In 2004, historian Thomas Frank proposed a theory about the rightward drift of the white working class. Was he a... more

Peter and Michael discuss the book that launched the phenomenon of New Atheism and asked the question: What if we... more

What should workers do when they get laid off? In 1998 a bleak, asinine bestseller told them to find another... more

New York’s favorite criminal is in the news, so here is our episode about his ridiculous life.To hear all of... more

Is fact-checking a legitimate enterprise? Is America's most famous fact-checker nothing more than a dweeb? Michael and Peter discuss.To hear... more

A memoir about parenting very badly and then getting weirdly defensive when anyone asks you about it.Where to find us:... more

Is social media to blame for the teen mental health crisis? It's complicated!Thanks to Emily Weinstein, Amy Orben, Andrew Przybylski,... more

To celebrate ("celebrate") Donald Trump choosing JD Vance as his running mate we are re-releasing our "Hillbilly Elegy" episode. Enjoy!

Peter and Michael discuss "The Origins of Woke," a glimpse into the dark aspirations of the Republican Party and the... more

Peter and Michael discuss the media coverage of the protests at Columbia — from the crazed, bloodthirsty ravings of right-wing... more

Peter and Michael discuss Michael Lewis’s bestselling book about the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, a young prodigy whose... more

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... more

We're finally discussing a good book! Naomi Klein's "Doppelgänger" chronicles the long, steady descent of another Naomi — Wolf (buddy... more

In 2013, Sheryl Sandberg became an icon for women who wanted to move from middle management at a tech company... more

This week we're tackling Steven Pinker's 900 page dissection of the reasons why violence, torture and war have declined over... more

Before Donald Trump became America's most prominent politician and birth certificate inspector, he spent his days making everyone in New... more

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

"There are two kinds of political scientists: The types who deal with noisy data and post on Twitter with a... more

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

You stare, mouth agape, at the bookstore display. It’s a self-help book, but with curse words in the title?! This... more

In 1996, a frustrated screenwriter got a fellowship in Italy. Twenty years later, Beyoncé released "Lemonade." Content warning: This episode... more

Retailers have been sounding the alarm about a shoplifting epidemic driven by organized criminal syndicates. In a shocking twist, it... more

This week we're tackling "San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities," a book that dares to ask: What if everything that... more

Have you ever wanted to escape the grind and follow your dreams? This week we're discussing "The 4-Hour Workweek," which... more

But her e-mails! Michael explains the non-scandal that captivated the mainstream media in 2016 while Peter attempts to sow the... more

Oops all grievance.Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodWhere to find us: TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:No Ivory Tower :... more

For this month's bonus episode we dissected Harry Frankfurt's gloriously brief bestseller and applied the concept to our favorite op-ed... more

Who poses the greatest threat to democracy? Is it the movement that openly identifies with the symbols, goals and policies... more

In our "Rules" and "Game" episodes we didn't get a chance to dissect the phenomenon of online dating (i.e. describe... more

Lots of subscribers asked us to release last month's bonus episode in full so here it is! Share it with... more