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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...

Episodes 902
Books 633
Left Turn, life unimagined: life unimagined Cover

Jen Eikenhorst

Left Turn, life unimagined

life unimagined

It was based on research that concluded most news organizations lean left, although not as dramatically as some critics might suspect, and that the American mind is being distorted by media bias.

"

He ultimately wrote up his findings in a book called Left Turn, how liberal media bias distorts the American mind.

— Episode: 62. How Biased Is Your Media?

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Episode: 62. How Biased Is Your Media?

It was based on research that concluded most news organizations lean left, although not as dramatically as some critics might suspect, and that the American mind is being distorted by media bias.

"

He ultimately wrote up his findings in a book called Left Turn, how liberal media bias distorts the American mind.

The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies---How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths Cover

Michael Shermer

The Believing Brain

From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies---How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths

Michael Shermer's book, 'The Believing Brain', was discussed in the context of how humans form beliefs, often relying on instinct and intuition rather than evidence, as related to conspiracy theories and skepticism.

"

His latest is called The Believing Brain.

— Episode: 50. The Truth Is Out There…Isn’t It?

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Episode: 50. The Truth Is Out There…Isn’t It?

Michael Shermer's book, 'The Believing Brain', was discussed in the context of how humans form beliefs, often relying on instinct and intuition rather than evidence, as related to conspiracy theories and skepticism.

"

His latest is called The Believing Brain.

Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men Cover

Mara Hvistendahl

Unnatural Selection

Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men

It was discussed as a book about the consequences of the skewed male-to-female birth ratio in Asia, particularly in China, due to sex-selective abortions and other factors.

"

When Vistendahl first moved to China in 2004, she noticed something strange.

— Episode: 46. Misadventures in Baby-Making

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Episode: 46. Misadventures in Baby-Making

It was discussed as a book about the consequences of the skewed male-to-female birth ratio in Asia, particularly in China, due to sex-selective abortions and other factors.

"

When Vistendahl first moved to China in 2004, she noticed something strange.

The fact that you could go to a school and look at a classroom in an elementary school usually, and you just see many more boys than girls.

I am a Beijing-based correspondent with Science Magazine and the author of Unnatural Selection, Choosing Boys Over Girls and the Consequences of a World Full of Men.

Treating Infants and Young Children Impacted by Trauma: Interventions That Promote Healthy Development (Concise Guides on Trauma Care Series) Cover

Joy D. Osofsky

Treating Infants and Young Children Impacted by Trauma

Interventions That Promote Healthy Development (Concise Guides on Trauma Care Series)

It was criticized for its harsh approach to parenting, advising against physical affection and suggesting a strict, emotionally distant approach.

"

He said, you know, you should never kiss your child, you should never hug your child, you should never put your child on your knee.

— Episode: 39. The Economist’s Guide to Parenting

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Episode: 39. The Economist’s Guide to Parenting

It was criticized for its harsh approach to parenting, advising against physical affection and suggesting a strict, emotionally distant approach.

"

He said, you know, you should never kiss your child, you should never hug your child, you should never put your child on your knee.

You're honeycombing the child with weakness and he will not be able to face the harsh, cold, cruel world.

The Bronx Zoo Cover

Sparky Lyle

The Bronx Zoo

It was mentioned as the first book Steve Levitt ever read at the age of 12, and was about the hijinks of baseball players.

"

I can't remember the name of the book, but it was about the hijinks of baseball players.

— Episode: 35. Live From St. Paul!

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Episode: 35. Live From St. Paul!

It was mentioned as the first book Steve Levitt ever read at the age of 12, and was about the hijinks of baseball players.

"

I can't remember the name of the book, but it was about the hijinks of baseball players.

The Bronx Zoo. Oh, The Bronx Zoo. Yeah, that is the first book I ever read.

I gave him that book and said, maybe you'd like to read this book. And that was the first book he ever read.

The Sound and the Fury: The Corrected Text with Faulkner's Appendix (Modern Library 100 Best Novels) Cover

William Faulkner

The Sound and the Fury

The Corrected Text with Faulkner's Appendix (Modern Library 100 Best Novels)

It was mentioned as a classic in American Literature, and its mention triggered a question within the Quiz Bowl segment.

"

In a chapter entitled June 2nd, 1910, a Harvard student commits suicide. The narrator is Quentin Compson, who also appears as a character in Absalom, Absalom. Name this classic in American literature...

