If Books Could Kill

Michael Hobbes & Peter Shamshiri

The airport bestsellers that captured our hearts and ruined our minds read less

Our Editor's Take

If Books Could Kill is a podcast with the goal of putting popular books into logical perspective. This show offers a safe yet fun space to talk about bestselling books that deserve criticism. The hosts, Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri, offer valuable insight into notable works. The podcast analyzes these books but also comments on mainstream consumption. It encourages listeners to enhance their skills in determining well-researched books. This discussion-based podcast focuses on analysis, education, and critical thinking. Michael and Peter encourage listeners to reflect on the validity of the books they read. They show how to put these books in a realistic context.

The show points out mass over-generalizations often present in mainstream literature. This podcast wants to help determine what information is reliable. If Books Could Kill examines Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. The hosts criticize the book and point to biased research. The podcast hosts talk about The Secret and analyze the complicated reading experience. They also discuss Freakonomics and pick at the book's inaccuracies and data misuse. The hosts mock Rich Dad, Poor Dad and find the Robert Kiyosaki book to be implausible. They think the "Rich Dad" is either fictional or a monster who exploited the young Kiyosaki for cheap labor.

In an attempt to correct the miseducation of free speech, If Books Could Kill stays true to facts. The podcast hosts question a college professor's commentary on poor people. In the episode on Francis Fukayama's The End of History and the Last Man, the hosts criticize the danger of abstraction.

The podcast hosts explore the analogies In The Coddling of the American Mind. In one episode of If Books Could Kill, they criticize the book's attack on liberal professors. This leads to a pointed discussion of what is actually happening on college campuses. The myth of the campus coddle crisis demonstrates the point of this whole podcast. It shows that critical thinking is a skill that is waning. More featured books from the show are Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, and David Brooks's Bobos in Paradise. New episodes come out on a periodic basis.

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Sam Harris's "The End of Faith"

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, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Views of ViolenceCarnival Booth: An Algorithm for Defeating the Computer-Assisted Passenger Screening SystemThe same motive for anti-US 'terrorism' is cited over and overDoes intuitive mindset influence belief in God? Terrorism science: 5 insights into jihad in EuropeAnalytic cognitive style predicts religious and paranormal beliefWhat Is "Islamophobia"?Essays In Defense of ProfilingTo Profile or Not to ProfileChapter 2 The Making of Jihadist Social Actors in Europe inWho are the new jihadis?Disbelief - Prometheus Books God and the Ivory TowerReligion’s evolutionary landscape: Counterintuition, commitment, compassion, communionThe Evolution of Religion: How Cognitive By-Products, Adaptive Learning Heuristics, Ritual Displays, and Group Competition GenerateTalking to the Enemy Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

Episodes

Sam Harris's "The End of Faith"

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, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Views of ViolenceCarnival Booth: An Algorithm for Defeating the Computer-Assisted Passenger Screening SystemThe same motive for anti-US 'terrorism' is cited over and overDoes intuitive mindset influence belief in God? Terrorism science: 5 insights into jihad in EuropeAnalytic cognitive style predicts religious and paranormal beliefWhat Is "Islamophobia"?Essays In Defense of ProfilingTo Profile or Not to ProfileChapter 2 The Making of Jihadist Social Actors in Europe inWho are the new jihadis?Disbelief - Prometheus Books God and the Ivory TowerReligion’s evolutionary landscape: Counterintuition, commitment, compassion, communionThe Evolution of Religion: How Cognitive By-Products, Adaptive Learning Heuristics, Ritual Displays, and Group Competition GenerateTalking to the Enemy Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

Who Moved My Cheese?

