Discover new books on Goodreads

See if your friends have read any of Ben Bush's books

90 ratings | 329 reviews | avg rating:4.50

Ben’s Year In Books

Ben’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Ben’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Ben’s 2025 Year in Books

Ben Bush’s Followers (41)

Ben’s Bookshelves

to-read (1623)
currently-reading (3)
read (887)
did-not-finish (0)
19c (27)
2023-4 (30)
2026 (0)
before-college (71)
biographies (10)
cnf-autofiction (22)
See all bookshelves »

Ben’s Friends (339)

Aneesa

3,395 books | 172 friends

Hiba

2,380 books | 328 friends

Jonathan Katabira

76 books | 395 friends

Addie

467 books | 165 friends

Ana

2,157 books | 596 friends

Kyle Minor

355 books | 1,335 friends

Jamie

1,158 books | 95 friends

Jessie Winitzky

861 books | 9 friends

More friends…

Ben Bush

Goodreads Author

Website

https://benbush.wordpress.com

Twitter

BenHBush

Member Since

March 2010

edit data

Ben Bush is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, a 2017-2018 Fulbright Fellow to Bulgaria, and an incoming Dornsife Fellow at the University of Southern California creative writing PhD program.

His fiction has appeared in The Iowa Review, The Literary Review, Yeti, The Fanzine, and Vol. 1 Brooklyn. His non-fiction and interviews have appeared in Salon, Bookforum, The Believer, Flavorwire, Los Angeles Review of Books, Poets & Writers, San Francisco Chronicle, Alternet, Bitch, and Conversations with William T. Vollmann (University of Mississippi Press).

He has received fellowships and scholarships from the Truman Capote Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, Wesleyan Writers Conference, Kimmel Harding Nelson, Poets & Writers / the New York St ...more

45 posts
Ben Bush's Blog

Fiction“Introverts” The Iowa Review“Succumb Your Thumb” V...

Fiction

“Introverts” The Iowa Review

“Succumb Your Thumb” Vol. 1 Brooklyn

“The Overseer” The Literary Review

“> The Literary Review

“Seven Bedtimes for Seven Bonzos” Yeti

“Firewater & Firecrackers,” The Dogs (Karyn Lovegrove Gallery)

Interviews

Louis Chude-Sokei, The Organist (KCRW/McSweeney’s/The Believer.)

T. Geronimo Johnson, Los Angeles Review of Books

Joshua Cohen, Los Angeles Review of Boo

Combine Editions
Ben Bush’s books

Average rating: 3.79 · 670 ratings · 76 reviews · 5 distinct works

	Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine? by Esther Pearl Watson, Mark Todd, Ben Bush (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 3.78 avg rating — 668 ratings — published 2006 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Awkward Two by Jeffrey Dinsmore (Goodreads Author), Clay McLeod Chapman (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Kyle Jarrow (Editor) 4.45 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2010 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Iowa Review 47.2 (Fall 2017) by Harilaos Stecopoulos (Editor), T. Coraghessan Boyle (Goodreads Author), Margot Livesey (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Literary Review: Artificial Intelligence by The Literary Review, Minna Zallman Proctor (Editor), Okla Elliott it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Ben is Currently Reading

Ben Bush is currently reading

How to Carry Water: Selected Poems of Lucille Clifton

by Lucille Clifton

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Sep 20, 2026 10:06AM

Ben Bush is currently reading

Freshwater

by Akwaeke Emezi (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Aug 14, 2026 02:45PM

Ben Bush is currently reading

The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide to Turning Your PhD into a Job

by Karen Kelsky

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jul 31, 2026 09:43AM

rss
Ben’s Recent Updates

Ben Bush wrote a new blog post Fiction“Introverts“ The Iowa Review“Succumb Your Thumb“ V... Fiction“Introverts“ The Iowa Review“Succumb Your Thumb“ Vol. 1 Brooklyn“The Overseer” The Literary Review / The Fanzine “> The Literary Review “Seven B Read more of this blog post »
Sep 26, 2026 03:34AM · like
Ben Bush started reading How to Carry Water: Selected Poems of Lucille Clifton by Lucille Clifton	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 20, 2026 10:06AM · like
Ben Bush and 5 other people liked Jim's review of The Employees: "There’s nothing like being in a bookstore and stumbling upon a book that calls out to you. Holy shit. This book is for me. I need this. It’s validating. It’s inspiring. It’s expensive but that’s neither here nor there because when the book delivers? " Read more of this review »
Sep 20, 2026 08:31AM · see review
Ben Bush liked Islem’s status update Islem B'a has read Regarding the Pain of Others
Sep 18, 2026 09:37AM · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Ben Bush has read The Committee of Men by James Ciano	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Some real East Hollywood / Los Feliz icons in here: the "I love you. God bless you." lady who you used to see walking up and down Vermont and Hillhurst and the beautiful Public Storage tower. The exploration of Long Island jock culture in poetry felt ...more
Sep 18, 2026 08:22AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Committee of Men by James Ciano. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Committee of Men by James Ciano <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Ben Bush finished reading The Committee of Men by James Ciano	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 18, 2026 08:21AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Committee of Men by James Ciano. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Committee of Men by James Ciano <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Ben Bush wants to read Reduction in Force: Poems by Hugo dos Santos (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 17, 2026 03:54PM · like
Ben Bush liked Anita’s status update Anita wants to read A Brief History of Seven Killings
Sep 17, 2026 12:14PM · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Ben Bush made a comment on Aneesa’s status in It Will Come Back To You " I've been rereading The Friend this week to teach it this week in novel-writing class. Last read in 2019. ...more "
Sep 10, 2026 04:33PM
Ben Bush wants to read The Radiance by Ayad Akhtar (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 09, 2026 06:33PM · like

More of Ben's books…

Ben’s Quotes

“Mankind, which in Homer’s time was an object of contemplation for the Olympian gods, is now one for itself. Its self-alienation has reached such a degree that it can experience its own destruction as aesthetic pleasure of the first order.”
― Walter Benjamin

10 likes

“A concept is a brick. It can be used to build a courthouse of reason. Or it can be thrown through the window.”
― Gilles Deleuze, A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia

tags: anarchy, freedom, inspirational, lateral-thinking, philosophy, rationalism

2567 likes

“A day spent reading is not a great day. But a life spent reading is a wonderful life.”
― Ayad Akhtar, Homeland Elegies

21 likes

Ben’s Friend Comments

No comments have been added yet.

Ben’s Year In Books

Ben Bush’s Followers (41)

Add New
Videos

Ben’s Bookshelves

Ben’s Friends (339)

Ben Bush

Goodreads Author

45 posts
Ben Bush's Blog

Fiction“Introverts” The Iowa Review“Succumb Your Thumb” V...

Combine Editions
Ben Bush’s books

Ben is Currently Reading

rss
Ben’s Recent Updates

Fiction“Introverts“ The Iowa Review“Succumb Your Thumb“ V...

See a Problem?

Preview — Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag

See a Problem?

Preview — The Committee of Men by James Ciano

See a Problem?

Preview — The Committee of Men by James Ciano

See a Problem?

Preview — A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

Ben’s Quotes

recent posts
Ben’s Groups

Ben’s Friend Comments

Ben Bush’s Followers (41)

Ben Bush

Goodreads Author

rssBen’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag

See a Problem?

Preview — The Committee of Men by James Ciano

See a Problem?

Preview — The Committee of Men by James Ciano

See a Problem?

Preview — A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

rss
Ben’s Recent Updates