If Books Could Kill
The airport bestsellers that captured our hearts and ruined our minds
Episodes (65)
He's Just Not That Into You
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...
Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink"
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...
The Supreme Court Goes Full TERF [TEASER]
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
"In Covid's Wake" Part 2: Wrong About The Right
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,...
"In Covid's Wake" Part 1: Lying About Lockdowns
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...
Bonus: The Lab Leak Goes Mainstream
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...
The Let Them Theory
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,...
Josh Hawley's "Manhood" [TEASER]
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Steve Harvey's "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man"
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...
Of Boys And Men
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....
You Are A Badass
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"?...
What's The Matter With Kansas?
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...
Sam Harris's "The End of Faith"
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,...
Who Moved My Cheese?
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...
UNLOCKED: Eric Adams
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
Glenn Kessler Retire B*tch [TEASER]
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:...
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
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:...
The Anxious Generation
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...
Breaking News Re-Release: "Hillbilly Elegy"
To celebrate ("celebrate") Donald Trump choosing JD Vance as his running mate we are re-releasing our "Hillbilly Elegy" episode. Enjoy!
Richard Hanania's "The Origins of Woke"
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...
The Columbia Protests [TEASER]
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...
"Going Infinite": Michael Lewis Takes On Sam Bankman-Fried
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...
"The Better Angels of Our Nature" Part 2: Campus Lies, I.Q. Rise & Epstein Ties
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...
Who's Afraid of Naomi Wolf? [TEASER]
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...
Lean In
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...
"The Better Angels of Our Nature" Part 1: You're Not Wrong, Pinker. You're Just An *sshole
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,...
The Art of the Deal
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 Worst Takes of 2023 [TEASER]
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
The Identity Trap
"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." ...
Pundit Portraits: Kathleen Parker and Chris Cillizza [TEASER]
To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
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...
The 48 Laws of Power
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:...
The "Organized Retail Crime" Panic [TEASER]
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...
San Fransicko
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...
The 4-Hour Workweek
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...
The Clinton E-Mail Scandal [TEASER]
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,...
God And Man At Yale
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 :...
'On Bullsh*t' and the Pundit Industrial Complex [TEASER]
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:...
Liberal Fascism
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...
Are The Straights OK [TEASER]
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...
BONUS: Conservatives vs. Pride Month
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: ...
The Rules
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...
Atomic Habits
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...
The World is Flat
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...
"Nudge" Part 2: Mr. Nudge Goes to Washington
The Nudgening. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us: TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: David Gal's "Behavioral...
The Meme Stock Cult [TEASER]
In 2021, scrappy young investors from across the world joined forces to buy GameStop stock, aiming to take down greedy hedge funds. What came next was tragedy, injustice, and a conspiratorial internet...
"Nudge" Part 1: A Simple Solution For Littering, Organ Donations and Climate Change
In 2008, an economist and a law professor proposed a radical new approach to politics: Telling people not to do bad stuff. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find...
The 5 Love Languages
What’s your love language? Is it gifts? Words of affirmation? Or is it podcasts about books with extremely weird, reactionary gender dynamics? Support us on Patreon: ...
Ben Shapiro's Plan To End Poverty [TEASER]
Is it bootstraps? It's bootstraps. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Rich Dad Poor Dad
In 1997, Robert Kiyosaki revealed the secret to lifelong success: Deliver grifty seminars and hire child slaves. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us: ...
The Dumbest Campus Controversies Of The Last Decade [TEASER]
Get in loser, we're going to Oberlin. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
Hillbilly Elegy
In 2016, J.D. Vance informally launched his political career with "Hillbilly Elegy," a memoir that blames the relative poverty of Appalachian and Rust Belt populations on their own culture. Despite...
The Coddling Of The American Mind
TRIGGER WARNING: if you're a SNOWFLAKE college professor afraid of how your students are expressing themselves, you might need a SAFE SPACE, because Michael and Peter are discussing "The Coddling of...
The New York Times's War On Trans Kids [TEASER]
The nation's most prestigious newspaper insists on asking a very stupid question. So for this month's bonus episode, we decided to answer it. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon: ...
The Clash of Civilizations
"If your thesis doesn't hold up to obvious criticisms, there's a chance that your thesis sucks." Thanks to Paul Musgrave and Alex Cruikshanks for helping us fact-check this episode! Support us on...
The End of History
Francis Fukuyama's "The End of History and the Last Man" changed political discourse forever. Peter and Michael peel back his muddled history and fluffy rhetoric, revealing several more layers of...
The Lab Leak [TEASER]
In December 2019, the coronavirus pandemic began in Wuhan, China. In May 2021, America experienced one of the most cursed weeks of punditry we've ever seen. This is a condensed version of the full...
Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus
In 1992 a yoga instructor with a distance-learning PhD had the courage to ask: "Are women not getting help around the house because they're using the wrong modal verb?" Support us on Patreon Where...
The Secret
Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret" sold millions of copies based on a simple premise: All of science is fake and the only reason anything ever happens is because people manifest it by communicating with the...
The Population Bomb
How a Stanford lepidopterist convinced the world to fear the breeding habits of the poor. Again. Support us on Patreon Where to find us: TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast,...
A Bari Special Bonus Episode [TEASER]
Our first premium episode is a deep dive into the blog of the infamously (and dubiously) "canceled" Bari Weiss. To hear the full episode, subscribe on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod ...
The Game
Neil Strauss's "The Game" aimed to teach any man how to hook up with beautiful women. All he needed was a little bit of sociopathy, a lot of misogyny and a fanny pack full of props. Support us on...
David Brooks's "Bobos in Paradise"
David Brooks became liberals' famous conservative by telling them what they wanted to hear. But ... why did they want to hear something that was lazy and wrong? Support us on Patreon Where to find...
Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers"
In "Outliers," Malcolm Gladwell posited that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert in something. Mike and Peter prove him wrong by mastering his dumb book over the span of about 50...
Freakonomics
In 2005, two men named Steven and Stephen published the quintessential airport book. In 2022, two men named Mike and Peter started a whole podcast just to make fun of it. Thanks to Ted Joyce and...
About this Podcast
Copyright
© 2025 If Books Could Kill
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en