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If Books Could Kill

Michael Hobbes & Peter Shamshiri

#40 in Society & Culture this week

The airport bestsellers that captured our hearts and ruined our minds

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22 episodes
Avg 1 hr 13 min
English

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September 1 · 1 hr 9 min
Surrounded By Idiots
Peter and Michael discuss "Surrounded by Idiots," a book that dares to ask: Can the mystery of human relationships be unraveled by a workplace personality assessment? Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Pioneers, Drivers, Integrators, and Guardians Creator of Lie Detector Test Dies; Lecturer and Author Produced Comic Strip One of Sweden's biggest scientific bluffs Pseudoscience and the Claim of Practical Utility: The Case of Thomas Erikson's Surrounded by Idiots Thomas Erikson accepts being called a pop psychology writer Four personality types may be neither robust nor exhaustive Spuriouser and spuriouser: The use of ipsative personality tests Reconsidering the use of personality tests in personnel selection contexts Using Personality Tests in Pre-Employment Screening Employment Tests and Selection Procedures The Cult of Personality Testing A history of the early days of personality testing in American industry: an obsession with adjustment Psychological Testing in Personnel Selection, Part II: The Refinement of Methods and Standards in Employee Selection Psychological Testing in Personnel Selection, Part III: The Resurgence of Personality Testing ACLU Files Discrimination Complaint Against CVS Target Corporation to Pay $2.8 Million to Resolve EEOC Discrimination Finding Personality Tests Are the Astrology of the Office The $2 Billion Question of Who You Are at Work Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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August 5 · 1 hr 52 min
Three Cups of Tea
In 1993, a desperate man stumbled into a remote village in the foothills of the Karakoram mountains. After the residents nursed him back to health, he placed his hands on the village elder's shoulders and made a sacred promise. "Somehow," he said, "I am going to get some private jet reimbursements out of this." Warning: Contains spoilers for the 2016 film "Arrival." Thanks to Ted Callahan for helping us fact-check this episode! Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Three Cups of Deceit “60 Minutes” expose 3000 Cups of Deceit Books vs Bombs? Humanitarian development and the narrative of terror in Northern Pakistan Delusional States Can't Get There From Here Nobel Prize Nominee’s Charity Wins No Award for Accountability David Oliver Relin, Adventurous Journalist, Dies at 49 What Mortenson Got Wrong Three Cups of Tea: The Pakistan and Afghan side 3 Lessons to Learn From Greg Mortenson Mortenson returns to Afghanistan The naive republic of aid: Grassroots exceptionalism in humanitarian memoir Religious School Enrollment in Pakistan: A Look at the Data If you build it, will they come? What Really Works to Improve Learning in Developing Countries? The madrassa scapegoat Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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June 18 · 1 hr 49 min
The Body Keeps The Score
You know that book your friend recommended? The one that rigorously describes the science of trauma, de-stigmatizes abuse and promotes effective treatments? Well here’s the thing: It doesn't actually do that. Thanks to Emi Nietfield, Keith Cox, Lisa Starr, Richard McNally, Kevin McGuire and everyone else who helped us research and fact-check this episode! Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: What the Most Famous Book About Trauma Gets Wrong Trauma: A Genealogy Remembering Trauma Advocates of Research-Supported Treatments for PTSD are Losing Tell Me Why It Hurts ‘The Body Keeps the Score’ offers uncertain science Your Brain Is Not an Onion With a Tiny Reptile Inside PTSD and complex PTSD: a review of reviews What Does It Mean When 38% Forget? Multiple Identity Enactments and Multiple Personality Disorder: A Sociocognitive Perspective The Brain Is Adaptive Not Triune Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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May 21 · 1 hr 3 min
Think And Grow Rich
Peter and Michael discuss "Think And Grow Rich," the 1937 classic written by a lifelong fraudster who finds his final mark: You. Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: The Untold Story of Napoleon Hill, the Greatest Self-Help Scammer of All Time A Lifetime of Riches How to Lose Friends and Alienate People How a Different America Responded to the Great Depression The Psychic Scandal How Trump Turned The Power of Positive Thinking Into Delusion Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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April 30 · 1 hr 19 min
