Person
Every book Alex Gladstein recommended on podcasts
Alex Gladstein appears on the Lex Fridman Podcast to discuss Bitcoin, authoritarianism, and human rights, sharing a curated list of impactful books that shaped his worldview and understanding of political oppression. Gladstein recommends Peter Godwin's The Fear, describing it as a riveting and deeply impactful account detailing the systematic dismantling of Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe. He also suggests Masha Gessen's The Man Without a Face, highlighting its insight into Vladimir Putin and modern Russia, particularly its depiction of figures like Garry Kasparov. Turning to fiction, Gladstein recommends Lionel Shriver's The Mandibles, a dark, witty, and prescient novel about the United States losing its reserve currency status and descending into hyperinflation. On the subject of economics and technology, he points to Andreas M. Antonopoulos's The Internet of Money as his personal entry point into Bitcoin, praising the book as an accessible and essential audio resource for beginners. Additionally, Gladstein discusses Natan Sharansky's The Case for Democracy, noting the author's theoretical framework for defining a free society through the town square test. Through these diverse recommendations—ranging from memoirs of totalitarian regimes and economic speculative fiction to introductory cryptocurrency guides and political philosophy—Gladstein demonstrates a sustained intellectual focus on the mechanisms of state control, the fight for civil liberties, and the technological tools that challenge authoritarian power structures across the globe.
Books recommended by Alex Gladstein
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The Fear
The Fear by Peter Godwin is a riveting biographical and historical account documenting the systematic dismantling of Zimbabwe under the authoritarian rule of Robert Mugabe.
Recommended“number is the fear the fear had a deep impact on me the fear was written by peter godwin it's about the systematic dismantling of zimbabwe under robert mugabe peter zimbabwean and it is a riveting book”
Where to get it
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The Internet of Money
The Internet of Money by Andreas M.
Recommended“and then on the topic of bitcoin because we talked about it a lot i would just say that my portal into bitcoin was the internet of money by andreas antonopoulos and i did it by audiobook and i just think this is an important one for people to start with”
Where to get it
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The man without a face
The Man Without a Face by Masha Gessen is a critical investigative biography that chronicles Vladimir Putin's ascent to power and the political climate of modern Russia.
Discussed“masha gessen followed him around in the man without a face it's a great great book about putin”
Where to get it
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The Mandibles
Lionel Shriver's satirical novel The Mandibles imagines a future United States undergoing a catastrophic economic collapse and loss of reserve currency status.
Recommended“third one is a fiction book called the mandibles written by lionel shriver this one's good it's a good gift book it's funny it's dark it's witty but it's about the united states losing its status as the reserve currency and going into hyperinflation”
Where to get it
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The Bitcoin Standard
The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous is a comprehensive examination of the history of money that analyzes how sound currency shapes human civilization and advocates for the Austrian economic perspective on cryptocurrency.
Discussed“very different from the bitcoin standard”
Where to get it
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The Case for Democracy
Discussed“and he wrote a book in which his thesis was essentially the way that you can define a free society is through something called the town square test”
Where to get it
Books Alex Gladstein wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| #231 – Alex Gladstein: Bitcoin, Authoritarianism, and Human Rights | Lex Fridman Podcast | 2021-10-16 | 9 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“two years ago i came together with seven other people from around the world and we wrote a book in a book sprint we lived in a house for four days we wrote a book together it was really cool it's like a design sprint but we did it in book format and my co-authors are from nigeria venezuela the”