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