Grit
In 2013, education reformers tried to help poor students the using the best tool at their disposal: The 16th most popular Ted Talk. Special thanks to Marcus Credé! Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Much Ado About Grit What Shall We Do About Grit? Grit under attack Teaching “Grit” The Problem With Grit The Limits of “Grit” Grit: The power of passion and perseverance Is 'Grit' Doomed To Be The New Self-Esteem? Measurement Matters Using Psychological Science to Help Children Thrive Self-Control and Academic Achievement Cognitive and noncognitive predictors of success Should non-cognitive skills be included in school accountability systems? Measuring Students’ Non-Cognitive Skills and the Impact of Schooling Grit: A Short History of a Useful Concept Teaching Kids 'Grit' is All the Rage. "Grit" Revisited Character Education: A Cautionary Note What if the Secret to Success Is Failure? The Effects of the EITC on Child Achievement Academic Performance And Food Stamps Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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April 16 · 1 hr 8 min
CROSSOVER EVENT: Tim Ferriss’s "The 4-Hour Body"
Peter went on Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase, to revisit a biohacking diet book for the boys. Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: The 4-Hour Body Does Glycemic Index Matter for Weight Loss? An Examination of the Evidence New! Improved! Shape Up Your Life! The 4-Hour Body: The Real App You Are Working On Is An App Called Yourself Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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March 5 · 1 hr
Bullshit Jobs
Peter and Michael discuss "Bullshit Jobs" by anarchist anthropologist David Graeber. The result: two professional podcasters debating which jobs are real and which jobs are fake. Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs: A Work Rant 37% of British workers think their jobs are meaningless Average Annual Hours Worked by Persons Engaged for United States The times they are not changin’: Days and hours of work in Old and New Worlds, 1870–2000 ‘Bullshit’ After All? Why People Consider Their Jobs Socially Useless Alienation Is Not ‘Bullshit’: An Empirical Critique of Graeber’s Theory of BS Jobs Many people feel they work in pointless ‘bullshit’ jobs, research confirms The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure Study: Leisure Time Declines USA Consumption as percent of GDP The Significance of Task Significance: Job Performance Effects, Relational Mechanisms, and Boundary Conditions Task significance and meaningful work: A longitudinal study Americans’ job satisfaction in 2024 Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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February 5 · 1 hr 11 min
The Millionaire Next Door
It turns out that the key to wealth is buying the right kind of watch, marrying the right kind of wife and being the right kind of white. Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Uneasy Street A Century of Wealth In America Family, Education, and Sources of Wealth among the Richest Americans, 1982–2012 Wealth Elite Moralities The insane growth of America’s millionaire class The Extraordinary Rise In The Wealth Of Older American Households Planning & Progress Study 2025 Striking Out on Their Own: The Self-Employed in Bankruptcy How Many Households Meet The Net Worth Guidelines Of The Millionaire Next Door? Paying Tribute to Thomas Stanley and His ‘Millionaire Next Door’ Pity the Billionaires What Rich Women Want The deserving or undeserving rich? The Evolution of Top Incomes Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Dec 29, 2025 · 50 min
The Worst Takes of 2025 [TEASER]
The boys catalog the definitive worst takes of the year, from the pundits who misunderstood our political moment to a guy who wants to have sex with a computer. To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Dec 18, 2025 · 1 hr 31 min
Elon Musk Part 2
The boys continue their discussion of Walter Isaacson's "Elon Musk." This is the part where Elon loses his mind. Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: From self-proclaimed ‘socialist’ to Team Trump and DeSantis: Elon Musk’s curious politics revealed The Quiet Political Rise of David Sacks, Silicon Valley’s Prophet of Urban Doom Elon Musk biographer admits suggestion SpaceX head blocked Ukraine drone attack was wrong Elon Musk's Daughter on Dad's Biography: 'Sad Excuse for a Puff Piece' Character Limit Twitter fulfilling more government censorship requests under Musk Elon Musk booed for nearly 5 minutes straight at Dave Chappelle show in San Francisco New CNN Chief Trying to Please GOP Elite Research finds more than 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues, including more than 4 million children under five What the data says about Social Security Trump Administration, DOGE Activities Risk SSA Operations and Security of Personal Data Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Dec 9, 2025 · 1 hr 28 min
