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Every book Ben Bowlin recommended on podcasts
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Ben Bowlin appears on, in one place — not just one.
Ben Bowlin’s most recommended books
- Chariots of the Gods? by Erich von Däniken
- 1984 by George Orwell
- The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker
- The Foundations of Geopolitics by Aleksandr Dugin
- The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
- Watchmen by Alan Moore
- Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman
- Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky
- Mysteries of the unknown by Time-Life Books
- The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea
Ben Bowlin is a podcaster known for his appearances on the podcast Stuff They Don't Want You To Know, where he explores conspiracies, mysteries, and unusual phenomena alongside his co-hosts. Throughout various episodes of the show, Bowlin has recommended and discussed several books and stories with his audience. He brought up Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea's The Illuminatus! Trilogy during a discussion on secret societies and the Illuminati. On multiple occasions, Bowlin recommended Alan Lightman's short book Einstein's Dreams, praising it as a fantastic and phenomenal read about the nature of time. For listeners interested in the intersection of technology and the divine, he recommended Arthur C. Clarke's short story "The Nine Billion Names of God" as top-notch reading. When discussing societal pressure, compliance, and genetic modification, Bowlin mentioned the sci-fi film Gattaca as a comparison. To illustrate legal difficulties surrounding definitions such as obscenity, he brought up the United States court case pertaining to James Joyce's novel Ulysses. Additionally, Bowlin repeatedly recommended Gavin De Becker's The Gift of Fear, describing it as a must-read for trusting one's intuition and recognizing unconscious reactions that trip the radar faster than conscious thought.
Books recommended by Ben Bowlin
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Chariots of the Gods?
Chariots of the Gods? by Erich von Daniken is a well-known alternative history book that posits ancient civilizations were influenced by extraterrestrial visitors.
Discussed“It's uh it's it's the author of Chariots of the Gods, a a formative figure in our young lives. Uh honestly, uh part of the inspiration for the show, Eric von Danakin.”
Where to get it
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1984
George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984 depicts a totalitarian society characterized by perpetual war, government surveillance, and the complete eradication of individual truth and freedom.
Discussed“The very first book illegally unfairly pulled off the Amazon Kindle was indeed 1984. Boom. By George Orwell.”
Where to get it
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The Gift of Fear
The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker is a bestselling self-help and safety guide that teaches readers how to recognize and trust their innate intuition to protect themselves from violence.
Recommended“Gavin Debecker's excellent book we always recommend, The Gift of Fear. It is a must- readad whether or not you believe in quantum entanglement of your brain throughout time.”
Where to get it
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The Foundations of Geopolitics
The Foundations of Geopolitics by Aleksandr Dugin is a controversial political science book often described as a strategic blueprint for Russian influence, foreign policy, and disinformation campaigns.
Discussed“And for the record, uh, that project 2025 stuff is heavily plagiarized from the foundations of geopolitics by Alexander Dugan. Look it up.”
Where to get it
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The Jungle
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is a 1906 novel that serves as a harsh expose of working conditions in Chicago's meatpacking industry during the Gilded Age.
Discussed“this is uh this is overall something that uh Upton Sinclair would would applaud right the author of The Jungle right and that that uh piece of Journalism played a huge role in the consumer protections that exist in the United States today”
Where to get it
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Watchmen
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons is a groundbreaking graphic novel set in an alternate history where superheroes are real, exploring complex moral dilemmas, Cold War tensions, and the psychological toll of vigilantism.
Discussed“And and the basic idea uh [laughter] is is pretty much the the scenario that played out in in Watchmen. If you've if you've ever read the comic or watched the the movie that came back in the day or the scenario that was alluded to very much so in the new HBO series of the Watchmen”
Where to get it
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Einstein's Dreams
Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman is a short, imaginative novel by an MIT professor and physicist that playfully explores various alternate conceptions of time and its fundamental nature.
Recommended“We want to shout out a phenomenal book by an MIT professor named Alan Lightiteman. It's called Einstein's Dreams. We've mentioned it before. You guys remember this one? It's a real short book. It's a great read.”
Where to get it
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Atlas of Remote Islands
Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky is a lyrical atlas cataloging fifty isolated islands around the globe with maps and short essays.
Discussed“And I love that you're pointing this out, Matt, because we want this to be exactly the same kind of misstep that we made earlier when we kept shouting out one of my favorite books, The Atlas of Remote Islands, which now is out of publication and relatively unaffordable.”
Where to get it
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Mysteries of the unknown
Mysteries of the Unknown by Time-Life Books is a popular nostalgic book series exploring paranormal phenomena, cryptozoology, ancient mysteries, and unexplained historical anomalies.
Discussed“Do you guys remember Mysteries of the Unknown, the time-life books? Yes, of course. I do. That was not in my upbringing. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. No, I don't remember those.”
