#3121
Mentioned in 15 episodes

Ask the Dust

Book • 2006
Set during the Great Depression, 'Ask the Dust' is a gritty and poignant tale of Arturo Bandini, a young writer in Los Angeles.

The novel, told through Bandini's first-person narrative, explores themes of poverty, ambition, love, and despair.

Bandini's struggles with writer's block, financial hardship, and his complex relationship with Camilla Lopez are vividly depicted against the backdrop of the era's harsh realities.

The book is known for its spare, well-crafted prose and its influence on later writers, including Charles Bukowski.

Mentioned by

Mentioned in 15 episodes

Mentioned by
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Ryan Holiday
as a great California novel, rediscovered by Charles Bukowski, and a West Coast Great Gatsby.
340 snips
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Ryan Holiday
as his favorite novel, set in 1930s Los Angeles.
277 snips
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Neil Strauss
as one of his favorite books, describing it as a story about a self-hating writer.
277 snips
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Ryan Holiday
as his favorite novel, highlighting its forgotten status due to a concurrent publication of Mein Kampf.
205 snips
What We Can Learn from the Ancient Stoics
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Billy Oppenheimer
to illustrate the dangers of hyper-focus on an outcome, using the protagonist's obsessive pursuit of literary fame as an example.
68 snips
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Ryan Holiday
as his favorite Los Angeles novel and a beautiful story about a struggling writer.
39 snips
BONUS | Charles Duhigg's Reading List (From Ryan Holiday)
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Ryan Holiday
as one of his favorite books about Los Angeles.
23 snips
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Cameron Crowe
, possibly Robert Towne was doing the movie at the time when he was doing Elizabeth Town.
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