Elon Musk
A biography that dares to ask: Is a lifetime of worker abuse and narcissism worth it to experience robot butlers? Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: What Elon Musk Gets Wrong about South Africa Elon Musk’s Anti-Semitic, Apartheid-Loving Grandfather Elon Musk claims he was once one of the best Quake players around Watch Elon Musk Talk About Being an ‘Illegal Immigrant’ in Video From 2013 Elon Musk’s dad Errol says he can ‘prove’ existence of emerald mine in new bombshell claim revealing its location How Elon Musk Went from Superhero to Supervillain The Believer Elon Musk: The Architect of Tomorrow How Elon Musk Plans on Reinventing the World (and Mars) Tesla factory workers reveal pain, injury and stress: 'Everything feels like the future but us' | Tesla Hundreds of Tesla workers tested positive for the virus after Elon Musk reopened a plant, data shows Inside Tesla as Elon Musk Pushed an Unflinching Vision for Self-Driving Cars Tesla video promoting self-driving was staged, engineer testifies Elon Musk Says His 'Running Robot' Will 'Actually Eliminate Poverty' As He Shares Video Of Tesla Optimus Jogging Elon Musk Wants ‘Strong Influence’ Over the ‘Robot Army’ He’s Building There’s a Very Simple Pattern to Elon Musk’s Broken Promises Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Nov 20, 2025 · 1 hr 38 min
Sapiens
How do you tell the entire history of humanity in a single book? Whatever you do, do not open a browser window. Thanks to Dorsa Amir, Duncan Stibbard Hawkes and David Perry for help researching and fact-checking this episode! Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: A Response to Yuval Harari Yuval Noah Harari’s History of Everyone, Ever How Humankind Conquered the World The revolution that wasn't Advances In The Study Of The Origin Of Humanness 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is a banal and risible self-help book Are Human Rights Western? Bonaparte in Egypt Ship of Fools The Dangerous Populist Science of Yuval Noah Harari A Reductionist History of Humankind Harari, Sapiens and historical accuracy The Broad Spectrum Revolution at 40 The Neolithic Revolution in the Middle East Was the Agricultural Revolution a Terrible Mistake? The Darker Side of the "Original Affluent Society" Harari's world history Compassion with Justice: Harari’s Assault on Human Rights Reconsidering the link between past material culture and cognition Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Oct 2, 2025 · 1 hr 10 min
How To Win Friends And Influence People
Live like Dale Carnegie, neg like Calvin Coolidge. Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Self-help Messiah: Dale Carnegie and Success in Modern America The Positive Thinkers Age of industrial violence 1910-1915 : the activities and findings of the United States commission on industrial relations Representation and Rebellion: The Rockefeller Plan at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, 1914–1942 Dale Carnegie and the Problem of Sincerity New York Times review from 1937 Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Sep 11, 2025 · 1 hr 31 min
Thomas Chatterton Williams' "Summer of Our Discontent"
Peter and Michael discuss a book that's light on facts and long on sentences. Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Book Review: ‘Summer of Our Discontent,’ by Thomas Chatterton Williams Police shootings database 2015-2024 From the archive, 22 March 1991: President Bush sickened by Rodney King case Barack Obama Public Approval Letter To Christopher L. Eisgruber, President Princeton University Police give additional details in beating of machete-wielding man amid Dallas protest In City After City, Police Mishandled Black Lives Matter Protests RIOTS IN LOS ANGELES: Challenger; Nation Needs Healing, Clinton Says Median household income by race and ethnicity U.S. 1967-2023 Majority of college students support Israel/Gaza campus protests, 1 in 10 actually participate in them Thomas Chatterton Williams on Race, Identity, and “Cancel Culture” Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Jul 31, 2025 · 1 hr
He's Just Not That Into You
How one comedian's offhand advice launched a decent TV episode, a mediocre book and a terrible movie. Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Susan Faludi's "Backlash" For Women Who Count on Men to Be Jerks Bridget Jones’s Legacy Single Women in Popular Culture A Decade of Advice for Women and Men in the Best-Selling Self-Help Literature The gendered nature of self-help Single Women in Popular Culture Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Jul 17, 2025 · 57 min
Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink"
