If Books Could Kill
The airport bestsellers that captured our hearts and ruined our minds
Fri, March 28, 2025
Steve Harvey's "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man"
Are you a single lady struggling to find love with a man? Don't fret! A twice-divorced game show host who thinks conversation is for women is here to help. Where to find us: Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, March 06, 2025
Of Boys And Men
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 podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Conscientiousness as a Predictor of the Gender Gap in Academic Achievement Gender Differences in Scholastic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis Early Childhood Behavior Problems and the Gender Gap in Educational Attainment in the United States Where The Boys Aren’t The gender achievement gap in grades and standardised tests The State of Gender Equality for U.S. Adolescents Highlights of women’s earnings in 2023 The gender gap in educational outcomes in Norway Social Influences And The Gender Gap In Disruptive Behavior Family Disadvantage and the Gender Gap What might interrupt men's suicide? As Women Take Over a Male-Dominated Field, the Pay Drops The Cost of Caring Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten? Age of Entry to Kindergarten and Children’s Academic Achievement The Effect of Age at School Entry on Reading Achievement Scores <a href='https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/20
Thu, January 23, 2025
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 Sincero's other, even worse books. Where to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Savy Writes Books Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Fri, December 06, 2024
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 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's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: The Thesis That Drove American Politics Crazy: The Emerging Democratic Majority What’s the Matter with What’s the Matter with Kansas? Class is Dismissed The White Working Class and the Democratic Party It’s time to bust the myth: Most Trump voters were not working class. How the diploma divide came to dominate American politics The 'Diploma Divide': Does It Exist for Racial and Ethnic Minorities? Blind Retrospection: Why Shark Attacks Are Bad For Democracy Nationally poor, locally rich: Income and local context in the 2016 presidential election Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America Political Landscapes of Donald Trump The White Working Class and the 2016 Election Partisanship by family income, ho
Mon, November 04, 2024
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'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 'terrorism' is cited over and over Does intuitive mindset influence belief in God? Terrorism science: 5 insights into jihad in Europe Analytic cognitive style predicts religious and paranormal belief What Is "Islamophobia"? Essays In Defense of Profiling To Profile or Not to Profile Chapter 2 The Making of Jihadist Social Actors in Europe in Who are the new jihadis? Disbelief - Prometheus Books God and the Ivory Tower Religion’s evolutionary landscape: Counterintuition, commitment, compassion, communion The Evolution of Religion: How Cognitive By-Products, Adaptive Learning Heuristics, Ritual Displays, and Group Competition Generate Talking to the Enemy Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, October 10, 2024
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 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 Disposable American Spencer Johnson, ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ Author, Dies at 78 What was the New Economy? Boss, Employees Share Large Cheese Platter Tarpon's big cheese has aides reading Why doesn’t downsizing deliver? On the Battlefields of Business, Millions of Casualties Shareholder Value and Workforce Downsizing, 1981-2006 Long-Term Earnings Losses Due to Job Separation During the 1982 Recession Does Employee Downsizing Really Work? Layoffs, Top Executive Pay, and Firm Performance <a href='https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317564567_Workforce_Downsizing_and_Shareholder_Value_Orientation_among_Executive_Manage
Thu, September 26, 2024
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 : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Thu, September 26, 2024
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 : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Tue, September 24, 2024
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 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 Americans and Adolescent Developmental Outcomes Associations of parenting dimensions and styles with externalizing problems of children and adolescents: An updated meta-analysis Do the associations of parenting styles with behavior problems and academic achievement vary by culture? Results from a meta-analysis Parenting Styles: A Closer Look at a Well-Known Concept Impact of Behavioral Inhibition and Parenting Style on Internalizing and Externalizing Problems from Early Childhood through Adolescence The One Weird Trait That Predicts Whether You’re a Trump Supporter Investigating Correlates of Self-Regulation in Early Childhood with a Representative Sample of English-Speaking American Families Amy Chua thinks identity politics on both sides are to blame. How the 'Tiger Mom' Convinced the Author of Hillbilly Elegy to Write His Story Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, August 08, 2024
The Anxious Generation
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, "Behind Their Screens" Positive and negative uses of social media among adolescents hospitalized for suicidal behavior The Sisyphean Cycle of Technology Panics The Relationship Between Online Social Networking and Depression: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Studies Online "predators" and their victims The Coddling of the American Parent No More FOMO: Limiting Social Media Decreases Loneliness and Depression How technology is transforming the ways in which children play Banning mobile phones in schools in Spain No One Knows Exactly What Social Media Is Doing To Teens Windows of developmental sensitivity to social media Smartphones are bad for some teens, not all How Smartphones Affect the Social-Emotional Development of Adolescents <a href='https://p
Tue, July 16, 2024
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!
