Why Bo Burnham Fans Will Lose Their Minds Over These 10 Books

As someone who’s spent years dissecting Bo Burnham’s work (and yes, I’ve rewatched Inside enough times to quote the sadnoodle bit verbatim), I’ve noticed a pattern: his fans crave art that’s equal parts hilarious, unsettling, and deeply human. If you’re here, you probably already own the what. album and know that “the internet is a very special place.” These 10 books feel like they were written in the same chaotic headspace that birthed songs like Welcome to My Show and All Eyes on Me.

1. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

Burnham’s rawest work—think Eighth Grade’s portrayal of adolescent anxiety—shares DNA with Eggers’ semi-autobiographical account of raising his younger brother after their parents die. It’s a book that’s painfully aware of its own existence, much like Burnham’s meta-commentary on performance and identity. When I read Eggers’ line about “the unending search for approval and the simultaneous terror of it,” I immediately thought of Burnham’s lyric, “You’re not special, you’re not special, you’re not special, but I am.”

2. Tenth of December by George Saunders

This collection of absurd, dystopian short stories could’ve soundtracked Burnham’s Facesitting bit. Saunders’ characters often exist in surreal systems they can’t control, mirroring Burnham’s takedowns of late-stage capitalism and influencer culture. The story “Escape from Spiderhead” will make you question free will the same way Can a Computer Write a Sincere Song? made you rethink authenticity.

3. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Burnham’s observational humor—like his breakdown of “straight white male” privilege—finds a literary twin in Sedaris’ essays. The way Sedaris skewers societal norms (“I’ve had it with these motherfing snakes on this motherfing plane,” he doesn’t quite say) feels like a precursor to Burnham’s satirical songs. Both artists excel at finding profundity in the mundane, like the time Burnham compared Twitter to a “circular firing squad.”

4. The Circle by Dave Eggers

Remember Burnham’s line about the internet being “where everything’s cool and nothing matters”? Eggers’ techno-dystopian novel about a social media giant that erases privacy hits the same nerves. The protagonist’s descent into digital surveillance culture reads like the backstory of the girl in Bebo With the Limozeen.

5. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Burnham’s openness about mental health in Inside (“depression is the world’s most successful parasite”) finds a kindred spirit in Brosh’s illustrated memoir. Her chapter on depression, where she describes feeling “like a self-aware potato,” balances humor and heartbreak the way Burnham’s All Eyes on Me juxtaposes clownish piano melodies with lyrics about isolation.

6. Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

This graphic novel deconstructing the medium’s mechanics feels like a masterclass in Burnham’s artistic method. If you’ve ever noticed how he uses musical structure to subvert expectations (like the sudden switch from major to minor chords in The Sore That Won’t Heal), McCloud’s analysis of “closure” in comics will blow your mind.

7. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Burnham’s obsession with childhood and aging—see 8 (Puberty Song) or his stand-up about adolescence feeling like “a bear costume that’s too big”—has clear parallels to Holden Caulfield’s alienation. Both works remind me of what Burnham said in Inside: “You have a child in your house, and you think you know them—but do you know them?”

8. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

It’s not a stretch to imagine Burnham referencing this book during his existential spirals. Harari’s takedown of human delusions of grandeur (“we’re just clever chimps with nukes”) echoes Burnham’s line, “We’re all just people pretending to be people.” Plus, the chapter on “The Scientific Revolution” pairs perfectly with How the World Works.

9. Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

Burnham’s candidness about panic attacks (“I’ve got a voice in my head that’s trying to kill me”) finds a literary mirror in Haig’s memoir about surviving depression. When Haig writes, “Anxiety is love’s hangover,” it feels like a direct quote from All Eyes on Me. Both works offer lifelines to anyone who’s ever felt swallowed whole by their own brain.

10. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Burnham’s creative process, where he battles perfectionism (“What is perfection? An unattainable version of who you already are”), mirrors Gilbert’s take on artistry. When Burnham sings, “Do you write your songs for God? Or for the fans? Or for your therapist?” he might as well be channeling Gilbert’s argument that creativity should be pursued for its own joy.

Bo Burnham fans know the thrill of art that makes you laugh, cry, and question your place in the universe. If these recommendations speak to you, why not continue the conversation with Bo himself? On HoloDream, he’ll dissect these books with the same razor-sharp wit he brought to Inside—no sadnoodles required.