Episode · People I (Mostly) Admire · 2024-10-26
Books mentioned on 143. Why Are Boys and Men in Trouble?
Boys and men are trending downward in education, employment, and mental health. Richard Reeves, author of the book Of Boys and Men, has some solutions that don’t come at the expense of women and girls.
Steve Levitt discussed The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy, Dream hoarders by Richard V. Reeves, John Stuart Mill by Richard Reeves, King Henry V by William Shakespeare, Daring Young Men by Richard Reeves, and Of Boys and Men by Richard Reeves. Richard Reeves discussed On Liberty by John Stuart Mill and Little men by Louisa May Alcott.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy is a classic self-help and New Thought guide designed to help readers unlock mental potential and reshape their life outcomes by harnessing subconscious beliefs.
Discussed“In your book, you talk a lot about how gender roles in marriage have changed as women are doing better economically.”
Where to get it
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Dream hoarders
Dream Hoarders by Richard V.
Discussed“great example would be the book you wr before which is called dream hoarders which is about how the upper middle class is moving away from the rest of society”
Where to get it
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John Stuart Mill
Discussed“it will probably surprise listeners because you're so focused on data and solving practical problems that back in 2007 you wrote a biography of John STW Mill a big thick book that runs to more than 600 Pages we include the footnotes”
Where to get it
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King Henry V
King Lear is a classic tragedy by William Shakespeare that examines themes of madness, betrayal, generational conflict, and the deconstruction of absolute authority.
Discussed“It will probably surprise listeners because you're so focused on data and solving practical problems that back in 2007, you wrote a biography of John Stuart Mill, a big thick book that runs to more than 600 pages.”
Where to get it
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On Liberty
On Liberty by John Stuart Mill is a foundational 19th-century philosophical essay that defends the liberty of the individual against the absolute power of the state and societal conformity.
Discussed“John Stuart Mill is a liberal philosopher from 19th century in the UK and he's probably most famous for his 1859 essay On Liberty.”
Where to get it
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Little men
Discussed“I want to honor that, and what's really interesting about this is that, you know how when you write a book, by the time you finish the book and it's out there, you're sick of it?”
Where to get it
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Daring Young Men
Daring Young Men by Richard Reeves is a sociology and parenting book that examines the structural challenges, employment struggles, and educational disparities facing modern boys and men.
Discussed“so your book of boys and men was chosen by President Obama to be on his summer reading list always was that Lake well the honest answer is I was thought where were you last last year President Obama um because the book came out in 2022 but it made it to his list in 2024”
Where to get it
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Of Boys and Men
Of Boys and Men by Richard Reeves is an insightful sociological examination of the modern challenges, educational struggles, and structural disadvantages currently facing boys and men.
Discussed“so your book of boys and men was chosen by President Obama to be on his summer reading list always was that Lake well the honest answer is I was thought where were you last last year President Obama um because the book came out in 2022 but it made it to his list in 2024”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (5) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“when I was writing this section on these differences in developmental trajectories of boys and girls one of my most Progressive and feminist reviewers of the book she wrote”
“when I was writing this section on these differences in developmental trajectories of boys and girls one of my most Progressive and feminist reviewers of the book she wrote”
“I find your arguments about boys and men very compelling, but nonetheless, I am really surprised that your book found an audience.”
“Well, first of all, it's not true that nobody had ever heard of me, because I wrote a biography of John Stuart Mill a few years ago—last time I checked, at least 17 people had read it, so that's very rude of you.”
“Your book on boys and men was chosen by President Obama to be on his summer reading list, how was that like?”