Thu, July 11, 2024
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 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. 1988) Pakizegi v. First Nat. Bank of Boston, 831 F. Supp. 901 Tesla Settles Discrimination Suit With Former Factory Worker - The New York Times Menial Tasks, Slurs and Swastikas: Many Black Workers at Tesla Say They Faced Racism - The New York Times Diaz v. Tesla, Inc. Making Hispanics: How Activists, Bureaucrats, and Media Constructed a New American Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination Meta-analysis of field experiments shows no change in racial discrimination in hiring over time | PNAS Systemic Discrimination Among Large U.S. Employers Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, May 16, 2024
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. To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Thu, May 02, 2024
"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: 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 'Mob' The SBF trial is a reminder that crypto is a rotten business Review: Michael Lewis's Going Infinite The Curious Case of FTX’s ‘Company Therapist’ (vice.com) FTX’s Collapse Was a Crime, Not an Accident Going Infinite by Michael Lewis review – falling for the antihero The Second FTX Asset Recovery Report Is Packed With Bombshells Takeaways From a New Book on Sam Bankman-Fried Caroline Ellison Testifies Against Sam Bankman-Fried, Blaming Him for Crimes Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, April 11, 2024
"The Better Angels of Our Nature" Part 2: Campus Lies, I.Q. Rise & Epstein Ties
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 Pinker, Epstein, Soldier, Spy A century of sexual abuse victimisation: A birth cohort analysis The prevalence of child sexual abuse with online sexual abuse added Have Sexual Abuse and Physical Abuse Declined Since the 1990s? Explanations for the Decline in Child Sexual Abuse Cases The Decline in Child Sexual Abuse Cases Why Have Child Maltreatment and Child Victimization Declined? Spanking and Other Corporal Punishment of Children by Parents: Undervaluing Children, Overvaluing Pain Were There Really More Hate Crimes Last Year? Hate Crime Reported by Victims and Police The Sexual Victimization of College Women The "Di
Thu, March 28, 2024
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. To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Thu, March 14, 2024
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 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 other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Facebook Feminism, Like It or Not Feminism's Tipping Point: Who Wins from Leaning in? One Cheer for Lean In Is there an implicit quota on women in top management? A large‐sample statistical analysis Female tokens in high-prestige work groups: Catalysts or inhibitors of group diversification? Want Equal Pay? Get a Union. The Gender Wage Gap: Extent, Trends, and Explanations What Was the Girlboss? New Research: Women Who Don’t Negotiate Might Have a Good Reason Now, Women Do Ask: A Call to Update Beliefs about the Gender Pay Gap What’s It Like Inside the Hive? Managerial Discretion Drives TMT Gender Diversity of Women-Led Firms I asked Facebook if I could work part-time from home after I had my baby. They said no—so I quit Women in the Workplace 2023 Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome <a href='https://thefeministwire.com/2013/10/17973/
Thu, February 22, 2024
"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 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 help researching and fact-checking this episode! Where to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: The Darker Angels of Our Nature Getting Medieval On Steven Pinker The Decline of Violence in the West: From Cultural to Post-Cultural History Pinker’s (Mis)Representation of the Enlightenment and Violence Herding and Homicide: An Examination of the Nisbett-Reaves Hypothesis Peace in Our Time John Gray: Steven Pinker is wrong about violence and war The business class doesn't understand the Enlightenment <a href='https://web.archive.org/web/20120109124246/https:/www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2011/09/jo
Thu, January 11, 2024
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 chronicling his exploits as a celebrity slumlord. Where to find us: Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: When Donald Trump Took Down Holiday Inns The Lost City of Trump Who Runs New York Now? How Donald Trump Bankrupted His Atlantic City Casinos, but Still Earned Millions Doer and Slumlord Both Donald Trump Gets What He Wants Donald Trump was a nightmare landlord in the 1980s Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, December 21, 2023
The Worst Takes of 2023 [TEASER]
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Thu, December 14, 2023
