The Big Empty

By Norman Mailer, John Buffalo Mailer,

Book cover of The Big Empty: Dialogues on Politics, Sex, God, Boxing, Morality, Myth, Poker and Bad Conscience in America

Book description

Questions are posed, writes Norman Mailer, "in the hope they will open into richer insights, which in turn will bring forth sharper questions. " In this series of conversations, John Buffalo Mailer, 27, poses a series of questions to his father, challenging the reflections and insights of the man who…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Big Empty as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Mailer published three nonfiction books near the end of his life to lay out his final take on issues he’d been pursuing his entire writing life and as a highly visible, often notorious, public intellectual: On God, Why Are We at War?—echoing his 1967 novel Why Are We in Vietnam?—and The Big Empty. I chose The Big Empty because the reader comes to understand where Mailer lands finally on so many issues he covered during his decades of political and societal journalism, with a special focus on democracy in America, its potential and its abiding threats.…

From Robert's list on reading Norman Mailer.

If you love The Big Empty...

Ad

Book cover of The Truth About Unringing Phones

The Truth About Unringing Phones By Lara Lillibridge,

When Lara was four years old, her father moved from Rochester, New York, to Anchorage, Alaska, a distance of over 4,000 miles. She spent her childhood chasing after him, flying a quarter of the way around the world to tug at the hem of his jacket.

Now that he is…

Want books like The Big Empty?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Big Empty.

Browse books like The Big Empty

Book cover of The Executioner's Song
Book cover of The Fight
Book cover of The Naked and the Dead

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,578

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in civilization, boxing, and George W. Bush?

Civilization 225 books
Boxing 48 books
George W. Bush 37 books