If Books Could Kill

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

Transcribed - Published: 29 December 2025

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 PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: 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 DoomElon Musk biographer admits suggestion SpaceX head blocke...

Transcribed - Published: 18 December 2025

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 PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: What Elon Musk Gets Wrong about South AfricaElon Musk’s Anti-Semitic, Apartheid-Loving Grandfather Elon Musk claims he was once one of the best Quake players aroundWatch Elon Musk Talk About Being an ‘Illegal Immigrant’ in Video From 2013&nb...

Transcribed - Published: 9 December 2025

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 PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: A Response to Yuval HarariYuval Noah Harari’s History of Everyone, EverHow Humankind Conquered the WorldThe revolution that wasn...

Transcribed - Published: 20 November 2025

Live like Dale Carnegie, neg like Calvin Coolidge. Where to find us: Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Self-help Messiah: Dale Carnegie and Success in Modern AmericaThe Positive ThinkersAge of industrial violence 1910-1915 : the activities and findings of the United States commission on industrial relationsRepresentation and Rebellion: The Rockefeller Plan at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, 1914–1942 ...

Transcribed - Published: 2 October 2025

Peter and Michael discuss a book that's light on facts and long on sentences. Where to find us: Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Book Review: ‘Summer of Our Discontent,’ by Thomas Chatterton WilliamsPolice shootings database 2015-2024From the archive, 22 March 1991: President Bush sickened by Rodney King caseBarack Obama Public ApprovalLetter To Christopher L. Eisgruber, President Princeton UniversityPolice ...

Transcribed - Published: 11 September 2025

How one comedian's offhand advice launched a decent TV episode, a mediocre book and a terrible movie. Where to find us: Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Susan Faludi's "Backlash"For Women Who Count on Men to Be JerksBridget Jones’s LegacySingle Women in Popular CultureA Decade of Advice for Women and Men in the Best-Selling Self-Help LiteratureThe gendered nature of self-helpSingle Women in Popular Culture&n...

Transcribed - Published: 31 July 2025

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 PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSou...

Transcribed - Published: 17 July 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 1 July 2025

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 newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Lawrence Wright’s “The Plague Year”Jonathan Howard’s “We Want Them Infected”How the Pandemic Defeated AmericaCOVID-19: examining the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventionsUS State Restrictions and Excess COVID-19 Pandemic DeathsIm...

Transcribed - Published: 19 June 2025

Two political scientists look back at a deadly pandemic and ask, "could we have done even less?" Where to find us: Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Lawrence Wright’s “The Plague Year”The 2019 WHO report 30‐day mortality following COVID‐19COVID-19: examining the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventionsPolicy Interventions, Social Distancing, and SARS-CoV-2 Trans...

Transcribed - Published: 17 June 2025

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 newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

Transcribed - Published: 5 June 2025

Peter and Michael discuss The Let Them Theory, a self-help guide to seeking bliss through unmitigated complacency. Where to find us: Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: How to stop screwing yourself overMel Robbins and PlagiarismLet her? Army wife claims Mel Robbins stole her idea for blockbuster self-help book Mel Robbins’s “Let Them” theory: really that simple?Breathing Practices for Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Conceptual ...

Transcribed - Published: 23 April 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 31 March 2025

Are you a single lady struggling to find love with a man? Don't fret! A twice-divorced game show host who thinks conversation is for women is here to help. Where to find us: Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseThanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

Transcribed - Published: 28 March 2025

Who's to blame for the crisis of American masculinity? On the right, politicians tell men that they being oppressed by feminists and must reassert their manhood by supporting an authoritarian regime. And on the left, users of social media are often very irritating to people who write airport books. Where to find us: Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Conscientiousness as a Predictor of the Gender Gap in Academic Achievement...

Transcribed - Published: 6 March 2025

Peter and Michael dissect Jen Sincero's "You are a Badass," a book that answers the question: What if "The Secret" was written in the painful, try-hard style of "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck"? Featuring a surprise digression about Sincero's other, even worse books. Where to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Savy Writes Books Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

Transcribed - Published: 23 January 2025

In 2004, historian Thomas Frank proposed a theory about the rightward drift of the white working class. Was he a prescient king whose work presaged the rise of Trump — or a bumbling fool with a broken thesis? Unfortunately it turns out he is a secret third thing that takes one hour and six minutes to explain. Special thanks to Julia Valdés for her help with this episode! Where to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: The Thesis That D...

Transcribed - Published: 6 December 2024

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 insi...

Transcribed - Published: 4 November 2024

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?Bo...

Transcribed - Published: 10 October 2024

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

Transcribed - Published: 26 September 2024

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

Transcribed - Published: 26 September 2024

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 externaliz...

Transcribed - Published: 24 September 2024

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 Sisyp...

Transcribed - Published: 8 August 2024

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

Transcribed - Published: 16 July 2024

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 Wo...

Transcribed - Published: 11 July 2024

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

Transcribed - Published: 16 May 2024

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 Inf...

Transcribed - Published: 2 May 2024

2 Better 2 Angels Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where 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...

Transcribed - Published: 11 April 2024

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

Transcribed - Published: 28 March 2024

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 Wi...

Transcribed - Published: 14 March 2024

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'...

Transcribed - Published: 22 February 2024

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?...

Transcribed - Published: 11 January 2024

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

Transcribed - Published: 21 December 2023

"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 ...

Transcribed - Published: 14 December 2023

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

Transcribed - Published: 28 November 2023

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 Fuck (Blog Post)Where A is Ordinary: The Evolution of American College and Un...

Transcribed - Published: 21 November 2023

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 Bullshit: On Peter Bogdanovich’s “Paper Moon” and Robert...

Transcribed - Published: 2 November 2023

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

Transcribed - Published: 26 October 2023

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 Point...

Transcribed - Published: 19 October 2023

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! ...

Transcribed - Published: 21 September 2023

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

Transcribed - Published: 14 September 2023

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 C...

Transcribed - Published: 7 September 2023

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

Transcribed - Published: 10 August 2023

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 S...

Transcribed - Published: 27 July 2023

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

Transcribed - Published: 13 July 2023

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!

Transcribed - Published: 6 July 2023

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 e...

Transcribed - Published: 29 June 2023

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...

Transcribed - Published: 15 June 2023

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 ...

Transcribed - Published: 1 June 2023