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: 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's " The Defense of Liberty Can’t Do Without Identity Politics " Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò's "Elite Capture" Aaron Huertas's "We Need to Talk About Reactionary Centrists" Mary Lin Elementary under federal investigation Parents refute claims of segregation at Mary Lin Elementary School School Segregation in Metropolitan Regions, 1970–2000 60 Years After Brown School choice and racial segregation in US schools Student Population Has Significantly Diversified, But Many Schools Remain Divided Along Racial, Ethnic, and Economic Lines U.S. public school students often go to schools where at least half of their peers are the same race or ethnicity The Return of Old-Fashioned Racism to White Americans’ Partisan Preferences Why The Democrats Have Shifted Left Over The Last 30 Years Widespread misperceptions of long-term attitude change Trump, the 2016 Election, and Expressions of Sexism <li
Tue, November 28, 2023
Pundit Portraits: Kathleen Parker and Chris Cillizza [TEASER]
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Tue, November 21, 2023
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. 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 Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck (Blog Post) Where A is Ordinary: The Evolution of American College and University Grading, 1940-2009 We’ve Been Handing Out Participation Trophies for 100 Years Positive Disintegration ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a #@%!’ Review: A Blunt Philosophy Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, November 02, 2023
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. 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” Kelly Link's "White Cat, Black Dog" The Half-Century in Bullshit: On Peter Bogdanovich’s “Paper Moon” and Robert Greene’s “The 48 Laws of Power” A Book of Anecdotes, 1957 The Little Brown Book Of Anecdotes Fear Nothing: Self-Fashioning and Social Mobility in 50 Cent’s The 50th Law The fear of conflict leads people to systematically avoid potentially valuable zero-sum situations The Immigration Dilemma You Can Win But I Can't Lose If you rise, I fall: Equality is prevented by the misperception that it harms advantaged groups Zero-Sum Thinking and the Roots of U.S. Political Divides A Genesis of Conflict: The Zero-Sum Mindset Forbes Winslow’s Physic and Physicians The role of masculinity in men's help-seeking for depression: A systematic review <a href='https://ww
Thu, October 26, 2023
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 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
Thu, October 19, 2023
San Fransicko
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 find us: Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Inflection Points in Community-level Homeless Rates How Housing Costs Drive Levels of Homelessness The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report To Congress The California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness San Francisco Homelessness Benchmarking Report Homelessness is a Housing Problem A randomized trial of permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless persons with high use of publicly funded services San Francisco Department of Public Health Update Report on Mental Health Reform Civil Commitment in the United States Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, September 21, 2023
The 4-Hour Workweek
Have you ever wanted to escape the grind and follow your dreams? This week we're discussing "The 4-Hour Workweek," which reveals that all you need is a plan, a willingness to take risks and a modestly sized fraud operation built on Third World labor. 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 Fraud and the Four-Hour Workweek Revisiting "The 4-Hour Workweek" New! Improved! Shape Up Your Life! From Productivity to Psychedelics: Tim Ferriss Has Changed His Mind About Success Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, September 14, 2023
The Clinton E-Mail Scandal [TEASER]
But her e-mails! Michael explains the non-scandal that captivated the mainstream media in 2016 while Peter attempts to sow the podcast with anti-Hillary sentiment. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Thu, September 07, 2023
God And Man At Yale
Oops all grievance. 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: No Ivory Tower : Mccarthyism And The Universities The Fire Is Upon Us The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945 The Passion of William F. Buckley: Academic Freedom, Conspiratorial Conservatism, and the Rise of the Postwar Right Why Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care? Compromised Campus: The Collaboration of Universities with the Intelligence Community, 1945-1955 Debunking a Longstanding Myth About William F. Buckley How William F. Buckley Jr.’s Right-Wing College Crusade Paved the Way for Ron DeSantis The Right v. Higher Education: Change and Continuity The Buckleys: A Family Examined The Academic Elite Goes to Washington, and to War What About “God and Man”? The Attack on Yale The academy on the firing line: William F. Buckley, Jr.'s God and Man at Yale and the modern conservative critique of higher education <a href='https://www.washingtonp
Thu, August 10, 2023
'On Bullsh*t' and the Pundit Industrial Complex [TEASER]
For this month's bonus episode we dissected Harry Frankfurt's gloriously brief bestseller and applied the concept to our favorite op-ed page. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Thu, July 27, 2023
