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Angela Duckworth's book recommendations
Across 4 podcasts. Every show Angela Duckworth appears on, in one place — not just one.
Angela Duckworth’s most recommended books
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
- Candide by Francois Voltaire
- Influence by Robert B. Cialdini
- Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam
- Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli
- Blood, Bones, & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton
- Parent Nation by Dana Suskind
- A tree grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
- The Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by John M. Gottman
Angela Lee Duckworth is an American academic, psychologist, and popular science author. She is the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studies grit and self-control. She is the founder and former CEO of Character Lab, a not-for-profit whose mission is to advance the science and practice of character development. On her podcast, No Stupid Questions, Duckworth frequently recommends books that intersect with psychology, human behavior, and personal development. When discussing singlehood and adulthood, she highlighted Trevor Noah's memoir Born a Crime as one of her favorite books. While exploring human connection and artificial intelligence, Duckworth assigned Kazuo Ishiguro's novel Klara and the Sun to her co-host as homework, noting that it was published just before the rise of generative AI. To explain the psychological principles of persuasion and how people get scammed, she recommended Robert B. Cialdini's book Influence. She also brought up Susan Cain's Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking to discuss how culture undervalues introverts, and she shared Daniel Kahneman's recommendation of Max Bennett's A Brief History of Intelligence after initially being skeptical of the title.
Books recommended by Angela Duckworth
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Thinking, Fast and Slow
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman is a seminal exploration of behavioral psychology that examines the two systems of the human mind—intuitive thinking and deliberate reasoning—and how cognitive biases drive systematic errors in judgment.
Discussed“that's why Danny called his bestselling book thinking fast and slow because thinking fast is using system one and thinking slow is using system two”
Where to get it
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Man's Search for Meaning
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E.
Discussed“one of these books is Man's Search for meaning now Mike there's no way that you have not read Victor frankl's Man's Search for meaning”
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“And that, of course, this led me to study grit. I say, of course, maybe not of course, but for me, the distinction between the quality and quantity of time on task”
Where to get it
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Candide
Candide by Francois Voltaire is a classic philosophical novella that satirizes blind optimism and societal absurdities through the endless misfortunes of its protagonist.
Discussed“I remember reading in French class I think it was junior year and Dr Roland had assigned Candide by Voltaire”
Where to get it
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Influence
Influence by Robert B.
Recommended“If I gave Raymond the best advice I think it would be go read influence by Bob chalini and I know you and I have both read influence and were both big fans the reason I suggest that is that what Bob chalini as a psychologist did was to document the half dozen basic principles by which human beings persuade”
Where to get it
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Bowling Alone
Bowling Alone by Robert D.
Discussed“Bob putam who wrote bowling alone about how as you know I guess Mike that Americans are spending time alone”
Where to get it
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Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch
Somebody Loves You, Mr.
Recommended“this is so interesting I mean there's this Valentine's book that we always read as kids called somebody loves you Mr hatch is this the M family yes this is the m family gosh I want to be part of this family I'll mail you this book it's an awesome book”
Where to get it
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Blood, Bones, & Butter
Blood, Bones, & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton is a celebrated food memoir that details the author's unconventional path to becoming a chef and running her restaurant.
Discussed“and of course I read blood bones and butter cheffing if it's even a verb cheffing”
Where to get it
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Parent Nation
Parent Nation by Dana Suskind is an insightful nonfiction book that examines the systemic challenges facing families and outlines policy changes required to support young children and parents across society.
Discussed“the doctor and researcher Dana suskin at the University of Chicago has just published a book called parent nation which makes a larger similar argument”
Where to get it
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A tree grows in Brooklyn
A tree grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is a classic coming-of-age novel depicting a young girl growing up in poverty in early twentieth-century Williamsburg.
Discussed“so when you're reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn or even a memoir I mean Memoirs are my favorite genre”
Where to get it
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The Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples
The Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by John M.
Discussed“look I do want to give you some advice from John gotman okay John gotman is the most famous coup's counseling slash how to have a good relationship so what does gotman say I'm going to read to you from the science of trust emotional Attunement for couples”
Where to get it
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Born a Crime
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is a critically acclaimed autobiographical memoir detailing the comedian's extraordinary upbringing as the child of a white Swiss father and a Black Xhosa mother in apartheid South Africa, where his very existence was illegal.
