Behind the Bastards
Book Recommendations

Behind the Bastards

There’s a reason the History Channel has produced hundreds of documentaries about Hitler but only a few about Dwight D. Eisenhower. Bad guys (and gals) are eternally fascinating. Behind the Bastards dives in past the Cliffs Notes of the worst humans in history and exposes the bizarre realities of th...

Episodes 2,018
Books 1,695

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The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order cover

The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

Samuel P. Huntington

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 220

The discussion referenced Huntington's thesis to illustrate how postColdWar politics framed conflicts as cultural clashes.

It seemed like a sort of kernel of truth in this. It was based on Huntington's writing about the clash of civilizations.

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Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History cover

Balkan Ghosts

Robert D. Kaplan

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 220

The hosts noted that Bill Clinton had read the book, after which his administration's rhetoric shifted regarding the Balkans.

and after Bill Clinton read that horrendous book, Balkan Ghosts by Kaplan, his administration's rhetoric began to change

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Shanghai on Strike: The Politics of Chinese Labor cover

Shanghai on Strike

Elizabeth J. Perry

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 220

One of the speakers cited Ferry's book as a detailed account of the 1925 Shanghai general strike.

In a book called Shanghai on Strike by Elizabeth Ferry, she describes the massive labor actions and their aftermath.

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The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Boxed Set Hardcover Illustrated edition 2020 June 25 cover

The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Boxed Set Hardcover Illustrated edition 2020 June 25

J.R.R. Tolkien

Mentioned 5 months ago

Part One: How Jeffrey Epstein Helped Build the Modern World

The hosts compared the children's hockey movies The Mighty Ducks to The Lord of the Rings, calling the former the hockey equivalent of the classic fantasy series.

The Mighty Ducks' premise was strong enough to sustain a trilogy, which no critics consider to be basically the children's hockey equivalent to The Lord of the Rings.

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Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency cover

Devil's Bargain

Joshua Green

Mentioned 5 months ago

Part One: How Jeffrey Epstein Helped Build the Modern World

The hosts noted that journalist Joshua Green had written Devil's Bargain, a book about Steve Bannon's rise in the Trump administration.

Bannon became fascinated with the collective power of gamers who gathered on these sites, according to journalist Joshua Green, who wrote a book, Devil's Bargain, about Bannon's rise in the Trump administration.

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Thousand Plateaus (Athlone Contemporary European Thinkers) cover

Thousand Plateaus (Athlone Contemporary European Thinkers)

Professor Gilles Deleuze

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 219

The analysis from these philosophers was referenced to discuss the ways in which fascism and totalitarianism differ, noting that fascism involves a war machine taking over the state. The text was also quoted to illustrate realized nihilism within fascism, characterized by an intense line of escape that transforms into pure destruction.

They discuss the ways in which fascism and totalitarianism differ. They write that totalitarianism is a state affair made up of material components that overmanage society. Quote, even in the case of a military dictator it is a state army, not a war machine, that takes power and elevates the state to the totalitarian stage. Totalitarianism is quintessentially conservative. Fascism, on the other hand, involves a war machine. When fascism builds itself a totalitarian state, it is not in the sense of a state army taking power, but of a war machine taking over the state. Unquote.

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The Suicidal State: Race Suicide, Biopower, and the Sexuality of Population cover

The Suicidal State

Madoka Kishi

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 219

This essay by Virilio was discussed as the framework building off of Deleuze and Guattari's work, arguing that in fascism, the state is suicidal rather than strictly totalitarian. Virilio argued that this evolution of the state is guided by non-progress and terror, founded on the repulsion and fear of all development in the civil domain.

This analysis from Deleuze and Guattari is building off of an essay by the French writer Paul Virilio called The Suicidal State, where Virilio argues that in fascism, the state is far less totalitarian than it is suicidal.

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Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization and Now Threatens to Destroy It cover

Progress

Samuel Miller McDonald

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 219

The speaker mentioned reading this book and planning a review for the podcast, noting how its content explored the pervasive concept of progress and how it can trip people up, sometimes acting like a sedative against engaging with degrading reality.

You know, recently I read this book, Progress, by Samuel Miller MacDonald, and I would like to do a review of it at some point for the podcast, but... The short of it is that it gets into just how pervasive this concept of progress is in kind of tripping people up and keeping us serving systems that don't serve us.

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Mephisto (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) cover

Mephisto (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin)

Klaus Mann

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 219

Deleuze and Guattari quoted from this 1936 novel, which contains fascist speeches, noting an excerpt eerily similar to the visuals of Trump as the suicidal penguin.