Liberal Fascism
Who poses the greatest threat to democracy? Is it the movement that openly identifies with the symbols, goals and policies of fascist governments? Or is it the median bureaucrat at the Department of Health and Human Services? In 2008, a National Review nepo-baby attempted to answer this vexing question. 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: History News Network: A Symposium on Jonah Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism The Nature of Fascism How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them The Anatomy of Fascism Mussolini and Fascism: The View From America The Return of Old-Fashioned Racism to White Americans’ Partisan Preferences in the Early Obama Era Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America What Hillary Rodham Clinton Really Said About Children’s Rights and Child Policy The Ku Klux Klan in the City, 1915-1930 A campus takeover that symbolized an era of change Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, July 13, 2023
Are The Straights OK [TEASER]
In our "Rules" and "Game" episodes we didn't get a chance to dissect the phenomenon of online dating (i.e. describe our worst dates and read cringe profiles out loud to each other), so that is what we are doing on today's bonus episode. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Thu, July 06, 2023
BONUS: Conservatives vs. Pride Month
Lots of subscribers asked us to release last month's bonus episode in full so here it is! Share it with the conservatives, the boomers and the Satanists in your life. 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 Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, June 29, 2023
The Rules
In 1995 a bestselling book proposed a simple dating strategy for women: Lose weight, wear bright colors and become a completely different person for the rest of your life. Thanks to Moira Donegan for helping us with this episode! 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: From Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in Twentieth-Century America Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s essay, “Stuff Your ‘Rules’” The More Things Change: The Rules And Late Eighteenth‐Century Conduct Books For Women Shrinking Violets and Caspar Milquetoasts: Shyness and Heterosexuality from the Roles of the Fifties to "The Rules" of the Nineties From Mountain Peak to Total Woman: An Evolutionary History of Pre-feminist Dating Advice The Mating Game: How Gender Still Shapes How We Date by Ellen Lamont So Many Rules, So Little Time Abiding by The Rules: Instructing Women in Relationships What leads to romantic attraction: similarity, reciprocity, security, or beauty? Evidence from a speed-dating study "Playing Hard To Get": Understanding An Elusive Phenomenon Egalitarian Daters, Traditionalist Dates Aspirational pursuit of mates in online dating markets Disintermediating your friends: How online dating in the United States displaces other way
Thu, June 15, 2023
Atomic Habits
This week we're discussing "Atomic Habits," a book about how to use science (and also some stuff that’s definitely not science) to train yourself to be a more functional person. 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: How 1% Performance Improvements Led to Olympic Gold From paupers to kings: The lottery-funded revolution Habit Formation Implementation Intentions to Reduce Smoking: A Systematic Review of the Literature Effectiveness of the use of implementation intentions on reduction of substance use: A meta-analysis When Intentions Go Public Effect of Intensive Handwashing Promotion on Childhood Diarrhea in High-Risk Communities in Pakistan Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Mon, June 12, 2023
Conservatives vs. Pride Month [TEASER]
To celebrate Pride Month we recorded the most depressing bonus episode we've ever done. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Thu, June 01, 2023
The World is Flat
Much has been said about globalization, but perhaps no one has said it worse than Thomas Friedman. Content Note: Discussions of xenophobic and racist content, especially toward the end of the episode. 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: Why The World Isn't Flat The World Is Still Not Flat DHL Global Connectedness Index 2022 The Fallacies of Flatness The Sociopathy of Thomas Friedman: A Compendium Thomas Friedman sums up the Iraq War (YouTube) Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Fri, May 19, 2023
"Nudge" Part 2: Mr. Nudge Goes to Washington
The Nudgening. 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: David Gal's "Behavioral Winter" The i-frame and the s-frame: How focusing on individual-level solutions has led behavioral public policy astray Why Is Behavioral Economics So Popular? Applying Behavioral Insights To Intimate Partner Violence What Counts as a Nudge? The Power of Nudges, for Good and Bad Allowing Patients to Waive the Right to Sue for Medical Malpractice: A Response to Thaler and Sunstein Obama’s Obama Behavioural Insights Applied to Policy - Country Overviews 2016 The opioid crisis and nudge theory On the Supposed Evidence for Libertarian Paternalism The effect of charter schools on charter students and public schools Re-election Strategy Is Tied to a Shift on Smog Is the White House delaying too many health and safety rules? Down the Regulatory Rabbit Hole Why regulations are good — again <a href='https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cas