— Episode: 35. Live From St. Paul!

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Episode: 35. Live From St. Paul!

It was mentioned as a classic in American Literature, and its mention triggered a question within the Quiz Bowl segment.

"

In a chapter entitled June 2nd, 1910, a Harvard student commits suicide. The narrator is Quentin Compson, who also appears as a character in Absalom, Absalom. Name this classic in American literature penned by William Faulkner. And that is? That's me. The Crucible? No. Take it over here.

As I lay dying. That's The Sound and the Fury.

The Dead Zone Cover

Stephen King

The Dead Zone

It was mentioned in a Quiz Bowl question as a novel in which a psychic is a character, alongside other mentions of psychics in various mediums.

"

Marvel Comics fans will know that Jean Grey is one. There's also one in Stephen King's novel The Dead Zone, possibly based on the real life Peter Herkos.

— Episode: 35. Live From St. Paul!

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Episode: 35. Live From St. Paul!

It was mentioned in a Quiz Bowl question as a novel in which a psychic is a character, alongside other mentions of psychics in various mediums.

"

Marvel Comics fans will know that Jean Grey is one. There's also one in Stephen King's novel The Dead Zone, possibly based on the real life Peter Herkos.

Star Wars®: Bounty Hunter Code: From The Files of Boba Fett Cover

Daniel Wallace

Star Wars®

Bounty Hunter Code

It was the first book ever written on the subject of bounty hunting, and was later adapted into the movie Midnight Run.

"

I could not find any books, so it turned out I wrote the book Bounty Hunter, which turned out to be the first book ever written on the subject, unbeknowing as to me.

— Episode: 33. To Catch a Fugitive

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Episode: 33. To Catch a Fugitive

It was the first book ever written on the subject of bounty hunting, and was later adapted into the movie Midnight Run.

"

I could not find any books, so it turned out I wrote the book Bounty Hunter, which turned out to be the first book ever written on the subject, unbeknowing as to me.

And then one step further, by 85, Robert De Niro's manager saw the book, bought it, and then made the movie Midnight Run based on the book.

Life Is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment Cover

Peter Buffett

Life Is What You Make It

Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment

It was described as a type of investment guide but not related to the financial investments made by the author's father, Warren Buffett. It was instead about investing in oneself and developing human capital for personal fulfillment.

"

Peter Buffett has written a book called Life Is What You Make It. Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment.

— Episode: 32. Growing Up Buffett

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Episode: 32. Growing Up Buffett

It was described as a type of investment guide but not related to the financial investments made by the author's father, Warren Buffett. It was instead about investing in oneself and developing human capital for personal fulfillment.

"

Peter Buffett has written a book called Life Is What You Make It. Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment.

Creating Capabilities: The Human Development Approach Cover

Martha C. Nussbaum

Creating Capabilities

The Human Development Approach

It was discussed as a book about development economics with a philosophical critique of standard models. It was also described as proposing a 'capability approach' to measuring living standards.

"

And it's called Creating Capabilities, the Human Development Approach.

— Episode: 26. The Health of Nations

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Episode: 26. The Health of Nations

It was discussed as a book about development economics with a philosophical critique of standard models. It was also described as proposing a 'capability approach' to measuring living standards.

"

And it's called Creating Capabilities, the Human Development Approach.

Martha Nussbaum is the author of a new book called Creating Capabilities, The Human Development Approach.

Principles of Macroeconomics The Freedom to Choose Cover

Anthony Negbenebor

Principles of Macroeconomics The Freedom to Choose

It was mentioned in contrast to Nussbaum's work, particularly the 'Chicago School' of economics. It was discussed in terms of its emphasis on the market over government intervention in achieving goals.

"

Now, a lot of this doesn't sound too different really from what Milton Friedman has written, which would not be the first person that came to mind when I started to read your book.

— Episode: 26. The Health of Nations

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Episode: 26. The Health of Nations

It was mentioned in contrast to Nussbaum's work, particularly the 'Chicago School' of economics. It was discussed in terms of its emphasis on the market over government intervention in achieving goals.

"

Now, a lot of this doesn't sound too different really from what Milton Friedman has written, which would not be the first person that came to mind when I started to read your book.

The Grasshopper - Third Edition: Games, Life and Utopia Cover

Bernard Suits

The Grasshopper - Third Edition

Games, Life and Utopia

The host noted that Bernard Suits had published a sly and influential little book called The Grasshopper, which defined game playing as the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.

