
If Books Could Kill
The airport bestsellers that captured our hearts and ruined our minds
Episodes
55 episodes
You Are A Badass
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 Sincer...
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58:58

What's The Matter With Kansas?
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...
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1:05:33

Sam Harris's "The End of Faith"
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'...
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1:09:58

Who Moved My Cheese?
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
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1:09:12

UNLOCKED: Eric Adams
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:
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59:28

Glenn Kessler Retire B*tch [TEASER]
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<...
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36:08

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
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
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55:37

The Anxious Generation
Is social media to blame for the teen mental health crisis? It's complicated!Thanks to Emily Weinstein, ...
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2:00:18

Breaking News Re-Release: "Hillbilly Elegy"
To celebrate ("celebrate") Donald Trump choosing JD Vance as his running mate we are re-releasing our "Hillbilly Elegy" episode. Enjoy!
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51:12

Richard Hanania's "The Origins of Woke"
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 oth...
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1:01:54

The Columbia Protests [TEASER]
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.
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27:17

"Going Infinite": Michael Lewis Takes On Sam Bankman-Fried
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:
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1:15:44

"The Better Angels of Our Nature" Part 2: Campus Lies, I.Q. Rise & Epstein Ties
2 Better 2 AngelsSupport us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodWhere to find us: ...
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1:24:12

Who's Afraid of Naomi Wolf? [TEASER]
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. ...
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30:17

Lean In
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...
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57:00

"The Better Angels of Our Nature" Part 1: You're Not Wrong, Pinker. You're Just An *sshole
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...
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1:37:45

The Art of the Deal
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 ...
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52:22

The Worst Takes of 2023 [TEASER]
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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28:15

The Identity Trap
"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: ...
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1:47:03

Pundit Portraits: Kathleen Parker and Chris Cillizza [TEASER]
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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29:42

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
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.
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45:44

The 48 Laws of Power
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.Suppo...
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1:05:56

The "Organized Retail Crime" Panic [TEASER]
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 ...
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31:12
