Bookplanet: Jessa loves the Daily Show

Jessa Crispin wrote this back in June, but it's worth reading if you missed it the first time round. She writes in Slate, I think, and she's the creator of Bookslut, I believe.

Jessa Hearts Jon: How The Daily Show Does the Book Thing Right by Jessa Crispin

Television shows have gotten in the business of making book recommendations—a phenomenon that's tricky at best. I’ve never trusted Oprah’s Book Club (I have better taste than she does), the Today show (I’m really supposed to trust John Grisham’s taste in books? If he had any, wouldn’t his own books be better?) or the U.K.’s influential Richard and Judy (I’m a Yank—I barely know who they are). But the one TV show that has made me run to the bookstore the next day is The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

It was an incredible relief when The Daily Show began severely decreasing the number of celebrities trotted out for the show’s interview segment. George Clooney would appear with a well-rehearsed tale with the sole purpose of making him look a regular kind of guy, and I would use the opportunity to brush my teeth. Dignitaries, policy makers and journalists began to appear with regularity, and then, about a year ago, the authors started showing up.

Granted, these are all nonfiction writers (with the exception of a Neal Pollack appearance, which had me laughing hysterically), but nonfiction is where I need the most help. The topic of a book might sound interesting, but what are the author’s research methods? Is the prose style going to dry up and bore me? Would I be better off with this book on the topic, or that one? I’ve always been a fiction reader, and most of the time I feel lost in the history or politics section.

But then Jon Stewart came along and cleared it all up for me. Appearances by Seymour Hersh for Chain of Command, Reza Aslan for No God But God, Jim Wallis for God’s Politics and Steven Levitt for Freakonomics all led me to buy each of those books within the week. Hell, it even made me give Thomas Friedman another chance with The World Is Flat. (Of course, they can’t all be winners. Al Roker promoting Big Shoes: In Celebration of Dads and Fatherhood? Why, Jon Stewart, why?) It makes sense that the only show I trust to make me laugh instead of cry over the day’s news would lead me to nonfiction books worth reading.

Stewart’s interview style goes a long way toward selling books. The author almost seems funny by proxy (compared to, say, NPR’s Fresh Air, whose Terry Gross makes her visiting authors seem dull by proxy). Stewart’s chatty style, combined with what appears to be a genuine interest in each book, is thoroughly compelling. The interview may last only five minutes, but that’s just enough: Explain the thesis, include a wacky anecdote, react to Stewart’s jokes, and I’m interested just enough to make a note to buy the book.

I hope publicists and publishers have taken notice. I would like to see The Daily Show become the nonfiction version of Oprah’s Book Club, with publishers scrambling to produce more books for the show to approve, sales rocketing with each interview and dozens of articles written about the show’s influence. Until that day, however, it’s already got one devoted book club member.