The Backgammon Chronicles
Robert Wachtel
Mentioned 1 month ago
677. Can Backgammon Save Us from Ourselves?
Book Recommendations
Freakonomics Radio
Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engin...
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912
Books
635
Recently mentioned
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In the Game until the End Volume II
Robert H Wachtel
Mentioned 1 month ago
677. Can Backgammon Save Us from Ourselves?
"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"
Richard P. Feynman
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The Vanishing Mr. Feynman (Update)
Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert
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What Do You Care What Other People Think
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The Grasshopper - Third Edition
Bernard Suits
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675. Has the New York Times Become a Games Company?
Rules of Play
Katie Salen Tekinbas
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Interaction of Color
Josef Albers
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675. Has the New York Times Become a Games Company?
The Wealth of Nations (Modern Library)
Adam Smith
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674. How Does a Composer Feel After the World Premiere?
Adam Smith’s America
Glory M. Liu
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674. How Does a Composer Feel After the World Premiere?
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte
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673. What Is Money?
Hard Times
Charles Dickens
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673. What Is Money?
Most Recommended
Bad Widow
It was described as a memoir about August's relationship with her husband, Dave, before and after his death while serving in the military.
"
She's also a writer working on her first book. It's a memoir called A Bad Widow.
— Episode: 432. When Your Safety Becomes My Danger
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Episode: 432. When Your Safety Becomes My Danger
It was described as a memoir about August's relationship with her husband, Dave, before and after his death while serving in the military.
"
She's also a writer working on her first book. It's a memoir called A Bad Widow.
And it's about my story of my relationship with Dave before and after he died.
The Second Life of Tiger Woods
It was recently read and highly recommended by the podcast host due to the author's writing style and the captivating nature of Tiger Woods' comeback story.
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I recently read a great new book called The Second Life of Tiger Woods by Michael Bamberger.
— Episode: 430. Will a Covid-19 Vaccine Change the...
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Episode: 430. Will a Covid-19 Vaccine Change the Future of...
It was recently read and highly recommended by the podcast host due to the author's writing style and the captivating nature of Tiger Woods' comeback story.
"
I recently read a great new book called The Second Life of Tiger Woods by Michael Bamberger.
Bamberger is an incredible writer, astute and funny in equal measure. And the story of Woods' latest comeback is almost too good to be true.
No Crying in Baseball
The Inside Story of A League of Their Own
It was referenced as the source for the Dick Kerr Ladies Football Team's history, including their rise to popularity and subsequent ban from FIFA.
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I should say here, a lot of what I'm telling you is based on a book by Gail Newsham. I do want to give her credit.
— Episode: 426. Should America (and FIFA) Pay Repar...
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Episode: 426. Should America (and FIFA) Pay Reparations?
It was referenced as the source for the Dick Kerr Ladies Football Team's history, including their rise to popularity and subsequent ban from FIFA.
"
I should say here, a lot of what I'm telling you is based on a book by Gail Newsham. I do want to give her credit.
The book is called In a League of Their Own, the Story of the Dick Kerr Ladies Football Team.
Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher (1987-08-06)
It was mentioned as the semi-autobiographical book that was adapted into a movie starring Meryl Streep, and a quote was attributed to Carrie Fisher by Meryl Streep.
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As my friend, the dear departed Princess Leia said to me once, take your broken heart, make it into art.
— Episode: 422. Introducing "No Stupid Questions"
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Episode: 422. Introducing "No Stupid Questions"
It was mentioned as the semi-autobiographical book that was adapted into a movie starring Meryl Streep, and a quote was attributed to Carrie Fisher by Meryl Streep.
"
As my friend, the dear departed Princess Leia said to me once, take your broken heart, make it into art.
The Nation City
Why Mayors Are Now Running the World
It was described as fascinating, containing deep insights about how mayors are running the world and discussed how the COVID-19 crisis highlighted that idea.
"
I had just finished reading his fascinating new book, The Nation City, Why Mayors Are Now Running the World.
— Episode: 415. How Rahm Emanuel Would Run the Worl...
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Episode: 415. How Rahm Emanuel Would Run the World
It was described as fascinating, containing deep insights about how mayors are running the world and discussed how the COVID-19 crisis highlighted that idea.
"
I had just finished reading his fascinating new book, The Nation City, Why Mayors Are Now Running the World.
Heat Wave
A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago
It was written following the Chicago heatwave, exploring social isolation and its role in the tragedy, with living alone being a significant risk factor for death.
"
He ultimately wrote a book about the tragedy called Heat Wave.
— Episode: 407. Is There Really a “Loneliness Epide...
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Episode: 407. Is There Really a “Loneliness Epidemic”?
It was written following the Chicago heatwave, exploring social isolation and its role in the tragedy, with living alone being a significant risk factor for death.
"
He ultimately wrote a book about the tragedy called Heat Wave.
The War on Normal People
The Truth About America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future
It was not an optimistic book, and detailed Andrew Yang's belief that the American economy had failed most Americans, with the political class also failing due to ignoring underlying economic faults.
"
Last year, Yang published another book called The War on Normal People and it is not remotely optimistic.
— Episode: Why Is This Man Running for President? (...
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Episode: Why Is This Man Running for President? (Update)
It was not an optimistic book, and detailed Andrew Yang's belief that the American economy had failed most Americans, with the political class also failing due to ignoring underlying economic faults.