Recommended“and i think one fascinating thing i listened to recently was from trevor noah who's the comedian wrote one of my favorite books is book bor crime”
Where to get it
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Quiet
Quiet by Susan Cain is a compelling exploration of the power of introverts in a society that continually undervalues quiet traits in favor of a loud, boisterous extrovert ideal.
Recommended“I found one of the most wonderful books ever written about this was Susan kain's book quiet the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking”
Where to get it
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Against Empathy
Against Empathy by Paul Bloom is a psychology book that argues against relying on empathy as a moral guide, suggesting instead that rational compassion leads to better ethical outcomes.
Discussed“there's a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto named Paul Bloom are you famili with Paul I know Paul so he wrote a book you may have read called against empathy”
Where to get it
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David and Goliath
David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell is a popular non-fiction book that examines how perceived disadvantages can often be converted into powerful advantages.
Discussed“Adam Grant writes about Malcolm Gladwell, who's the well-known author of many New York Times bestsellers like 'David and Goliath,' 'Tipping Point,' and 'Outliers.'”
Where to get it
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How to Win Friends and Influence People
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie is a classic self-help manual focused on interpersonal communication, relationship building, and effective social influence.
Discussed“the reason why I hesitated to come out as a super fan of Dale Carney a lot of people you know leaves a bad taste in about like just the title How to Win Friends and Influence People”
Where to get it
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Range
Range by David J.
Discussed“where Steve levit was interviewing David Epstein the author of The Great Book range”
Where to get it
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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R.
Discussed“you know maybe this would help clarify the seven habits of highly effective people that we've been referring to this is a book that Stephen Covey first published in 1989”
Where to get it
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Twilight
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is a globally popular young adult fantasy romance novel that follows the intense and complicated relationship between a human high school girl and a century-old vampire.
Discussed“I read the Twilight series in a week Stephen and I told I think four all-nighters”
Where to get it
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Situated
Situated by Angela Duckworth is an insightful exploration of how immediate environments, surrounding people, and physical places profoundly shape personal behavior and long-term success.
Discussed“You know, obviously I've been thinking about this for, um, well, depending on your count, like 10 years, five years. I mean, I took five years to write this book in part because I think a book about the situation is much harder to apprehend, certainly to write,”
Where to get it
- Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
- Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett, Ph.D.
- The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
- The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith
- A Brief History of Intelligence by Max Bennett
- The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin
- Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive by Marc A. Brackett
- The Genetic Lottery by Kathryn Paige Harden
- A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy
- Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
- Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick
- Determined by Robert M. Sapolsky
- Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker
- Evicted by Matthew Desmond
- Fear and Courage by Stanley Rachman
- Letters to a Young Athlete by Chris Bosh
- Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs
- Start Making Sense by Steven J Heine
- Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
- Success and Luck by Robert H. Frank
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
- The Meritocracy Trap by Daniel Markovits
- The Tyranny of Merit by Michael J. Sandel
- The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
- Thirty Million Words by Dana Suskind
- Uncovering Your Path by Charles Lattimore Howard
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Conflicted by Ian Leslie
Books by Angela Duckworth
Questions about Angela Duckworth’s book recommendations
What book does Angela Duckworth recommend most?
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Angela Duckworth recommended it in 8 episodes, with 2 explicit recommendations.
How many books has Angela Duckworth recommended on podcasts?
We have found 126 books Angela Duckworth recommended or discussed, across 105 episodes of 4 podcasts. Ad reads and passing mentions are not counted.
What books are on Angela Duckworth's reading list?
The books Angela Duckworth has recommended most on podcasts are Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, Candide by Francois Voltaire, Influence by Robert B. Cialdini and Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam. The year-by-year lists below have all 126.
What books has Angela Duckworth written?
Grit (2016) and Situated (2026).
What did Angela Duckworth recommend on No Stupid Questions?
Thinking, Fast and Slow, Man's Search for Meaning and Candide, among 121 books in all.
What is the latest book Angela Duckworth recommended?
Grit, discussed on EconTalk (2026-10-26).
People who recommend the same books
Angela Duckworth’s latest episodes with books
Angela Duckworth’s book recommendations by year
All 126 books Angela Duckworth recommended or discussed across 105 episodes, filed by the year each episode came out. Each year goes episode by episode, with the minute every book came up.