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, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining AmericaDownsizing in AmericaTemp: How American Work, American Business, and the American Dream Became TemporaryThe Disposable AmericanSpencer Johnson, ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ Author, Dies at 78What was the New Economy?Boss, Employees Share Large Cheese PlatterTarpon's big cheese has aides readingWhy doesn’t downsizing deliver?On the Battlefields of Business, Millions of CasualtiesShareholder Value and Workforce Downsizing, 1981-2006Long-Term Earnings Losses Due to Job Separation During the 1982 RecessionDoes Employee Downsizing Really Work?Layoffs, Top Executive Pay, and Firm PerformanceEmerging Conceptions of Work, Management and the Labor MarketA Conceptual Framework for Analyzing Why Organizations DownsizeOrganizational Downsizing: Constraining, Cloning, LearningThe Decline and Fall of the Conglomerate Firm in the 1980s Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

UNLOCKED: Eric Adams

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

Glenn Kessler Retire B*tch [TEASER]

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

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

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, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Effects of Authoritative Parental Control on Child Behavior, Child DevelopmentTypes of Parenting Styles and Effects On ChildrenDoes “Tiger Parenting” Exist? Parenting Profiles of Chinese Americans and Adolescent Developmental OutcomesAssociations of parenting dimensions and styles with externalizing problems of children and adolescents: An updated meta-analysisDo the associations of parenting styles with behavior problems and academic achievement vary by culture? Results from a meta-analysisParenting Styles: A Closer Look at a Well-Known ConceptImpact of Behavioral Inhibition and Parenting Style on Internalizing and Externalizing Problems from Early Childhood through AdolescenceThe One Weird Trait That Predicts Whether You’re a Trump SupporterInvestigating Correlates of Self-Regulation in Early Childhood with a Representative Sample of English-Speaking American FamiliesAmy 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!

The Anxious Generation

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, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Emily Weinstein's book, "Behind Their Screens"Positive and negative uses of social media among adolescents hospitalized for suicidal behaviorThe Sisyphean Cycle of Technology PanicsThe Relationship Between Online Social Networking and Depression: A Systematic Review of Quantitative StudiesOnline "predators" and their victimsThe Coddling of the American ParentNo More FOMO: Limiting Social Media Decreases Loneliness and DepressionHow technology is transforming the ways in which children playBanning mobile phones in schools in SpainNo One Knows Exactly What Social Media Is Doing To TeensWindows of developmental sensitivity to social mediaSmartphones are bad for some teens, not allHow Smartphones Affect the Social-Emotional Development of AdolescentsSocial media use and its impactTime Spent on Social Network Sites and Psychological Well-BeingA School-Level Analysis of Adolescent Extracurricular Activity Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

Breaking News Re-Release: "Hillbilly Elegy"

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!

Richard Hanania's "The Origins of Woke"

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, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: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 TimesMenial 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 AmericanAre 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 | PNASSystemic Discrimination Among Large U.S. Employers Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

The Columbia Protests [TEASER]

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

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

"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, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: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 businessReview: Michael Lewis's Going InfiniteThe Curious Case of FTX’s ‘Company Therapist’ (vice.com)FTX’s Collapse Was a Crime, Not an AccidentGoing Infinite by Michael Lewis review – falling for the antiheroThe Second FTX Asset Recovery Report Is Packed With BombshellsTakeaways From a New Book on Sam Bankman-FriedCaroline Ellison Testifies Against Sam Bankman-Fried, Blaming Him for Crimes Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

"The Better Angels of Our Nature" Part 2: Campus Lies, I.Q. Rise & Epstein Ties

"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, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Jeffrey Epstein’s Science of SleazePinker’s response to Epstein allegationsHow Jeffrey Epstein Captivated HarvardJeffrey Epstein Hoped to Seed Human Race With His DNAIt’s Official — Steven Pinker Is Full of ShitPinker, Epstein, Soldier, SpyA century of sexual abuse victimisation: A birth cohort analysisThe prevalence of child sexual abuse with online sexual abuse addedHave Sexual Abuse and Physical Abuse Declined Since the 1990s?Explanations for the Decline in Child Sexual Abuse CasesThe Decline in Child Sexual Abuse CasesWhy Have Child Maltreatment and Child Victimization Declined?Spanking and Other Corporal Punishment of Children by Parents: Undervaluing Children, Overvaluing PainWere There Really More Hate Crimes Last Year?Hate Crime Reported by Victims and PoliceThe Sexual Victimization of College WomenThe "Discovery" of Child AbuseA Short History of Child Protection in America Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

