Episode · Conversations with Tyler · 2025-08-20
Books mentioned on David Brooks on Audacity, AI, and the American Psyche (Live at 92NY)
David Brooks returns to the show with a stark diagnosis of American culture.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Bonfire of the Vanities
The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe is a satirical novel that exposes the intense social stratification, financial greed, and urban dysfunction of 1980s New York City.
Discussed“It wasn't that long ago that a Tom Wolf novel said in this city of New York in I don't know what year Bonfire the Vanities was published, but I think sometime in the 80s, all of New York got that because all of New York was represented.”
Where to get it
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Overdrive
Discussed“Back then I was funnier. And um, and Buckley comes to campus and he just published a book called Overdrive which was one of his memoirs of name- dropping the Pope and David Nven and all these people.”
Where to get it
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The Snowball
Alice Schroeder's The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life is widely regarded as the most comprehensive and definitive biography of the legendary investor.
Discussed“One of the I I read this book Snowball about Warren Buffett and what's remarkable about him was his ability to grab onto whoever could teach him.”
Where to get it
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The moral sense
The Moral Sense by James Q.
Recommended“And so there was a guy named James Q Wilson who wrote a great book called the moral sense which I highly recommend.”
Where to get it
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The public philosophy
Discussed“And back in 1955, Walter Litman, a great columnist, wrote a a book called The Public Philosophy.”
Where to get it
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Two cheers for capitalism
Discussed“Reinstall wrote a book two cheers for capitalism.”
Where to get it
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The age of reform
Discussed“And the one thing I'd say about the political reform piece I just reread a book I hadn't read since college called the age of of reform by Richard Hoffsteader a very great historian.”
Where to get it