In A Thousand Plateaus, Deleuze and Guattari quote an excerpt from Klaus Mann's 1936 novel Mephisto, which contains fascist speeches and ordinary conversations from Nazi Germany.

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Starship Troopers cover

Starship Troopers

Mentioned 5 months ago

The Greg Bovino Episode Extravaganza!

The hosts said it was apparently his favorite novel, that he reads it once a year, and noted that it is often interpreted as a fascist work.

His favorite book was probably Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers, surprising no one. His sister told the Daily Mail that he reads Starship Troopers once a year, which completely makes sense.

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The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (S.F. MASTERWORKS) cover

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (S.F. MASTERWORKS)

Robert A. Heinlein

Mentioned 5 months ago

The Greg Bovino Episode Extravaganza!

The book was cited as a key influence on libertarian thought, being called a foundational text for the American libertarian movement.

One of his books, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, is often seen as providing a lot of the ideological underpinning for the libertarian movement.

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Emperors in the Jungle: The Hidden History of the U.S. in Panama (American Encounters/Global Interactions), Cover may vary cover

Emperors in the Jungle

John Lindsay-Poland

Mentioned 5 months ago

It Could Happen Here Weekly 218

This book served as the main resource for the detailed historical analysis of U.S. intervention in Panama, covering everything from the Bidlack Treaty to the 1989 invasion. The speaker found the book provided fantastic information on topics they had never heard discussed before, shaking them regarding events at the crossroads of the continents.

Panama was a long-standing laboratory of U.S. imperial power.

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Most Recommended

Trump U.: The Inside Story of Trump University Cover

Stephen Gilpin

Trump U.

The Inside Story of Trump University

It was discussed as a book written by an insider of Trump University, who was said to be exaggerating his honesty. It was used as a source of information regarding the inner workings of the university.

"

And so like this weekend I got really high and I couldn't sleep And I found a book called Trump U Inside Trump University Written by a guy named Stephen Gilpin

— Episode: Part One: The Complete, Insane Story of...

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Episode: Part One: The Complete, Insane Story of Trump Univ...

It was discussed as a book written by an insider of Trump University, who was said to be exaggerating his honesty. It was used as a source of information regarding the inner workings of the university.

"

And so like this weekend I got really high and I couldn't sleep And I found a book called Trump U Inside Trump University Written by a guy named Stephen Gilpin

Now Stephen builds himself as essentially the only honest man inside Trump University And I think he's fudging the truth to some degree Yeah But a lot of what he says sounds credible He's not like totally... He definitely writes himself out of having a role in the bad parts

Quote, Entrepreneurship students would be asked to assume the role of a venture capitalist and analyze a business plan. They would then submit their work to classmates for a peer review. A course would consist of three such assignments.

People learn the hard way trying to replicate the classroom experience isn't particularly effective, said Michael Sexton. Education is worthless without feedback. This system enables however many students we have to get live feedback about their work.

This is not for somebody who wants to put a sheepskin on a wall and think that is going to meaningfully help their career.

Hitler's War; Volume One & Volume Two (Complete Set) Cover

David Irving

Hitler's War; Volume One & Volume Two (Complete Set)

It was mentioned in passing as a new book by a German psychiatrist that claimed Hitler was a sexually confused serial killer whose violence was driven by lust, and that he got an orgasm whilst watching a film of soldiers massacring French troops.

"

Hitler was a sexually confused serial killer psychologist claims in new book

— Episode: Part One: Hitler's Sex Life: The Whole S...

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Episode: Part One: Hitler's Sex Life: The Whole Sad Story

It was mentioned in passing as a new book by a German psychiatrist that claimed Hitler was a sexually confused serial killer whose violence was driven by lust, and that he got an orgasm whilst watching a film of soldiers massacring French troops.

"

Hitler was a sexually confused serial killer psychologist claims in new book

Hitler one and hitler two the sexual no man's land

He quotes Marion Hop, an actress who was an acquaintance of Hitler, describing a time that she went to the cinema in the dictator's Berlin palace to watch a film called 'The Rebel'. It featured Austrian troops hurling boulders from a mountain onto the French below. Hitler got some kind of thrill and rubbed his knees at this event as the stones rolled down on the French and groaned. I don't know if he was crazy, but he got some kind of orgasm, she said. I wanted to leave during the show. The man was creepy.

He says, however, since this lust for killing is the decisive feature of serial killers, the question inevitably arises, was Hitler a serial killer who murdered for the purpose of his gratification? Hitler's sexuality, I believe, drove the dictator into the most colossal annihilation that man has witnessed.

