maya Angelou, Nipsey Hussle, RATM & Richey Edwards ) · Buy on Amazon

"Ralph Ellison’s classic about race, racism, cruelty, hypocrisy, and the need for the truth is more relevant now than ever."

Making Movies

Sidney Lumet · Buy on Amazon

"The late, great Sidney Lumet takes you by the elbow and tells you how he did it. Another great tour of the creative process by one of our greatest directors."

Without Feathers

Woody Allen · Buy on Amazon

"Woody Allen is so funny and brilliant, I feel the astonishment I hope my audiences feel — I keep asking myself, ‘How does he do it?'"

Orson Welles: The Road to Xanadu

Simon Callow · Buy on Amazon

"Welles is one of my heroes. Callow diagrams every aspect of this great artist’s life like a sentence."

Finishing the Hat

Stephen Sondheim (also rec’d by David Byrne ) · Buy on Amazon

"The man who gave us ‘West Side Story,’ ‘A Little Night Music,’ ‘Sweeney Todd,’ and so many other acts of brilliance discusses his influences, his approach to his craft, why things work and don’t work, etc. He takes you on a guided tour of his creative process. How often do you get to stroll through the mind of a genius?"

How to be a Ventriloquist

Paul Winchell · Buy on Amazon

"I grew up watching Paul Winchell. Years later he became a friend. I have his vent figures in my museum. Ventriloquism is what got me into magic. This book takes me back to my childhood."

Carrie

Stephen King · Buy on Amazon

"I love Mr. King’s work, and this is not just a great horror/sci-fi story, it’s about the price people pay for being different, and about bullying, and parenting. As relevant as ever."

A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens (also rec’d by Vincent van Gogh ) · Buy on Amazon

"Okay it’s technically a novella. But what a story of redemption! Told by the past master of characterization and narrative. Dickens rules."

Don Quixote

Miguel de Cervantes (also rec’d by Bill Maher ) · Buy on Amazon

"I didn’t know this existed until my parents took me to ‘Man of La Mancha.’ What a book! Funny and sad at the same time and insightful about the human condition."

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