Mad Men has come home to AMC. The entire series is available to stream now with AMC+ from the very beginning. In binging all seven seasons of the groundbreaking television series, one can't help but wonder: what might Don Draper be reading for the AMC Book Club?

I could have offered Don Draper from Mad Men a library of '60s classics. Literature came alive in the '60s — a real edge emerged, one that didn't shy away from stigmatized subject matter. I can imagine Don Draper forever living in a '60s time capsule, so my book recommendations are made up of both the seminal and the obscure from that era.

The obvious choice for Don would be The Golden Age of Advertising. He could read it whilst smoking a cigar, with a new mistress by his side and an arrogant smile on his face. But with his frantically busy career and a lifestyle full of pleasure, Don needs something different.

The pandemic has dealt Don a crappy hand, just like the rest of us, so he's probably sexually frustrated and miserable with the lack of advertising work coming his way. To liven things up, I’ve offered him a slew of racy books that he may have intentionally missed in the '60s. I’ve also made sure to highlight some female voices with feminist touches—they may help him reflect on his proclivity for toxic (masculine) behavior.

Do I love or hate ‘destructive’ Don Draper? Honestly, I can never decide... but if he takes on these books like a champ, I think my disdain will turn to love.

Couples by John Updike

Not one for monogamy, I’m sure Don would love John Updike’s Couples. Seen practically as an erotic novel at the time of its release, by today's standards it's so mild that it would probably become an animated film. For many, the '60s marked a farewell to monogamy, and an openness to the newly arrived “swinging” '60s... and we all know Don had his fair share of mistresses. I think he would relish in the complex couples featured in the novel that are bonded together by sexual glue.

Diffusion of Innovations by Everett M. Rogers

Don has plenty of ideas and it’s his job to communicate them. For that reason, I’m sure this would be on his book case in his fancy office. This book (which is now on its 5th edition) is renowned for its observance of innovations, and how they are shared. The process goes like this: first the idea is shared amongst a small group of like-minded people, and then outward, trickling further and further out into the world. With Don always wanting to spread his seed as far as possible (ahem), I'm sure he practices the dissemination of his ideas before his pitches in hopes of enhancing his lavish linguistics and improve the marketing of his ideas.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

I think Don would be intrigued by Capote's ambiguous moral compass, as he travels to report on four murders in this incredible piece of poetic non-fiction. The book, born in the '60s, would have definitely been controversially discussed around Don’s dinner tables. Don would be a lover of non-fiction, I’m sure, after living and breathing advertising and the truth of life. I think this would be enough to make Don sit with and really dive into this novel—maybe he'd even see Truman Capote’s childhood trauma reflected in himself.

Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Written in 1915 by German feminist Charlotte Perkins Gilman, this marvelous utopian novel is about an all-female community. It was created far away from male dominance, which allows them to free themselves from war and conflict. It’s a commune I want to be part of. I think it would be a great piece for Don, one that would really disrupt his understanding of the female construct. The book becomes decidedly more dystopian when men eventually invade and cause a lot of drama, but I shall spill no spoilers for Don or for you. I can hear you and Don both asking: how do they reproduce? Just read the book. You're in for an even madder ride than Fern Gully.

Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin

My short attention span loves a short story. Don has an ADHD advertising brain, so I won’t suggest a full length James Baldwin novel, although his sentences are famously as clean as a bone. Going To Meet the Man is a joyful collection of short stories and essays that are filled with both magic and realism—just not magic realism. Baldwin delivers the bitter truth as usual, enveloped in such eloquent and elaborate language.

This would not be an obvious choice for Don, who often shrugs at any storyline around rights for Black workers, or the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. I think Don would subconsciously shy away from anything racially provocative as he does in Mad Men. However, Don, you must read this so that it can get into your soul… wherever it may be.

Advise and Consent by Allen Drury

A Pulitzer Prize winner from 1959 and a bitter portrayal of corruption, Allen Drury's astute novel is something that I’m sure Don would eat up. Don never spoke too much about politics, although he did call JFK "nouveau riche" and declare his opposition to the Vietnam War. My knee jerk reaction? I always thought of Don as a Republican. There are rumors he’s a Democrat because of his background, but it doesn’t matter. I’m sure Don will sit with some popcorn, totally enraptured by this cinematic style book. Its stormy political landscape and deep dive into the U.S. Senate would fascinate him. This book cuts through the smoke to really see the people inside the Senate walls.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Sylvia encounters many men like Don in her novel, and she loves a hot bath as much as Don loves a hot shower. I’m sure Sylvia’s wry narration in The Bell Jar, along with her female perspective of the fashion industry in the '60s, will provoke a guilty yet impressed smile. Don't you think he may have laughed this book off when the women in his life (who aren’t too dissimilar from the ones written in its pages), recommended it to him?

So Don, I’m putting these on your desk. Take your tie off, unbutton those top buttons, pour yourself a drink, and crack one of these open. You may actually enjoy them... and learn a thing or two.

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