Person
Every book Adam Alter recommended on podcasts
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Adam Alter appears on, in one place — not just one.
Adam Alter’s most recommended books
- Subtract by Leidy Klotz
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- Quit by Annie Duke
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
- Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
Adam Alter is a marketing author who also teaches at New York University Stern School of Business. During his appearance on The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett, Alter recommended Leidy Klotz's book Subtract, citing it as an excellent resource on the importance of subtraction and the philosophy behind friction audits. In the same conversation, he discussed several other books within the genre of perseverance and decision-making, contextualizing his own book Anatomy of a Breakthrough alongside Angela Duckworth's Grit—which focuses on sticking through challenges—and Annie Duke's Quit, which explores the strategic value of knowing when to walk away from pursuits that are not working out. Furthermore, during an appearance on Modern Wisdom, Alter referenced Ernest Cline's novel Ready Player One and its sequel Ready Player Two while discussing the evolution of virtual reality technology, immersive digital environments, and augmented reality. Across these podcast appearances, Alter utilized these titles to illustrate broader psychological concepts related to human behavior, technological advancement, persistence, and problem-solving strategies in both personal and professional contexts.
Books recommended by Adam Alter
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Subtract
Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less by Leidy Klotz investigates the pervasive human cognitive bias toward addition and explores why removing elements often yields better solutions across engineering, business, and daily life.
Recommended“and there's a great book called subtract by Lighty clots that's on this exact topic the friction audit itself is a sort of philosophical version of that idea”
Where to get it
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Anatomy of a Breakthrough
Discussed“you've got Angela Duckworth's grit which is all about sticking through and and continuing on and I think anatomy of a breakthrough leans in that direction and then you've got Annie Duke who wrote the book quit”
Where to get it
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Grit
Grit by Angela Duckworth is a popular exploration of passion, perseverance, and the long-term pursuit of difficult goals.
Discussed“you've got Angela Duckworth's grit which is all about sticking through and and continuing on and I think anatomy of a breakthrough leans in that direction and then you've got Annie Duke who wrote the book quit”
Where to get it
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Quit
Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away by Annie Duke explores the psychology of decision-making and the hidden costs of stubbornly persevering with goals that no longer serve us.
Discussed“and then you've got Annie Duke who wrote the book quit which is about quitting the fact that we've got so many options all the time most of us why would you keep doing the thing you're doing if it's not working out for you”
Where to get it
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Ready Player One
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is a dystopian science fiction novel set in a virtual reality utopia where a teenager hunts for an Easter egg hidden within a massive simulation by a quirky billionaire.
Discussed“it's a little bit like like the the book and the film ready player one and now ready player two by ernest cline”
Where to get it
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Ready Player Two
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline is the science fiction sequel to Ready Player One, following characters navigating a massive virtual reality network known as the Oasis.
Discussed“it's a little bit like like the the book and the film ready player one and now ready player two by ernest cline”
Where to get it
Books Adam Alter wrote
Appearances
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“right and that's the way people describe it when they have it when they feel it but the the whole point of this book was to say there is a road map and if you follow the steps you will get unstuck”
“um i remember i think i talked about this in the book um i remember running a marathon my first marathon which was a decade ago”
“so the the subtitle of the book is um the rise of addictive technology and the business of keeping us hooked”