Best Of: Margaret Atwood on American Myths and Authoritarianism

A good rule of thumb is that whatever Margaret Atwood is worried about now, the rest of us will likely be worried about a decade from now. The rise of authoritarianism. A backlash against women’s social progress. Climate change leading to social unrest. Advertising permeating more and more of our lives. We originally released this episode back in March 2022. But just like Atwood’s work, it somehow only got more relevant with time. Atwood is the author of at least 17 novels, including the classic “ The Handmaid’s Tale ,” as well as 20 books of poetry and nine collections of short fiction. When we spoke, she’d just published an essay collection, “ Burning Questions .” And she has a new book coming out this fall, “ Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts .” Mentioned: Art & Energy by Barry Lord Book recommendations: War by Margaret MacMillan Biased by Jennifer L. Eberhardt Secrets of the Sprakkar by Eliza Reid Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. You can find the transcript and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast . Book recommendations from all our guests a…