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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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Books 633
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Horses at Work: Harnessing Power in Industrial America Cover

Ann Norton Greene

Horses at Work

Harnessing Power in Industrial America

The book was referenced as the source for Green's expertise on the role of horses in industrial America.

"

We wanted to speak with Green because of a book she wrote called Horses at Work, Harnessing Power in Industrial America.

— Episode: 651. The Ultimate Dance Partner

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Episode: 651. The Ultimate Dance Partner

The book was referenced as the source for Green's expertise on the role of horses in industrial America.

"

We wanted to speak with Green because of a book she wrote called Horses at Work, Harnessing Power in Industrial America.

The Horse in the City: Living Machines in the Nineteenth Century (Animals, History, Culture) Cover

Clay McShane

The Horse in the City

Living Machines in the Nineteenth Century (Animals, History, Culture)

The book was cited as a way to think about horses functionally, positioning them alongside other energy sources.

"

That's a phrase that comes out of the work by two colleagues of mine, ClayMcShane and JoelTarr, who wrote a book called Horse in the City that makes you think about the horse functionally. And it brin...

— Episode: 651. The Ultimate Dance Partner

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Episode: 651. The Ultimate Dance Partner

The book was cited as a way to think about horses functionally, positioning them alongside other energy sources.

"

That's a phrase that comes out of the work by two colleagues of mine, ClayMcShane and JoelTarr, who wrote a book called Horse in the City that makes you think about the horse functionally. And it brings this kind of power, which humans have been using for centuries, into the same space as other kinds of energy sources.

The Flexner Report: Medical Education in the United States and Canada-A Report to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Cover

Abraham Flexner

The Flexner Report

Medical Education in the United States and Canada-A Report to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

The hosts highlighted the Flexner Report as a landmark 1910 publication that shaped medical education by recommending the closure of many lowquality schools and limiting the number of medical schools to a handful.

"

The Flexner Report is so important and has such a huge legacy. Everybody in medicine knows about The Flexner Report.

— Episode: 650. The Doctor Won’t See You Now

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Episode: 650. The Doctor Won’t See You Now

The hosts highlighted the Flexner Report as a landmark 1910 publication that shaped medical education by recommending the closure of many lowquality schools and limiting the number of medical schools to a handful.

"

The Flexner Report is so important and has such a huge legacy. Everybody in medicine knows about The Flexner Report.

I had heard about it a little bit. I knew that there was this report and a bunch of medical schools shut down.

The Flexner Report was published in 1910.

The Flexner Report didn't just shock people at the time. I found the fact that The Flexner Report recommends keeping only 31 medical schools, which it deemed would be enough to train enough doctors for the entire U.S., to be really radical.

Driven Cover

Susie Wolff

Driven

The host highlighted that Alex Davies authored the book Driven, describing it as an excellent account of the race to create the autonomous car.

"

He wrote an excellent book called Driven, The Race to Create the Autonomous Car.

— Episode: Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

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Episode: Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

The host highlighted that Alex Davies authored the book Driven, describing it as an excellent account of the race to create the autonomous car.

"

He wrote an excellent book called Driven, The Race to Create the Autonomous Car.

The Making of Handel’s Messiah Cover

Andrew Gant

The Making of Handel’s Messiah

The hosts announced that an audiobook titled Making Messiah had been published, describing how Handel regained his creative spark and produced his famous Messiah work.

"

We have just published an audiobook called Making Messiah. How Handel got his mojo back and created a masterpiece. The publisher is Simon & Schuster. And the audiobook is adapted from our recent Freak...

— Episode: 668. Do Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny Have...

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Episode: 668. Do Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny Have Blood on T...

The hosts announced that an audiobook titled Making Messiah had been published, describing how Handel regained his creative spark and produced his famous Messiah work.

"

We have just published an audiobook called Making Messiah. How Handel got his mojo back and created a masterpiece. The publisher is Simon & Schuster. And the audiobook is adapted from our recent Freakonomics radio series about the history, legacy, and economics of George Frideric Handel's Messiah.

Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health Cover

Anupam B. Jena

Random Acts of Medicine

The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health

They noted that in 2023 Bapu Jena released a book coauthored with Christopher Worsham titled Random Acts of Medicine, examining how random experiments inform medical practice.

"

In 2023, he published a book along with his co-author Christopher Worsham called Random Acts of Medicine.

— Episode: 668. Do Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny Have...

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Episode: 668. Do Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny Have Blood on T...

They noted that in 2023 Bapu Jena released a book coauthored with Christopher Worsham titled Random Acts of Medicine, examining how random experiments inform medical practice.

"

In 2023, he published a book along with his co-author Christopher Worsham called Random Acts of Medicine.

Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's Cover

Charles Piller

Doctored

Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's

The book examined the decadeslong fraudulent research practices in Alzheimer's science, detailing how misconduct slowed progress toward a cure.