Where to get it
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The Illuminatus! Trilogy
The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson is a wildly eccentric, post-modern fictional masterpiece that weaves together conspiracy theories, counterculture philosophy, and satire to explore the secretive forces shaping human history.
Recommended“Are you familiar? And have you read the Illuminati trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson? And by his other pal, also named Robert?”
Where to get it
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Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins is an exposé detailing how covert economic strategies, loans, and international financial institutions are used by powerful nations and corporate elites to manipulate and exploit developing countries.
Discussed“We've read Confessions of an Economic Hitman, a fantastic book.”
Where to get it
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Sinners in the hands of an angry God.
Sinners in the hands of an angry God.
Recommended“Another book recommendation you want to see the mentality of where a lot of these folks were coming from not just in Salem but in New England overall check out sinners in the hands of an angry God. That is man the way it's written still I totally disagree by the way and I I hope if you're hearing this”
Where to get it
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The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough by James George Frazer is a seminal 1890 anthropological and comparative religion study that explores ancient folklore, myths, and rituals of sacrificed kings.
Discussed“George Frasier uh the golden bow is nuts it it was first published in 1890 and it's talking about a lot of the same things and it still holds up because Frasier was largely correct”
Where to get it
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The Omnivore's Dilemma
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan is a widely discussed non-fiction book that explores the modern American food chain and the ethical, ecological, and health consequences of what people choose to eat.
Discussed“but we do have a Continuing Story regarding the great debate of what Michael pollen calls the omnivores Dilemma to eat”
Where to get it
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Ulysses
James Joyce's landmark modernist novel Ulysses chronicles an ordinary day in the life of Leopold Bloom in Dublin, mapping human consciousness and daily existence through a revolutionary stream-of-consciousness technique.
Recommended“And and for anyone interested in what a problem those two definitions have been, uh I would I would recommend checking out the court case in the US pertaining to James Joyce's Ulyses where the uh I think the deciding legal opinion was uh some highuting version of pornography is pornography.”
Where to get it
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11/22/63
11/22/63 by Stephen King is a science fiction time-travel novel in which a high school teacher attempts to prevent the assassination of John F.
Discussed“112263. You know, we talked about comedians and satists and science fiction and stuff. So many amazing ways that folks like that who maybe you wouldn't immediately think can really shed light on this stuff. I learned a lot of this stuff from that book.”
Where to get it
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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain is a classic satirical novel about a nineteenth-century American mechanic who travels back in time to Arthurian England and uses practical knowledge to pose as a powerful wizard.
Discussed“It does feel like he believed it or maybe he was Merlin in Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. remember where the unnamed protagonist, the Yankee, sees some guy who thinks he's doing magic and has that moment where he says, "Holy crap, this guy actually Merlin actually believes that he can do spells."”
Where to get it
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Blood Meridian
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is a harrowing and visceral historical novel that depicts the extreme violence and bleak reality of the American West through the harrowing journey of a runaway teenager known as the kid.
Discussed“You know, Judge Holden from Blood Meridian nailed it. Horrible guy, but very smart. He was right.”
Where to get it
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Brave New World
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a classic dystopian science fiction novel that depicts a technologically advanced future society controlled through engineered reproduction, psychological conditioning, and constant superficial pleasure.
Discussed“However, Aldis Huxley did write Brave New World, right? It's the Pepsi to the Coca-Cola of Orwell's 1984.”
Where to get it
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Missing 411
Missing 411 by David Paulides and Chris Williams is a chilling investigation into mysterious disappearances of people in national parks and public lands across North America.
Discussed“Professor Brian KS uh who talked about the zon to death and Yellowstone and David pitus uh from Missing 411”
Where to get it
- Lazarus by Greg Rucka
- Raven Rock by Garrett M. Graff
- The Population Bomb by Paul R. Ehrlich
- Propaganda by Edward L. Bernays
- Rats by Robert Sullivan
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman
- Chaos by Tom O'Neill
- Fire by Kristin Cashore
- Gattaca by Howard Mahmood
- Good Omens by Terry Pratchett
- I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison
- Nameless by Grant Morrison
- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
- The Billionaire Murders by Kevin Donovan
- The Creature from Jekyll Island by G. Edward Griffin
- The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker
- 2001, a Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
- Behold a Pale Horse by William Cooper
- Biggest Secret by David Icke
- Crime classification manual by John E. Douglas
- Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
- Foundations of Geopolitics: the Geopolitical Future of Russia by Alexander Dugin
- Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
- Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
- Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
- Minority Report by John D. Griffin
- Rage by Stephen King
- Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust
Books Ben Bowlin wrote
Ben Bowlin’s latest episodes with books
Ben Bowlin’s book recommendations by year
All 421 books Ben Bowlin recommended or discussed across 309 episodes, filed by the year each episode came out. Each year goes episode by episode, with the minute every book came up.