Who's Afraid of Naomi Wolf? [TEASER]

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

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 from Leaning in?One Cheer for Lean InIs there an implicit quota on women in top management? A large‐sample statistical analysisFemale 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 ExplanationsWhat Was the Girlboss?New Research: Women Who Don’t Negotiate Might Have a Good ReasonNow, Women Do Ask: A Call to Update Beliefs about the Gender Pay GapWhat’s It Like Inside the Hive? Managerial Discretion Drives TMT Gender Diversity of Women-Led FirmsI asked Facebook if I could work part-time from home after I had my baby. They said no—so I quitWomen in the Workplace 2023Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter SyndromeDig Deep: Beyond Lean In Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

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

"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, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:The Darker Angels of Our NatureGetting Medieval On Steven PinkerThe Decline of Violence in the West: From Cultural to Post-Cultural HistoryPinker’s (Mis)Representation of the Enlightenment and ViolenceHerding and Homicide: An Examination of the Nisbett-Reaves HypothesisPeace in Our TimeJohn Gray: Steven Pinker is wrong about violence and warThe business class doesn't understand the EnlightenmentDelusions Of PeacePinker And ProgressNorbert Elias and the History of ViolenceModernization, Self-Control And Lethal ViolenceExplaining Long Term Trends in Violent CrimeThe Enlightenment’s Dark Side Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

The Art of the Deal

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: 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 Trump Bankrupted His Atlantic City Casinos, but Still Earned Millions Doer and Slumlord Both Donald Trump Gets What He WantsDonald 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!

The Worst Takes of 2023 [TEASER]

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

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: 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 Reactionary Centrists"Mary Lin Elementary under federal investigationParents refute claims of segregation at Mary Lin Elementary SchoolSchool Segregation in Metropolitan Regions, 1970–200060 Years After BrownSchool choice and racial segregation in US schoolsStudent Population Has Significantly Diversified, But Many Schools Remain Divided Along Racial, Ethnic, and Economic LinesU.S. public school students often go to schools where at least half of their peers are the same race or ethnicityThe Return of Old-Fashioned Racism to White Americans’ Partisan PreferencesWhy The Democrats Have Shifted Left Over The Last 30 YearsWidespread misperceptions of long-term attitude changeTrump, the 2016 Election, and Expressions of SexismChanging Norms Following the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election: The Trump Effect on PrejudiceChanges in Americans’ prejudices during the presidency of Donald TrumpThe CDC slide presentationModel-informed COVID-19 vaccine prioritization strategies Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

Pundit Portraits: Kathleen Parker and Chris Cillizza [TEASER]

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

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/IfBooksPodWhere to find us: TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck (Blog Post)Where A is Ordinary: The Evolution of American College and University Grading, 1940-2009We’ve Been Handing Out Participation Trophies for 100 YearsPositive Disintegration‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a #@%!’ Review: A Blunt Philosophy Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

The 48 Laws of Power

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 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 Bullshit: On Peter Bogdanovich’s “Paper Moon” and Robert Greene’s “The 48 Laws of Power”A Book of Anecdotes, 1957The Little Brown Book Of AnecdotesFear Nothing: Self-Fashioning and Social Mobility in 50 Cent’s The 50th LawThe fear of conflict leads people to systematically avoid potentially valuable zero-sum situationsThe Immigration DilemmaYou Can Win But I Can't LoseIf you rise, I fall: Equality is prevented by the misperception that it harms advantaged groupsZero-Sum Thinking and the Roots of U.S. Political DividesA Genesis of Conflict: The Zero-Sum MindsetForbes Winslow’s Physic and PhysiciansThe role of masculinity in men's help-seeking for depression: A systematic review The Strange, Sad Story of Joe Orton, His Lover, and 72 Stolen Library Books A Failure Of InitiativeNew Orleans reaches settlements for police shootings after Hurricane KatrinaPost-Katrina, White Vigilantes Shot African-Americans With Impunity Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!