David Denby

American film critic and author, longtime staff writer at The New Yorker known for film criticism and essays on culture and education.

Books

Ranked Books All Books

This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.

  1. 1. Eminent Jews

    Cover of 'Eminent Jews' by David Denby

    David Denby profiles Leonard Bernstein, Mel Brooks, Betty Friedan, and Norman Mailer, showing how their Jewish heritage and American freedom shaped their work and reshaped mid‑20th‑century U.S. culture. Operating in music, comedy, feminism, and literature, they altered public tastes and debates while revealing ambition, contradictions, and intense personalities. The book examines their influence and character without revealing personal spoilers.

    The 13057th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org