Kate McKean chooses: The World According to Garp by John Iriving episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 21, 2026 · 1H 20M

Kate McKean chooses: The World According to Garp by John Iriving

from Book Imprint | The books that change our lives before the age of 25

Author, literary agent, and the creator of the Agents + Books newsletter Kate McKean read The World According to Garp by John Irving when she was 14. She read it with her high school boyfriend, and still has their jointly-annotated copy. In this episode, Kate and host Rebecca Thandi Norman discuss this classic, wide-ranging novel, including questions like: is this a protest novel (John Irving says yes!) and if so, what is it protesting? Is this a book about writing? How much can you skim without missing the plot? Kate reveals how this book made her feel about being a writer at a young age, what passages she underlined as a teenager, and whether she'd recommend this to other 14 years olds.Read The World According to GarpSubscribe to Agents + BooksRead Write Through It by Kate McKeanRead Pay Attention To Me by Kate McKeanFollow Kate McKean on InstagramThis podcast is hosted by Rebecca Thandi Norman, produced by Kate Krosschell, and sound engineered by Winther Robinson. The title music is by DJARTMUSIC. We'd love to hear from you! If you have questions or comments, reach out at [email protected], or follow us at @bookimprintpodcast on Instagram.Affiliate disclosure: Some book links are affiliate links, which means the podcast earns a small commission when you buy through our link. The price does not change whether or not you use our link. We appreciate your support!___________________The World According to Garp // John Irving // Kate McKean // Agents and Book // book podcast // literary podcast // book podcast // reading podcast // what to readBook Imprint is a podcast that asks the question: what is a book that changed your life before the age of 25? It doesn't have to be the best book, and it doesn't have to be your favorite book; it's about how it affected you. Each episode, a guest shares a book that they feel changed them in some way, at a young age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author, literary agent, and the creator of the Agents + Books newsletter Kate McKean read The World According to Garp by John Irving when she was 14. She read it with her high school boyfriend, and still has their jointly-annotated copy. In this episode, Kate and host Rebecca Thandi Norman discuss this classic, wide-ranging novel, including questions like: is this a protest novel (John Irving says yes!) and if so, what is it protesting? Is this a book about writing? How much can you skim without missing the plot? Kate reveals how this book made her feel about being a writer at a young age, what passages she underlined as a teenager, and whether she'd recommend this to other 14 years olds.Read The World According to GarpSubscribe to Agents + BooksRead Write Through It by Kate McKeanRead Pay Attention To Me by Kate McKeanFollow Kate McKean on InstagramThis podcast is hosted by Rebecca Thandi Norman, produced by Kate Krosschell, and sound engineered by Winther Robinson. The title music is by DJARTMUSIC. We'd love to hear from you! If you have questions or comments, reach out at [email protected], or follow us at @bookimprintpodcast on Instagram.Affiliate disclosure: Some book links are affiliate links, which means the podcast earns a small commission when you buy through our link. The price does not change whether or not you use our link. We appreciate your support!___________________The World According to Garp // John Irving // Kate McKean // Agents and Book // book podcast // literary podcast // book podcast // reading podcast // what to readBook Imprint is a podcast that asks the question: what is a book that changed your life before the age of 25? It doesn't have to be the best book, and it doesn't have to be your favorite book; it's about how it affected you. Each episode, a guest shares a book that they feel changed them in some way, at a young age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Kate McKean chooses: The World According to Garp by John Iriving

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This episode was published on April 21, 2026.

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Author, literary agent, and the creator of the Agents + Books newsletter Kate McKean read The World According to Garp by John Irving when she was 14. She read it with her high school boyfriend, and still has their jointly-annotated copy. In this...

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