"

In 1978, the Canadian philosopher Bernard Suits published a sly and influential little book called The Grasshopper, Games, Life, and Utopia, in which he defined game playing as the voluntary attempt t...

— Episode: 675. Has the New York Times Become a Gam...

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Episode: 675. Has the New York Times Become a Games Company...

The host noted that Bernard Suits had published a sly and influential little book called The Grasshopper, which defined game playing as the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.

"

In 1978, the Canadian philosopher Bernard Suits published a sly and influential little book called The Grasshopper, Games, Life, and Utopia, in which he defined game playing as the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.

Julius Caesar (Annotated) Cover

William Shakespeare

Julius Caesar (Annotated)

Gary Parr recalled that an excellent 10thgrade English teacher introduced him to Shakespeare, specifically Julius Caesar, which shaped his understanding of the playwright.

"

I had an excellent teacher in 10th grade English that taught me Shakespeare, specifically Julius Caesar.

— Episode: Who Pays for “Messiah”?

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Episode: Who Pays for “Messiah”?

Gary Parr recalled that an excellent 10thgrade English teacher introduced him to Shakespeare, specifically Julius Caesar, which shaped his understanding of the playwright.

"

I had an excellent teacher in 10th grade English that taught me Shakespeare, specifically Julius Caesar.

Work: A Deep History, from the Stone Age to the Age of Robots Cover

James Suzman

Work

A Deep History, from the Stone Age to the Age of Robots

The book explores the history of work, starting from the Stone Age hunter-gatherer economies to the modern era of robots. It examines how work has changed and the different ways societies have organized their economies.

"

My sense of it based on recent and contemporary hunting and gathering societies was that life had a very high level of satisfaction.

— Episode: 605. What Do People Do All Day?

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Episode: 605. What Do People Do All Day?

The book explores the history of work, starting from the Stone Age hunter-gatherer economies to the modern era of robots. It examines how work has changed and the different ways societies have organized their economies.

"

My sense of it based on recent and contemporary hunting and gathering societies was that life had a very high level of satisfaction.

When I read that, I was very struck by it. It's one of those big observations that for me, at least, is obvious in retrospect.

the principal purpose of my undertaking with this book is to, quote, loosen the claw-like grasp that scarcity economics has held over our lives and thereby diminish our corresponding and unsustainable preoccupation with economic growth.

Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day? (Richard Scarry's Busy World) Cover

Richard Scarry

Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day? (Richard Scarry's Busy World)

This children's book, published in 1968, portrays various workers in Busytown and their everyday jobs, such as a farmer, blacksmith, and tailor, introducing basic economic concepts to preschoolers. The book's illustrations and simple stories resonate with children and continue to be popular.

"

Everyone is a worker. Here we have Farmer Alfalfa, Blacksmith Fox, Stitches the Tailor, Grocer Cat, Mommy Cat and Huckle Cat.

— Episode: 605. What Do People Do All Day?

Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: 605. What Do People Do All Day?

This children's book, published in 1968, portrays various workers in Busytown and their everyday jobs, such as a farmer, blacksmith, and tailor, introducing basic economic concepts to preschoolers. The book's illustrations and simple stories resonate with children and continue to be popular.

"

Everyone is a worker. Here we have Farmer Alfalfa, Blacksmith Fox, Stitches the Tailor, Grocer Cat, Mommy Cat and Huckle Cat.

The way people work today was unimaginable when my father did this book.

A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney's Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule Cover

Jim Rooney

A Different Way to Win

Dan Rooney's Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule

This book, written by Jim Rooney about his father Dan Rooney, was mentioned at the end of the episode. A forthcoming audio version was noted to include interviews with several key Pittsburgh Steelers figures and NFL Commissioners.

"

Jim Rooney wrote a book about his father, Dan, called A Different Way to Win.

— Episode: 604. Did the N.F.L. Solve Diversity Hiri...

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Episode: 604. Did the N.F.L. Solve Diversity Hiring? (Part...

This book, written by Jim Rooney about his father Dan Rooney, was mentioned at the end of the episode. A forthcoming audio version was noted to include interviews with several key Pittsburgh Steelers figures and NFL Commissioners.

"

Jim Rooney wrote a book about his father, Dan, called A Different Way to Win.

There is a forthcoming audio version of the book that includes interviews with several key Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as current NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

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