Episode · The Shawn Ryan Show · 2026-02-05
Shawn Ryan & Michael Lester: books mentioned on The Shawn Ryan Show #277
#277 Michael Lester - Are We the Bad Guys?
Michael T. Lester, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and former Marine Corps combat pilot who served in Asia and the Middle East, initially believed deeply in American ideals.
Michael Lester recommended The Next Hundred Years . . . Then and Now by Robert H. Cartmill, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy by John J. Mearsheimer and others, and Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins, and discussed 1984 by George Orwell.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Next Hundred Years . . . Then and Now
Recommended“There's a really interesting book called the next hundred years. It's written back in uh I think 2008 or so around then and the guy predicted here's what's going to happen over the next hundred years.”
Where to get it
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1984
Discussed“I go a lot back a lot to like George Orwell's 1984. You don't even see what's happening, right?”
Where to get it
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The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
Recommended“Mirshimer and Waltz wrote a book called the Apac Lobby where they went in depth and looked at this. And again, the data is there.”
Where to get it
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Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
Recommended“There was a good book um confessions of an economic hitman where he talks about how his job this author I forgot his name Peterson he would go in and convince countries you need to help have us come in and help you”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (3) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Plugged We Are the Bad Guys
“So you wrote a book, we are the bad guys. What I mean what why did you write it?”
Plugged We Are the Bad Guys
“Michael Lester, author of We Are the Bad Guys, which is which is an examination of American power.”
Plugged We Are the Bad Guys
“So, where do we start with we are the bad guys? Where do you want to start? Where do we want to start?”