Mon, May 15, 2023
The Meme Stock Cult [TEASER]
In 2021, scrappy young investors from across the world joined forces to buy GameStop stock, aiming to take down greedy hedge funds. What came next was tragedy, injustice, and a conspiratorial internet cult so stupid we had to do an episode about it. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Thu, May 04, 2023
"Nudge" Part 1: A Simple Solution For Littering, Organ Donations and Climate Change
In 2008, an economist and a law professor proposed a radical new approach to politics: Telling people not to do bad stuff. 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: Mike's Maintenance Phase episode on the godfather of the "cafeteria nudge" Nudge: Concept, Effectiveness, and Ethics From mechanism to virtue: Evaluating Nudge theory The effectiveness of nudging: A meta-analysis of choice architecture interventions across behavioral domains Why the Most Important Idea in Behavioral Decision-Making Is a Fallacy Behavioral Winter Why Is Behavioral Economics So Popular? The Origins of Anti-Litter Campaigns Do Normative Appeals Affect Tax Compliance? Evidence from a Controlled Experiment in Minnesota Opt-out legislations: the mysterious viability of the false Opt-out policies capacity to increase organ donors is limited Assessing Global Organ Donation Policies: Opt-In vs Opt-Out What Counts as a Nudge? Preventing Secondary Pregnancy In Adolescents: A Model Program The Effect of Monetary Incentives and Peer Support Groups on Repeat Adolescent Pregnancies A Randomized Trial of the Dollar-a-Day Program <a href='https://deliverypdf.ssrn.com/deliver
Thu, April 20, 2023
The 5 Love Languages
What’s your love language? Is it gifts? Words of affirmation? Or is it podcasts about books with extremely weird, reactionary gender dynamics? 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: Can Gary Chapman Save Your Marriage? The Sixth Love Language Does Not Exist How ‘The Five Love Languages’ Gets Misinterpreted The 5 Love Languages Don’t Matter as Much as You Think The Creator Of The 5 Love Languages Is A Homophobe And This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things Famed Author Gary Chapman Talks Love, Marriage, Sex Evangelicals Incorporated Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, April 13, 2023
Ben Shapiro's Plan To End Poverty [TEASER]
Is it bootstraps? It's bootstraps. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Thu, April 06, 2023
Rich Dad Poor Dad
In 1997, Robert Kiyosaki revealed the secret to lifelong success: Deliver grifty seminars and hire child slaves. 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: Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad' Robert Kiyosaki Exposed Stupid Investment of the Week Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Education on Real Estate Investing Review The Ticket to Easy Street? The Financial Consequences of Winning the Lottery Why the Myth of the Miserable Lottery Winner Just Won’t Die Work Centrality and Post-Award Work Behavior of Lottery Winners "The best way to get even with A-grade students was to make them employees of mine" Ohio real estate investor’s warning statement on Robert Kiyosaki and Bill Gatten’s complex PACtrust for real estate investing Academic Discipline and Personal Finance Instruction in High School Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, March 30, 2023
The Dumbest Campus Controversies Of The Last Decade [TEASER]
Get in loser, we're going to Oberlin. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Thu, March 23, 2023
Hillbilly Elegy
In 2016, J.D. Vance informally launched his political career with "Hillbilly Elegy," a memoir that blames the relative poverty of Appalachian and Rust Belt populations on their own culture. Despite its reactionary premise, mainstream and liberal press outlets were so enamored by the book that they accidentally made Vance a senator. 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: Appalachian Reckoning America’s Divided Recovery What Did Hillbilly Elegy Get Wrong? J.D. Vance, the False Prophet of Blue America Hillbilly Elitism Welfare Queens and White Trash Consumer Expenditures in 2016 Household Expenditures and Income CFPB Data Point: Payday Lending Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, March 09, 2023
The Coddling Of The American Mind
