If Books Could Kill

Michael Hobbes & Peter Shamshiri

The airport bestsellers that captured our hearts and ruined our minds

Beschikbare afleveringen

  • "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,...

  • "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:  Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Jeffrey Epstein’s Science of Sleaze Pinker’s response to Epstein...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • "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...

  • 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...

  • The Worst Takes of 2023 [TEASER]

    To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

  • 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...

  • Pundit Portraits: Kathleen Parker and Chris Cillizza [TEASER]

    To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

  • 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...

  • 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/IfBooksPodWhere...

  • 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...