Mentioned in Podcasts

Person

Every book Adam Mastroianni recommended on podcasts

Key facts

  • Adam Mastroianni has recommended or discussed 3 books on podcasts, as of September 14, 2026.
  • Adam Mastroianni has talked about books on 1 podcast, as of September 14, 2026.
  • Those books came up in 2 episodes, as of September 14, 2026.
  • The 3 books Adam Mastroianni has mentioned in the most episodes, as of September 14, 2026: Endurance, The ones who walk away from Omelas and Being Wrong.
  • The latest episode with a book mention from Adam Mastroianni aired on September 14, 2026.

Updated

Guest on EconTalk · 3 books · 2 episodes across 1 podcast

Adam Mastroianni recommended and discussed books and short stories that explore human behavior, exploration, and moral choices during his appearances on EconTalk. Mastroianni told Russ Roberts that a friend encouraged him to read Endurance by Alfred Lansing, a book chronicling Shackleton's disastrous Antarctic expedition that goes horribly wrong almost immediately. He also brought up Ursula K. Le Guin's short story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas to illustrate the concept of walking away from a morally compromised system rather than participating in bad institutional incentives. Additionally, Mastroianni mentioned reading Being Wrong by Kathryn Schulz to illustrate how people experience changing their minds and to highlight Schulz's observation that there is no specific psychological state of realizing one is wrong. Through these discussions, Mastroianni utilized literature to examine human psychology, survival stories, and ethical dilemmas.

Books Adam Mastroianni recommended or discussed

Who said what is our best reading of each episode. In hand-checked samples, at least 6% of mentions were credited to the wrong speaker, sometimes an interviewer’s line recorded as the guest’s, sometimes the reverse. Every entry below quotes the words and links to the episode, so you can check it.

We earn a commission if you buy through the store links below, at no cost to you.

  1. Endurance

    Alfred Lansing · Recommended · 1 episode

    Endurance by Alfred Lansing is a gripping historical account of Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated 1914 Antarctic expedition, widely celebrated as a masterclass in extreme resilience and leadership.

    Recommended
    “for instance um a friend of mine encouraged me to read this book endurance about shackleton's an Arctic Expedition and which goes horribly wrong immediately”
    EconTalk A User's Guide to Our Emotional Thermostat (with Adam Mastroianni) 2024-04-01 Listen at 45:14
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

  2. The ones who walk away from Omelas

    Ursula K. Le Guin · Recommended · 1 episode

    The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin is a thought-provoking philosophical short story that examines a utopian city whose happiness depends on the perpetual suffering of a single imprisoned child.

    Recommended
    “Um, I'm going to invoke uh one [snorts] of my favorite short stories. I don't I don't know if you can get it online anymore, but it used to be online. It's called The Ones Who Walk Away from Omalis.”
    EconTalk Incentives Are for Losers (with Adam Mastroianni) 2026-09-14
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

  3. Being Wrong

    Kathryn Schulz · Discussed · 1 episode

    Being Wrong is a nonfiction book by Kathryn Schulz that explores the psychology, philosophy, and inevitability of human error and changing one's mind.

    Discussed
    “i'm reading this book right now called being wrong by katherine schultz who points out like there is no State like psychological state of of like oh i'm wrong about this thing”
    EconTalk A User's Guide to Our Emotional Thermostat (with Adam Mastroianni) 2024-04-01 Listen at 58:32
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

Appearances

EpisodePodcastDateBooks
Incentives Are for Losers (with Adam Mastroianni)EconTalk2026-09-141
A User's Guide to Our Emotional Thermostat (with Adam Mastroianni)EconTalk2024-04-012