TRIGGER WARNING: if you're a SNOWFLAKE college professor afraid of how your students are expressing themselves, you might need a SAFE SPACE, because Michael and Peter are discussing "The Coddling of The American Mind," a book about campus culture that's light on facts and heavy on cherry-picked anecdotes. CORRECTION: The Socrates quote mentioned at the end of this episode is apocryphal. We thank the listeners who pointed this out for refusing to coddle our American minds. 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 Miseducation of Free Speech ( https://www.virginialawreview.org/articles/miseducation-free-speech/ ) College and the “Culture War”: Assessing Higher Education’s Influence on Moral Attitudes ( https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00031224211041094 ) The Myth of the Campus Coddle Crisis ( https://academeblog.org/2018/12/28/the-myth-of-the-campus-coddle-crisis-the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/ ) What ‘Safe Spaces’ Really Look Like on College Campuses ( https://www.chronicle.com/article/what-safe-spaces-really-look-like-on-college-campuses/?bc_nonce=peduocnzcslb08jxmt1dlb&cid=reg_wall_signup ) Are College Campuses Really in the Thrall of Leftist Censors? ( https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/03/hypersensitive-campus-progressives-judith-shulevitz-is-half-right-but-takes-her-criticisms-too-far.html ) Speaking Freely: What Students Think about Expression at American Colleges ( https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/student-attitudes-free-speech-survey ) ‘Not all cultures are created equal’ says Penn Law professor in op-ed ( https://www.thedp.com/article/2017/08/amy-wax-penn-law-cultural-values ) How Right Wing Media Has Tried to Stifle Student Speech
Tue, February 28, 2023
The New York Times's War On Trans Kids [TEASER]
The nation's most prestigious newspaper insists on asking a very stupid question. So for this month's bonus episode, we decided to answer it. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod As we mentioned at the top of the episode, we're donating this month's support to three of our trans journo-friends! They've been unbelievably patient with Mike as he's navigated the science and politics of this issue over the last year. Here's where to find and support their work: Parker Molloy ( readtpa.com ) Katelyn Burns ( patreon.com/katelynburns ) Evan Urquhart ( assignedmedia.org )
Thu, February 23, 2023
The Clash of Civilizations
"If your thesis doesn't hold up to obvious criticisms, there's a chance that your thesis sucks." Thanks to Paul Musgrave and Alex Cruikshanks for helping us fact-check this episode! 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 Links! Huntington’s 1993 article Statistics on deaths in state-based conflicts The Clash of Civilizations: An Islamicist’s Critique Paul Musgrave’s Roundtable on Clash of Civilizations “The Hispanic Challenge” The “Arab Street”? Public Opinion In The Arab World The Clash of Ignorance Can Civilizations Clash?
Thu, February 09, 2023
The End of History
Francis Fukuyama's "The End of History and the Last Man" changed political discourse forever. Peter and Michael peel back his muddled history and fluffy rhetoric, revealing several more layers of muddled history and fluffy rhetoric. 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: Reflections on the End of History, Five Years Later ( https://www.jstor.org/stable/2505433 ) More Proof That This Really Is the End of History ( https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/10/francis-fukuyama-still-end-history/671761/ ) Francis Fukuyama Postpones the End of History ( https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/09/03/francis-fukuyama-postpones-the-end-of-history ) Endism: why 1989 was not the 'end of history' ( https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/endism/ ) The End of the End of History ( https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/maximillian-alvarez-end-end-history/ ) It's Still Not the End of History ( https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/09/its-still-not-the-end-of-history-francis-fukuyama/379394/ ) Bring back ideology: Fukuyama's 'end of history' 25 years on ( https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/mar/21/bring-back-ideology-fukuyama-end-history-25-years-on ) Francis Fukuyama's Shrinking Idea ( https://newrepublic.com/article/152668/francis-fukuyama-identity-review-collapse-theory-liberal-democracy )
Tue, January 31, 2023
The Lab Leak [TEASER]
In December 2019, the coronavirus pandemic began in Wuhan, China. In May 2021, America experienced one of the most cursed weeks of punditry we've ever seen. This is a condensed version of the full episode. To hear the rest go to patreon.com/IfBooksPod . See you next week!
Thu, January 26, 2023
Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus
In 1992 a yoga instructor with a distance-learning PhD had the courage to ask: "Are women not getting help around the house because they're using the wrong modal verb?" Support us on Patreon Where to find us: Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: The Myth of Mars and Venus: Do Men and Women Really Speak Different Languages? A critical response to John Gray's Mars and Venus portrayals of men and women The Gender Similarities Hypothesis The Rebuttal from Uranus Coming home upset: Gender, marital satisfaction and the daily spillover of workday experience into couple interactions FDA warning letter Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus: An Analysis of a Potential Meme Women, Men and Language Women, Men, and Gender: Ongoing Debates Women and Men Talking: Are They World’s Apart?