The Green Swastika: Environmentalism in the Third Reich Cover

William Kay

The Green Swastika

Environmentalism in the Third Reich

It was mentioned as a 1995 book that was the basis for a Dinesh D'Souza documentary that claimed that Hitler was gay.

"

This conspiracy theory is best embodied by the book 'The Pink Swastika' from 1995 that book was a major source for a recent Dinesh D'Souza documentary where Dinesh claims that Democrats are the modern...

— Episode: Part One: Hitler's Sex Life: The Whole S...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Part One: Hitler's Sex Life: The Whole Sad Story

It was mentioned as a 1995 book that was the basis for a Dinesh D'Souza documentary that claimed that Hitler was gay.

"

This conspiracy theory is best embodied by the book 'The Pink Swastika' from 1995 that book was a major source for a recent Dinesh D'Souza documentary where Dinesh claims that Democrats are the modern Nazis and that gay people are Nazis and Hitler was gay as a regular headline in far-right publications.

Adolf Hitler: Vol. 1 Cover

John Toland

Adolf Hitler

Vol. 1

It was mentioned as a source for information about Hitler, and specifically on his early life, including his father's relationships with younger women and Hitler's own views on sex in his youth.

"

With abundant dark hair

— Episode: Part One: Hitler's Sex Life: The Whole S...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Part One: Hitler's Sex Life: The Whole Sad Story

It was mentioned as a source for information about Hitler, and specifically on his early life, including his father's relationships with younger women and Hitler's own views on sex in his youth.

"

With abundant dark hair

Installed with the Hitlers at an end where Alois was already carrying on an affair with the kitchen maid Francesca.

Only too aware of how tempting a pretty maid could be to the susceptible Alois

Hitler: A Biography Cover

Ian Kershaw

Hitler

A Biography

It was mentioned as a source for information about Hitler, and specifically about his early life and views on women.

"

Young enough to be his children

— Episode: Part One: Hitler's Sex Life: The Whole S...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Part One: Hitler's Sex Life: The Whole Sad Story

It was mentioned as a source for information about Hitler, and specifically about his early life and views on women.

"

Young enough to be his children

When his circle of acquaintances got around to discussing women and doubtless their own former girlfriends and sexual experiences the best Hitler could come up with was a veiled reference to Stephanie who had been his first love though she never knew it because he never told her the impression left with Reinhold Hanisch was that Hitler had very little respect for the female sex but very austere ideas about relations between men and women.

Hitler described his own ideal woman as cuddle is a cute cuddly naive little thing tender sweet and stupid.

Ku Klux Klan - Its Origin, Growth and Disbandment Cover

Walter L. Fleming

Ku Klux Klan - Its Origin, Growth and Disbandment

It provided insight into the Klan's accidental spread through initiation of travelers, as well as its transformation from pranks to a means of suppressing Black people, and its later attempt to portray itself as a force for order.

"

We could not engage at once in business or professional pursuits. Few had capital to enter mercantile or agricultural enterprises. There was a total lack of amusement and social diversions which preva...

— Episode: Part One: The Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

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Episode: Part One: The Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

It provided insight into the Klan's accidental spread through initiation of travelers, as well as its transformation from pranks to a means of suppressing Black people, and its later attempt to portray itself as a force for order.

"

We could not engage at once in business or professional pursuits. Few had capital to enter mercantile or agricultural enterprises. There was a total lack of amusement and social diversions which prevail wherever society is in a normal condition so everything's fucked up because of the war still.

It's mysteriousness was the sensation of the hour. Every issue of the local paper contained some notice of the strange order.

During the fall and winter of 1866 the growth of the clan was rapid. It spread over a wide extent of territory sometimes by a sudden leap it appeared in localities far distant from any existing dens.

In a short time the lictor of the Pulaski din reported that travel along the road which he had his post had almost entirely stopped. In the country it was noticed that the nocturnal perambulation of the colored population diminished or entirely ceased.

there never was before since a period of our history when such an order could have lived may they're never again

A Brief History of Vice: How Bad Behavior Built Civilization Cover

Robert Evans

A Brief History of Vice

How Bad Behavior Built Civilization

One of the podcast hosts mentioned his own book, 'A Brief History of Vice', which is available on Amazon, without giving any details about the book's content.

"

you can find my book on amazon A Brief History of Vice

— Episode: Part One: The Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

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Episode: Part One: The Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

One of the podcast hosts mentioned his own book, 'A Brief History of Vice', which is available on Amazon, without giving any details about the book's content.