Did you know that in the split-second it took you to read the title of this episode, your subconscious already figured out that it was going to be extremely good? Peter and Michael talk about Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink," a book that is mostly cute scientific anecdotes but also indirectly resulted in millions of taxpayer dollars being wasted on fraudulent science. Where to find us: Our Patreon Our merch! Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Unconscious influences on decision making: A critical review Half a Minute: Predicting Teacher Evaluations From Thin Slices of Nonverbal Behavior and Physical Attractiveness 'Thin slices' of life Conditions for Intuitive Expertise: A Failure to Disagree Telling More Than We Can Know: Verbal Reports on Mental Processes Magic at the marketplace: Choice blindness for the taste of jam and the smell of tea False-Positive Psychology: Undisclosed Flexibility in Data Collection and Analysis Allows Presenting Anything as Significant Reading Lies: Nonverbal Communication and Deception Behavioral Science and Security TSA Should Limit Future Funding for Behavior Detection Activities TSA Does Not Have Valid Evidence Supporting Most of the Revised Behavioral Indicators Used in Its Behavior Detection Activities Telling Lies: Fact, Fiction, and Nonsense TSA’s Secret Behavior Checklist to Spot Terrorists A Review of 'Blink' by Malcolm Gladwell Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Jul 1, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
The Supreme Court Goes Full TERF [TEASER]
This is most of the episode but if you want to hear the last 20 minutes, support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Jun 19, 2025 · 1 hr 10 min
"In Covid's Wake" Part 2: Wrong About The Right
Last episode we met two Princeton political scientists who are bad at virology. Today we learn that they are also bad at political science. Where to find us: Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Lawrence Wright’s “The Plague Year” Jonathan Howard’s “We Want Them Infected” How the Pandemic Defeated America COVID-19: examining the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions US State Restrictions and Excess COVID-19 Pandemic Deaths Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions Policy Interventions, Social Distancing, and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission The Impact of Vaccines and Behavior on US Cumulative Deaths Pro-Trump counties now have far higher COVID death rates Report for the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry The Effectiveness Of Government Masking Mandates School closures during COVID-19 COVID-19–Related School Closures The Effects of School Closures on COVID‑19 Higher COVID-19 Deaths with Later School Closure in the United States Reopening America’s Schools Reading literacy decline in Europe DeSantis vs. Newsom Red States Have Seen Less Learning Loss Political partisanship and mobility restriction Republicans Aren’t New To The Anti-Vaxx Movement KFF poll on anti-vaxx beliefs Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Jun 17, 2025 · 57 min
"In Covid's Wake" Part 1: Lying About Lockdowns
Two political scientists look back at a deadly pandemic and ask, "could we have done even less?" Where to find us: Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Lawrence Wright’s “The Plague Year” The 2019 WHO report 30‐day mortality following COVID‐19 COVID-19: examining the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions Policy Interventions, Social Distancing, and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in the United States What we can learn from Sweden A review of the Swedish policy response to COVID-19 How Sweden approached the COVID‐19 pandemic The first eight months of Sweden’s COVID‐19 strategy The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster Excess mortality in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic Comparing drivers of pandemic economic decline 2020 How Sweden approached the COVID-19 pandemic Comparisons of all-cause mortality between European countries and regions Jonathan Howard’s “We Want Them Infected.” Deaths: Leading Causes for 2021 Stay-at-home orders associate with subsequent decreases in COVID-19 cases and fatalities in the United States Did the Timing of State Mandated Lockdown Affect the Spread of COVID-19? US State Restrictions and Excess COVID-19 Pandemic Deaths Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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Jun 5, 2025 · 1 hr 21 min
Bonus: The Lab Leak Goes Mainstream
By popular demand we are releasing last month's Patreon bonus episode on the main feed! We chart the transformation of the lab leak from an unfounded theory promoted by right-wing cranks to an unfounded theory promoted by liberal journalists. Where to find us: Peter's newsletter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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