"

My name is Charles Piller. I am an investigative journalist with Science Magazine and author of the book Doctored.

— Episode: 671. Why Has There Been So Little Progre...

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Episode: 671. Why Has There Been So Little Progress on Alzh...

The book examined the decadeslong fraudulent research practices in Alzheimer's science, detailing how misconduct slowed progress toward a cure.

"

My name is Charles Piller. I am an investigative journalist with Science Magazine and author of the book Doctored.

The full title of Piller's book is Doctored, Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's.

The book that Charles Piller wrote is called Doctored, Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's.

Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains Cover

Bethany Brookshire

Pests

How Humans Create Animal Villains

Brookshire released the 2022 book that examined how humans label certain animals as pests and explored the cultural roots of that vilification. The discussion highlighted its relevance to the rathate narrative.

"

She recently published a book called Pests, How Humans Create Animal Villains.

— Episode: Why Does Everyone Hate Rats? (Update)

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Episode: Why Does Everyone Hate Rats? (Update)

Brookshire released the 2022 book that examined how humans label certain animals as pests and explored the cultural roots of that vilification. The discussion highlighted its relevance to the rathate narrative.

"

She recently published a book called Pests, How Humans Create Animal Villains.

I'm the author of the 2022 book Pests, How Humans Create Animal Villains.

Talk about just the title itself and what kind of work you're asking that word Pests to do.

Triumph of the City by Glaeser, Edward (2012) Paperback Cover

Edward Glaeser

Triumph of the City by Glaeser, Edward (2012) Paperback

Glaeser authored a book that argued cities are humanity's greatest invention, shaping prosperity, health, and sustainability. The host cited it while discussing how urban environments intertwine with rat ecology.

"

Glaser is the author of a book called Triumph of the City, how our greatest invention makes us richer, smarter, greener, healthier and happier.

— Episode: Why Does Everyone Hate Rats? (Update)

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Episode: Why Does Everyone Hate Rats? (Update)

Glaeser authored a book that argued cities are humanity's greatest invention, shaping prosperity, health, and sustainability. The host cited it while discussing how urban environments intertwine with rat ecology.

"

Glaser is the author of a book called Triumph of the City, how our greatest invention makes us richer, smarter, greener, healthier and happier.

Adam Smith’s America: How a Scottish Philosopher Became an Icon of American Capitalism Cover

Glory M. Liu

Adam Smith’s America

How a Scottish Philosopher Became an Icon of American Capitalism

The episode mentioned Glory Liu's nonfiction book, Adam Smith's America, which examines how the 18thcentury economist became an emblem of American capitalism.

"

author of a book called Adam Smith's America, how a Scottish philosopher became an icon of American capitalism.

— Episode: 674. How Does a Composer Feel After the...

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Episode: 674. How Does a Composer Feel After the World Prem...

The episode mentioned Glory Liu's nonfiction book, Adam Smith's America, which examines how the 18thcentury economist became an emblem of American capitalism.

"

author of a book called Adam Smith's America, how a Scottish philosopher became an icon of American capitalism.

Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals (Mit Press) Cover

Katie Salen Tekinbas

Rules of Play

Game Design Fundamentals (Mit Press)

The conversation highlighted Zimmerman's book Rules of Play as the defining textbook of game design, emphasizing its influence on the field.

"

Zimmerman's book, Rules of Play, is now considered a defining textbook of game design.

— 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 conversation highlighted Zimmerman's book Rules of Play as the defining textbook of game design, emphasizing its influence on the field.

"

Zimmerman's book, Rules of Play, is now considered a defining textbook of game design.

Interaction of Color: 50th Anniversary Edition Cover

Josef Albers

Interaction of Color

50th Anniversary Edition

Albers was mentioned as the author of Interaction of Color, described as an amazing book on color theory that the host had read during art school.

"

Joseph Albers was a German artist who came to the United States and taught at Yale University. He wrote this amazing book called Interaction of Color.

— 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...

Albers was mentioned as the author of Interaction of Color, described as an amazing book on color theory that the host had read during art school.

"

Joseph Albers was a German artist who came to the United States and taught at Yale University. He wrote this amazing book called Interaction of Color.

What Do You Care What Other People Think: Further Adventures of a Curious Character Cover

Richard P. Feynman

What Do You Care What Other People Think

Further Adventures of a Curious Character

The episode identified it as the second book cowritten by Feynman, describing it as a further collection of his adventures.

"

The second book was called What Do You Care What Other People Think? Further Adventures of a Curious Character.

— Episode: The Vanishing Mr. Feynman (Update)

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Episode: The Vanishing Mr. Feynman (Update)

The episode identified it as the second book cowritten by Feynman, describing it as a further collection of his adventures.

"

The second book was called What Do You Care What Other People Think? Further Adventures of a Curious Character.

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