"

you can find my book on amazon A Brief History of Vice

How the People Trumped Ronald Plump Cover

Brian Krassenstein

How the People Trumped Ronald Plump

A children's book written by the Krasenstein brothers, which was described as a humorous attempt to explain Trump's actions with a character named Ronald Plump. It included controversial characters such as Weave Bannon and Flaccid Bushner and a depiction of Elizabeth Warren in a 'rape sack'.

"

President Trump is a counter example Of the examples I try to set for my children

— Episode: Jacob Wohl And The Krassensteins: A Tale...

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Episode: Jacob Wohl And The Krassensteins: A Tale of Severa...

A children's book written by the Krasenstein brothers, which was described as a humorous attempt to explain Trump's actions with a character named Ronald Plump. It included controversial characters such as Weave Bannon and Flaccid Bushner and a depiction of Elizabeth Warren in a 'rape sack'.

"

President Trump is a counter example Of the examples I try to set for my children

It's difficult when we teach our children How to act one way But then the president of the United States Acts the complete opposite way

Ronald Plump is a man who has elected Leader of the town Do work city Do you get it? Cause New York Oh But do work That's not that great They're very smart

Plump's actions go against the morals Which we teach our kids But in the end Hope, quality, love and basic human values prevail Parents will love this book's humor and storyline Just as much if not more than their children

Ronald Plump believed that he could every day Grab any woman And just take her away Await to his tower and his big burlap sack Plump took every woman He wanted until one fought back

Crania Americana;Or a comparative view of the skulls of various Aborginal Nations of North and south America Cover

Johann Joseph Ignaz Von Dollinger

Crania Americana;Or a comparative view of the skulls of various Aborginal Nations of North and south America

It was used to justify the removal of Native Americans, suggesting their minds were different from white people, and was cited in articles that helped support land-grabbing policies.

"

the structure of his mind appears to be different from that of the white man

— Episode: Part One: Phrenology: The Bastard Scienc...

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Episode: Part One: Phrenology: The Bastard Science of Racis...

It was used to justify the removal of Native Americans, suggesting their minds were different from white people, and was cited in articles that helped support land-grabbing policies.

"

the structure of his mind appears to be different from that of the white man

Native Americans were adverse to cultivation, slow and acquiring knowledge this view of Native American existence in society is not conducive to industrialization in progress

The Lysenko Affair Cover

David Joravsky

The Lysenko Affair

It was referenced during the discussion of Lysenko's defense against accusations of fraud. The book highlighted Lysenko's insistence on results over methodology and his reliance on the political backing of the Communist Party.

"

He had never troubled himself to be precise and he insisted that precise data were not essential.

— Episode: Part Two: The Russian Scientist Who Help...

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Episode: Part Two: The Russian Scientist Who Helped Kill 30...

It was referenced during the discussion of Lysenko's defense against accusations of fraud. The book highlighted Lysenko's insistence on results over methodology and his reliance on the political backing of the Communist Party.

"

He had never troubled himself to be precise and he insisted that precise data were not essential.

Shrilly he called attention to biological theory to the progressive biological theory that had been developed quote in unity with the practice of collective and state farms and that had always enjoyed the support of the party in state.

Basically he whined that his theories were correct with communism and the party had always supported him So why were they suddenly being so mean and asking for proof?

The specialist stuck to their narrow task with devastating effect for Lushenko and his colleagues were simply incapable of sustained reasoning with facts and figures.

Their favorite device as the chairman of the investigative commission put it was to quote to say a single thing and hush up all the rest as long as everything looks good.

Stalinist Genetics: The Constitutional Rhetoric of T. D. Lysenko (Baywood's Technical Communications) Cover

Dmitri Stanchevici

Stalinist Genetics

The Constitutional Rhetoric of T. D. Lysenko (Baywood's Technical Communications)

It was mentioned in the context of Trofim Lysenko's relationship with Stalin, and the book provided insight into how Lysenko may have convinced him to support his ideas through charm and manipulation.

"

Although a mediocrity in scientific questions, Lysenko was highly talented in the art of leading an ideological fight and of surviving in the midst of Stalinist terror. And airingly dividing the boss'...

— Episode: Part One: The Russian Scientist Who Help...

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Episode: Part One: The Russian Scientist Who Helped Kill 30...

It was mentioned in the context of Trofim Lysenko's relationship with Stalin, and the book provided insight into how Lysenko may have convinced him to support his ideas through charm and manipulation.

