Why people recommend it
What to Expect when You're Expecting by Heidi Eisenberg Murkoff and Sharon Mazel is a widely consulted pregnancy and parenting guide that serves as an essential manual for expectant parents. On an episode of The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday referenced the book while discussing the publishing industry, noting that it stands as a rare outlier because parenting books typically struggle with commercial sales. Holiday pointed out the difficulty of marketing parenting titles, contrasting the massive, enduring success of this guide with the broader market. Similarly, on People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt observed that nearly every first-time parent he knows owns multiple copies of the book, having purchased one themselves and received others as gifts. Levitt used its ubiquity as a benchmark when discussing the reception of new literature. Both hosts highlighted the cultural dominance and practical necessity of the guide, cementing its status as a household staple that transcends typical publishing trends and firmly establishes itself as a universal rite of passage for families navigating the uncertainties of early parenthood.
Who recommended it
- Ryan Holiday Discussed
- Steve Levitt Discussed
Ryan Holiday — 2 mentions
“and I actually remember Adrian's my publisher is here and he was when I was proposing the book he was like uh men don't buy parenting books that's what he said that is a fact of the industry which is true but I think the reason that's true and the reason why parenting books are with the exception of say”
“That's what he said, that was a fact of the industry, which is true, but I think the reason that's true and the reason why parenting books are, with the exception of say 'What to Expect When You're Expecting,' not great sellers is that it's insane to read about some problem you might have 22 years from now, right?”
Steve Levitt — 1 mention
“I'm not sure whether you know that book, but roughly every first-time parent I know has three copies of it; one that they bought for themselves and two that were gifted to them by friends. And I suspect your book will be gifted much less frequently than 'What to Expect When You’re Expecting,' given people's discomfort with death.”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“so the big book news this week is that hasette which is one of the five biggest Publishers in the country has agreed to buy workmen publishing which was one of the biggest independent publishing houses they're known for books like What to Expect When You're Expecting or brain Crest workbooks which are huge in my household”
“except for dying instead of giving birth I'm not sure whether you know that book but roughly every first time parent I know has three copies of it one that they bought for themselves and two that were gifted to them by friends”