If Books Could Kill

Who's to blame for the crisis of American masculinity? On the right, politicians tell men that they being oppressed by feminists and must reassert their manhood by supporting an authoritarian regime. And on the left, users of social media are often very irritating to people who write airport books.   Where to find us:  Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other...

Peter and Michael dissect Jen Sincero's "You are a Badass," a book that answers the question: What if "The Secret" was written in the painful, try-hard style of "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck"? Featuring a surprise digression about Sincero's other, even worse books. Where to find us:  Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenan...

In 2004, historian Thomas Frank proposed a theory about the rightward drift of the white working class. Was he a prescient king whose work presaged the rise of Trump — or a bumbling fool with a broken thesis?  Unfortunately it turns out he is a secret third thing that takes one hour and six minutes to explain. Special thanks to Julia Valdés for her help with this episode! Where to find us:  Peter&...

Peter and Michael discuss the book that launched the phenomenon of New Atheism and asked the question: What if we hated Muslims, but in a secular way? Where to find us:  Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Views of Violence Carnival Booth: An Algorithm for Defeating the Computer-Assisted Passenger Screening System The same motive for anti-US '...

What should workers do when they get laid off? In 1998 a bleak, asinine bestseller told them to find another whey.  Where to find us:  Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining America Downsizing in America Temp:  How American Work, American Business, and the American Dream Became Temporary The Disposabl...

New York’s favorite criminal is in the news, so here is our episode about his ridiculous life. To hear all of our bonus episodes, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

Is fact-checking a legitimate enterprise? Is America's most famous fact-checker nothing more than a dweeb? Michael and Peter discuss. To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

A memoir about parenting very badly and then getting weirdly defensive when anyone asks you about it. Where to find us:  Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Effects of Authoritative Parental Control on Child Behavior, Child Development Types of Parenting Styles and Effects On Children Does “Tiger Parenting” Exist? Parenting Profiles of Chinese Amer...

Is social media to blame for the teen mental health crisis? It's complicated! Thanks to Emily Weinstein , Amy Orben , Andrew Przybylski , Dean Burnett , Michael Mullarkey and Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz for help researching and fact-checking this episode! Where to find us:  Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Emily Weinstein's book, "Behi...

To celebrate ("celebrate") Donald Trump choosing JD Vance as his running mate we are re-releasing our "Hillbilly Elegy" episode. Enjoy! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

Peter and Michael discuss "The Origins of Woke," a glimpse into the dark aspirations of the Republican Party and the mind of a very unusual man. Where to find us:  Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: What Speech Does "Hostile Work Environment" Harassment Law Restrict?   Tunis v. Corning Glass Works, 698 F. Supp. 452 (S.D.N.Y. 19...

Peter and Michael discuss the media coverage of the protests at Columbia — from the crazed, bloodthirsty ravings of right-wing media to the more muted, respectful bloodthirst of centrist media. To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

Peter and Michael discuss Michael Lewis’s bestselling book about the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, a young prodigy whose only flaw was that he dreamed too big. Where to find us:  Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Michael Lewis Is Buying What Sam Bankman-Fried Is Selling  Michael Lewis Likens Critics of His New Book on Sam Bankman-Fried to a...

2 Better 2 Angels Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Jeffrey Epstein’s Science of Sleaze Pinker’s response to Epstein allegations How Jeffrey Epstein Captivated Harvard Jeffrey Epstein Hoped to Seed Human Race With His DNA It’s Official — Steven Pinker Is Full of Shit Pi...

We're finally discussing a good book! Naomi Klein's "Doppelgänger" chronicles the long, steady descent of another Naomi — Wolf (buddy oof) — from feminist icon to crank conspiracist.  To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

In 2013, Sheryl Sandberg became an icon for women who wanted to move from middle management at a tech company into upper management at a tech company. Today, Peter and Michael examine the contents of her bestselling book, survey the wreckage of corporate feminism and ask whether women will finally find liberation in the Metaverse. Where to find us:  Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's othe...

This week we're tackling Steven Pinker's 900 page dissection of the reasons why violence, torture and war have declined over the last 10,000 years. Was it an indeterminate mixture of politics, economics, technology and serendipity?  Or did some European guys write some books that said murder was bad? Special thanks to Philip Dwyer, Eleanor Janega, David M. Perry and Doug Thompson for hel...

Before Donald Trump became America's most prominent politician and birth certificate inspector, he spent his days making everyone in New York City slightly uncomfortable. Michael and Peter discuss "The Art of the Deal," Trump’s 1987 bestseller chronicling his exploits as a celebrity slumlord. Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maint...

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"There are two kinds of political scientists: The types who deal with noisy data and post on Twitter with a bunch of caveats. And then there are the types who write books about identity politics."   Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Sam  Huneke's " Yascha Mounk’s Woke Straw Man " Jacob T. Levy&a...

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You stare, mouth agape, at the bookstore display. It’s a self-help book, but with curse words in the title?! This must be a revolutionary new framework, not simply the same dull, reactionary ideas repackaged as hip and new. Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: The...

In 1996, a frustrated screenwriter got a fellowship in Italy. Twenty years later, Beyoncé released "Lemonade."  Content warning: This episode includes a mention of suicide. Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Rebecca Solnit’s “A Paradise Built in Hell” K...

Retailers have been sounding the alarm about a shoplifting epidemic driven by organized criminal syndicates. In a shocking twist, it turns out that their story is mostly made up. Join us as Peter tries to figure out where this panic originated and as Mike finally comes clean about his criminal past. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Support us...

This week we're tackling "San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities," a book that dares to ask: What if everything that experts think about homelessness is wrong, and everything that one crank on Twitter thinks about homelessness is right? Thanks to Ned Resnikoff for helping us with the research for this episode! Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to...