"

Although a mediocrity in scientific questions, Lysenko was highly talented in the art of leading an ideological fight and of surviving in the midst of Stalinist terror. And airingly dividing the boss's wishes and anxieties, Lysenko came to the fore thanks to his considerable natural talents. He fought for position to top the pyramid of power and won it not by chance or by a whim of Stalin's but by his skill in waging the kind of battle that was necessary. Outfoxed even Stalin and was able to pull the wool over his eyes even when other party leaders already had seen through Lysenko thanks to his courteous intuition and his shrewdness thanks to his ability to divine Stalin's secret designs he always struck the right chord with the great Helmsman never arousing his irritation.

The L. Ron Hubbard Series A Profile Volume 1 of 17 Cover

L. Ron Hubbard Library

The L. Ron Hubbard Series A Profile Volume 1 of 17

It was a book series about L. Ron Hubbard's life, produced by the Church of Scientology, and presented a heavily biased and inaccurate depiction of Hubbard's early life, which was discussed in the podcast.

"

But there was a trailer for the book series about Elron Hubbard called Elron Hubbard a Profile, and I want to play you a little bit of that because it gives you an idea of sort of the cliff's notes of...

— Episode: Part One: How L. Ron Hubbard Lied His W...

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Episode: Part One: How L. Ron Hubbard Lied His Way to Godh...

It was a book series about L. Ron Hubbard's life, produced by the Church of Scientology, and presented a heavily biased and inaccurate depiction of Hubbard's early life, which was discussed in the podcast.

"

But there was a trailer for the book series about Elron Hubbard called Elron Hubbard a Profile, and I want to play you a little bit of that because it gives you an idea of sort of the cliff's notes of his life as portrayed by the Church of Scientology.

Understanding Aids: Quick Reference Guide For Patients Cover

HC-HealthComm

Understanding Aids

Quick Reference Guide For Patients

It was a pamphlet released in 1988 by C. Everett Koop that discussed contraception and provided frank descriptions of sexual practices related to AIDS, mailed to almost every home in America.

"

So he put together a pamphlet called 'Understanding Aids' that provided frank descriptions of anal and oral sex as well as fact-based discussions of contraception.

— Episode: Part Two: Ronald and Nancy Reagan: The B...

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Episode: Part Two: Ronald and Nancy Reagan: The Bastards Be...

It was a pamphlet released in 1988 by C. Everett Koop that discussed contraception and provided frank descriptions of sexual practices related to AIDS, mailed to almost every home in America.

"

So he put together a pamphlet called 'Understanding Aids' that provided frank descriptions of anal and oral sex as well as fact-based discussions of contraception.

It was the original AOL disk. It was like the first thing distributed on that wide.

107 million families received a copy of 'Understanding Aids'.

The Hungarian Minority of Transylvania: A First Assessment of the Transition Period 1990-2007 (Prager Schriften zur Zeitgeschichte und zum Zeitgeschehen) Cover

Nicolas Franckx Ph.D.

The Hungarian Minority of Transylvania

A First Assessment of the Transition Period 1990-2007 (Prager Schriften zur Zeitgeschichte und zum Zeitgeschehen)

It was mentioned as a textbook that provided a critical view of Blackwater's handling of a mission in Iraq, highlighting their failure to follow contractual requirements regarding equipment and personnel.

"

it was black water management not the state department that reduced the preparation time for the ill-fated security details that they were dropped in place in their first day on the job it was black w...

— Episode: Part Two: Blackwater's Erik Prince Wrote...

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Episode: Part Two: Blackwater's Erik Prince Wrote A Book Ab...

It was mentioned as a textbook that provided a critical view of Blackwater's handling of a mission in Iraq, highlighting their failure to follow contractual requirements regarding equipment and personnel.

"

it was black water management not the state department that reduced the preparation time for the ill-fated security details that they were dropped in place in their first day on the job it was black water management that decided to send out a four man detail instead of the usual six it was black water that decided to send the detail and soft skin instead of armored vehicles it was black water that decided not to give the detail machine guns as required by contract

A Brief History of Vice: How Bad Behavior Built Civilization Cover

Robert Evans

A Brief History of Vice

How Bad Behavior Built Civilization

Miles Gray, a guest on the podcast, mentioned his book 'A Brief History of Vice', where he explores and recreates various ancient drugs and their effects.

"

you can find my book on Amazon A Brief History of Vice I recreate weird ancient drugs and damage my body

— Episode: Part Two: Blackwater's Erik Prince Wrote...

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Part Two: Blackwater's Erik Prince Wrote A Book Ab...

Miles Gray, a guest on the podcast, mentioned his book 'A Brief History of Vice', where he explores and recreates various ancient drugs and their effects.

"

you can find my book on Amazon A Brief History of Vice I recreate weird ancient drugs and damage my body

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.