If Books Could Kill

Latest Episodes:

"The Better Angels of Our Nature" Part 1: You're Not Wrong, Pinker. You're Just An *sshole Feb 22, 2024

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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!

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Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

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The Art of the Deal Jan 11, 2024

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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.
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Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

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The Worst Takes of 2023 [TEASER] Dec 21, 2023

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The Identity Trap Dec 14, 2023

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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."
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Pundit Portraits: Kathleen Parker and Chris Cillizza [TEASER] Nov 28, 2023

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The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Nov 21, 2023

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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.
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Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

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The 48 Laws of Power Nov 02, 2023

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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.

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Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

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The "Organized Retail Crime" Panic [TEASER] Oct 26, 2023

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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:
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San Fransicko Oct 19, 2023

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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!

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Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

The 4-Hour Workweek Sep 21, 2023

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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:

Sources:

Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod