Episodes
Published 03/28/24
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
Published 03/28/24
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, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Facebook Feminism, Like It or NotFeminism's Tipping Point: Who Wins...
Published 03/14/24
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, 5-4Mike's other...
Published 02/22/24
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:  TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: When Donald Trump Took Down Holiday Inns The Lost City of Trump Who Runs New York Now? How Donald...
Published 01/11/24
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Published 12/21/23
"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:  TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: 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...
Published 12/14/23
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Published 11/28/23
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:  TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k (Blog Post)Where A is Ordinary: The Evolution of American College and...
Published 11/21/23
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:  TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Rebecca Solnit’s “A Paradise Built in Hell”Kelly Link's "White Cat, Black Dog"The Half-Century in B******t: On Peter Bogdanovich’s “Paper Moon” and Robert Greene’s...
Published 11/02/23
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
Published 10/26/23
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:  TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Inflection Points in...
Published 10/19/23
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:  TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: The Fraud and the Four-Hour WorkweekRevisiting "The 4-Hour Workweek"New! Improved! Shape...
Published 09/21/23
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
Published 09/14/23
Oops all grievance. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: No Ivory Tower : Mccarthyism And The UniversitiesThe Fire Is Upon UsThe Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945The Passion of William F. Buckley: Academic Freedom, Conspiratorial Conservatism, and the Rise of the Postwar RightWhy Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care?Compromised...
Published 09/07/23
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
Published 08/10/23
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:  TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: History News Network: A...
Published 07/27/23
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
Published 07/13/23
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:  TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseThanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Published 07/06/23
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:  TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: From Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in Twentieth-Century America Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s essay,...
Published 06/29/23
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:  TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: How 1% Performance Improvements Led to Olympic GoldFrom paupers to kings: The lottery-funded revolution Habit FormationImplementation Intentions to Reduce...
Published 06/15/23
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
Published 06/12/23
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:  TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Why The World Isn't FlatThe World Is Still Not FlatDHL Global Connectedness Index 2022The Fallacies of FlatnessThe Sociopathy of...
Published 06/01/23
The Nudgening. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: David Gal's "Behavioral Winter"The i-frame and the s-frame: How focusing on individual-level solutions has led behavioral public policy astrayWhy Is Behavioral Economics So Popular?Applying Behavioral Insights To Intimate Partner ViolenceWhat Counts as a Nudge?The Power of Nudges, for Good and BadAllowing Patients to...
Published 05/19/23
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
Published 05/15/23