"
Last year, Yang published another book called The War on Normal People and it is not remotely optimistic.
Mass Flourishing
How Grassroots Innovation Created Jobs, Challenge, and Change
It explored the concept of human flourishing, linking it to grassroots innovation, job creation, and societal change, referencing Aristotle and 1960s philosophers.
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Among Phelps's many books is a recent one called Mass Flourishing, How Grassroots Innovation Created Jobs, Challenge, and Change.
— Episode: 399. Honey, I Grew the Economy
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Episode: 399. Honey, I Grew the Economy
It explored the concept of human flourishing, linking it to grassroots innovation, job creation, and societal change, referencing Aristotle and 1960s philosophers.
"
Among Phelps's many books is a recent one called Mass Flourishing, How Grassroots Innovation Created Jobs, Challenge, and Change.
Shop Class as Soulcraft
An Inquiry Into the Value of Work by Matthew B. Crawford (2009-05-28)
It was described as a more personal take on human flourishing, discussing the value of work in the context of modern technological and economic progress.
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It's called Shop Class as Soulcraft, an inquiry into the value of work.
— Episode: 399. Honey, I Grew the Economy
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Episode: 399. Honey, I Grew the Economy
It was described as a more personal take on human flourishing, discussing the value of work in the context of modern technological and economic progress.
"
It's called Shop Class as Soulcraft, an inquiry into the value of work.
Heat Of The Moment
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Inside the Nudge Unit
How Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference
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Dying to Win
The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism
It was mentioned that Pape's book, 'Dying to Win', was discussed on the House floor by a congressman from Texas and that Ron Paul read it.
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Ron Paul was a Republican and he picked my book up at Barnes & Noble and Random House who published my book sent me a note saying there is some congressman from Texas giving a whole speech on the hous...
— Episode: 395. Speak Softly and Carry Big Data
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Episode: 395. Speak Softly and Carry Big Data
It was mentioned that Pape's book, 'Dying to Win', was discussed on the House floor by a congressman from Texas and that Ron Paul read it.
"
Ron Paul was a Republican and he picked my book up at Barnes & Noble and Random House who published my book sent me a note saying there is some congressman from Texas giving a whole speech on the house floor about your book
My One Hundred Adventures
It was mentioned as a book about a British explorer who discovered three lost Incan cities, traveled the Amazon, and climbed unsummited Andes peaks, despite being accident-prone.
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And years and years ago, I was in Sydney, and I discovered a book called My Amazon Adventure by Sebastian Snow, a British explorer.
— Episode: 393. Can Britain Get Its “Great” Back?
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Episode: 393. Can Britain Get Its “Great” Back?
It was mentioned as a book about a British explorer who discovered three lost Incan cities, traveled the Amazon, and climbed unsummited Andes peaks, despite being accident-prone.
"
And years and years ago, I was in Sydney, and I discovered a book called My Amazon Adventure by Sebastian Snow, a British explorer.
For the Record
A Documentary History of America (Eighth Edition) (Vol. Volume 1)
It was described as one of the most candid political memoirs in recent memory, and contained self-justification but also honesty about decisions made.
"
I think it's one of the very few weaknesses of your great country.
— Episode: 392. The Prime Minister Who Cried Brexit
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Episode: 392. The Prime Minister Who Cried Brexit
It was described as one of the most candid political memoirs in recent memory, and contained self-justification but also honesty about decisions made.
"
I think it's one of the very few weaknesses of your great country.
Well, the discipline I put on myself was thinking, what did you think then? What do you think now? What decisions do you think you got right? What decisions do you think you got wrong? And look, all memoirs are exercises in self-justification.
And I accept there's quite a lot of self-justification in the book. But I tried to be honest about things that could have gone well, could have gone better.
I had always felt myself more of a Thatcherist than a Thatcherite.
I still shiver at the memory, he writes. They were asking Cameron which philosophers he'd read. Turned out the answer was not many.
Build a Brand Like Trader Joe's
It was written by a former advertising executive who worked at Trader Joe's, inspired by the company's unorthodox brand building methods, particularly their minimal marketing spend.
"
I just had this thought like, you know, what if I just went and worked there? What would I learn about this company?
— Episode: Should America Be Run by … Trader Joe’s?...
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Episode: Should America Be Run by … Trader Joe’s? (Rebroadc...
It was written by a former advertising executive who worked at Trader Joe's, inspired by the company's unorthodox brand building methods, particularly their minimal marketing spend.
"
I just had this thought like, you know, what if I just went and worked there? What would I learn about this company?
Gardner learned enough about the company by working there that he wrote a book about it called Build a Brand Like Trader Joe's.
Well, as you know, they're very, very secretive company. So they responded exactly the way I expected, which was with utter silence.
Path to the Stars
My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist
It was published for middle school readers and detailed her journey from Girl Scout to rocket scientist, described on a book tour across the country to urban, rural, and suburban schools.
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Acevedo recently published a book for middle school readers called Path to the Stars, My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist.
— Episode: 385. What Do Nancy Pelosi, Taylor Swift,...
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Episode: 385. What Do Nancy Pelosi, Taylor Swift, and Seren...
It was published for middle school readers and detailed her journey from Girl Scout to rocket scientist, described on a book tour across the country to urban, rural, and suburban schools.
"
Acevedo recently published a book for middle school readers called Path to the Stars, My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist.
Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.