Thu, January 12, 2023
The Secret
Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret" sold millions of copies based on a simple premise: All of science is fake and the only reason anything ever happens is because people manifest it by communicating with the universe. Support us on Patreon Where to find us: Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Power Lines Oprah's Ugly Secret The Staggering Bullshit of The Secret Death by “alternative” medicine: Who’s to blame? For Some Seeking Rebirth, Sweat Lodge Was End A Little Secret About The Secret Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, December 15, 2022
The Population Bomb
How a Stanford lepidopterist convinced the world to fear the breeding habits of the poor. Again. Support us on Patreon Where to find us: Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Sonia Shah’s “The Next Great Migration” Barbarian Hordes: The overpopulation scapegoat in international development discourse Optimism and Overpopulation The Population Bomb Revisited The Strange History of Birth Control Birth Control for Others How the World Survived the Population Bomb: Lessons From 50 Years of Extraordinary Demographic History Why the Population Bomb is a Rockefeller Baby
Thu, December 08, 2022
A Bari Special Bonus Episode [TEASER]
Our first premium episode is a deep dive into the blog of the infamously (and dubiously) "canceled" Bari Weiss. To hear the full episode, subscribe on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod More free episodes are on their way!
Thu, December 01, 2022
The Game
Neil Strauss's "The Game" aimed to teach any man how to hook up with beautiful women. All he needed was a little bit of sociopathy, a lot of misogyny and a fanny pack full of props. Support us on Patreon Where to find us: Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: He's Simply Resistable Pickup Artists Are Still A Thing. And They Want You To Know They’ve Evolved. Misogynist Incels and Male Supremacism Would the Pickup Artist Stand a Chance in the #MeToo Era? Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, November 17, 2022
David Brooks's "Bobos in Paradise"
David Brooks became liberals' famous conservative by telling them what they wanted to hear. But ... why did they want to hear something that was lazy and wrong? Support us on Patreon Where to find us: Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: A Reasonable Man David Brooks: Boo-Boos in Paradise A Cartoon Elite David Brooks’s Conversion Story David Brooks and the Endless Grift of the Conservative Commentariat How The Bobos Broke America Death Of A Yuppie Dream: The Rise And Fall Of The Professional-Managerial Class Stuff the Professional-Managerial Class Likes: "Distinction" for an Egalitarian Elite David Brooks’s Search for Meaning The facts vs. David Brooks: Startling inaccuracies raise questions about his latest book David Brooks Is Not Buying Your Excuses, Poor People Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Thu, November 10, 2022
Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers"
In "Outliers," Malcolm Gladwell posited that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert in something. Mike and Peter prove him wrong by mastering his dumb book over the span of about 50 minutes. Support us on Patreon Links: Malcolm Gladwell talks about responding to critics, and the perils of ‘Talking to Strangers’ Gladwell for Dummies Malcolm Gladwell interview The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance The Dangers of Delegating Education To Journalists Good intuition takes years of practice Blinkered How Malcolm Gladwell Tricks You Into Believing Complexity and the Ten-Thousand-Hour Rule Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
Wed, November 02, 2022
Freakonomics
In 2005, two men named Steven and Stephen published the quintessential airport book. In 2022, two men named Mike and Peter started a whole podcast just to make fun of it. Thanks to Ted Joyce and Ames Grawert for helping with the research for this episode! Support us on Patreon Where to find us: Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: The 2003 NYT article Freakonomics: What Went Wrong? A Review of Freakonomics Dismal Science Freak-Freakonomics The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime: Comment The Abortion–Crime Link: Evidence from England and Wales The Impact of an Abortion Ban on Socioeconomic Outcomes of Children: Evidence from Romania Did Legalized Abortion Lower Crime? On the Choice of Control Variables in the Crime Equation Steven Levitt on Abortion and Crime: Old Economics in New Bottles The Impact Of Legalized Abortion On Crime The Great American Mystery Story: Why Did Crime Decline? Is There an iCrime Wave? The Great Crime Decline The Crime Drop in America 10 (Not Entirely Crazy) Theories Explaining the Great Crime Decline <a href='https://papers.ssrn.com/s
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