Episode · Freakonomics Radio · 2026-04-22
Books mentioned on Why Does Everyone Hate Rats? (Update)
New York City’s mayor called them “public enemy number one.” History books say they caused the Black Death — although recent scientific evidence disputes that claim.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Pests
Pests by Bethany Brookshire is a compelling examination of how human societies define, categorize, and persecute certain animals while embracing others.
Discussed“She recently published a book called Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains. So, you can see where her allegiance lies.”
Where to get it
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Data for Science and Technology; Proceedings of the Seventh International CODATA Conference; Kyoto, Japan, 8-11 October 1980
Discussed“Glaeser is the author of a book called Triumph of the city, how our greatest invention makes us richer, smarter, greener, healthier, and happier.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Own book Pests
“I'm the author of the 2022 book Pests, How Humans Create Animal Villains.”