If you were a reading adult in the early 2000s, you probably tackled, or at least heard about, “The Corrections,” Jonathan Franzen’s best-selling and much discussed book.

The novel won the National Book Award, was a Pulitzer finalist, and an Oprah Book Club pick.

The book arrives at its 25th anniversary this month, and in today’s episode of the “Book Review” podcast, host Gilbert Cruz talks with Taffy Brodesser-Akner, a writer for The New York Times magazine and novelist, about why this novel is so essential to modern American literature. And that’s not just her take: “The Corrections” ranks fifth on our list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century, as voted on by hundreds of influential readers.

“The Corrections” is a book about America at the turn of the century; it was published just before 9/11. Brodesser-Akner, who admits to having read the novel 20 times, says that Franzen’s work “became the defining book of America’s golden moment, which ended on Sept. 10.”

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We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review’s podcast in general. You can send them to [email protected].

Credits

The “Book Review” Podcast is hosted by Gilbert Cruz, produced by Amy Pearl, Sarah Diamond and Patricia Sulbarán. The show is mixed by Pedro Rosado. Special thanks to Dahlia Haddad.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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Jordan Baker said it best: “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

In just one short sentence, the character in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” sums up that wonderful feeling of anticipation that comes with autumn. For bookish people, the season comes with its own set of expectations; some of the year’s biggest books are released in September and October. On this episode of the “Book Review” podcast, Joumana Khatib and MJ Franklin join our host, Gilbert Cruz, to go over some of the titles they’re most looking forward to.

Books discussed on this episode:

• “The Disappearers,” by Marlon James
• “The Radiance,” by Ayad Akhtar
• “American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn’s Dark Journey From Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump,” by Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark
• “Switzy,” by Emma Cline
• “The Vanishing Family: Love, Fate, and the Quest to End Dementia,” by Robert Kolker
• “Dead Beat,” by Leigh Bardugo
• “American Hagwon,” by Min Jin Lee
• “Mazywood,” by Tananarive Due
• “Public Access Afterworld,” by Jane Schoenbrun
• “Other Worlds Than These,” by Stephen King and Peter Straub
• “Partita,” by Barbara Kingsolver
• “Music Against the Night,” by Yiyun Li
• “The Rush: California Gold, the Civil War and the Making of the Modern World,” by Nathaniel Philbrick
• “The Occidental Book of the Dead,” by T. Geronimo Johnson
• “The Brightness,” by Chad Harbach
• “Stations,” by Louise Kennedy
• “On the Calculation of Volume (Book V),” by Solvej Balle
• “Dodge City,” by Patrick DeWitt
• “Under Story,” by Chloe Benjamin
• “Our Noble Selves,” by Kate Atkinson
• “Taipei Story,” by R.F. Kuang
• “Exit Party,” by Emily St. John Mandel
• “Ply,” by Hernan Diaz
• “Hollywood, Ending,” by John Green
• “No Land to Stand On: Notes From Detention,” by Mahmoud Khalil
• “Life Out of Order,” by Audrey Niffenegger
• “Every Story Is a Love Story,” by Imbolo Mbue
• “Peck & Peck,” by Bonnie Garmus
• “A Court of Splintered Harmony,” by Sarah J. Maas
• “Take My Word for It,” by LeVar Burton
• “Promise Me, America,” by Joe Biden

Listen to and Follow ‘The Book Review’

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

We Want to Hear From You

We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review’s podcast in general. You can send them to [email protected].

Credits

The “Book Review” podcast is hosted by Gilbert Cruz and produced by Amy Pearl, Sarah Diamond and Patricia Sulbarán. The show is mixed by Pedro Rosado.

Special thanks to MJ Franklin, Dahlia Haddad and Brooke Minters.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.