Person
Every book Ben Shapiro recommended on podcasts
Ben Shapiro frequently engages with foundational political philosophy, contemporary cultural commentary, and historical texts across his appearances on programs like The Ezra Klein Show, The Megyn Kelly Show, All-In, and The Rubin Report. As a prominent conservative commentator, Shapiro's references often underscore themes of societal cohesion, immigration, and American political tradition. A recurring touchstone in his discussions is Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, which he cites as a premier description of the American ethos and pioneering spirit. He has also recommended Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Prey to illustrate concerns regarding the cultural and social impacts of mass immigration on women and young girls in Europe. In discussing ideological shifts and political psychology, Shapiro references works such as Eric Hoffer's The True Believer to analyze the motivations of those who dismantle societal structures, alongside Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father to examine political perspectives. Furthermore, he critically engages with modern progressive literature, such as Ibram X. Kendi's How to Be an Antiracist and Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility, while occasionally reflecting on his own contributions to political discourse, including his book The Right Side of History.
Books recommended by Ben Shapiro
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Democracy in America
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville is a classic observation of American political and social life in the 1830s that evaluates the triumphs and perils of egalitarian democracy.
Recommended“I think that Democracy in America by Dtoqueville is still the best description of what America is and and in many ways ought to be.”
Where to get it
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Dreams from My Father
Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama is a reflective memoir detailing the future president's early life, multiracial heritage, and his journey to understand his complex relationship with his Kenyan father.
Discussed“He he spent time in Pakistan and he he he writes in in Dreams for my father about, you know, his his feelings of kinship in Kenya.”
Where to get it
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Prey
Prey by Ayaan Hirsi Ali examines the social and cultural consequences of mass migration into European societies, focusing specifically on the safety of women and young girls.
Recommended“and you're seeing examples like what we saw in the UK not to mention look at Aon her Ali you know she's obviously one of the greatest thinkers alive warning in her book prey p r e y about what's happening to women and young girls in these European countries as a result of these immigrants”
Where to get it
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Bowling Alone
Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert D.
Discussed“he wrote an entire book about the social fabric called bowling alone he was kind of the the pioneer in the idea of social capital”
Where to get it
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Free Will
Free Will by Sam Harris is a concise philosophical exploration that argues human beings do not possess conscious control over their thoughts, desires, and actions.
Discussed“and then he'll write a full book about why freewill doesn't exist and i just don't understand how those two things can co-exist”
Where to get it
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Hillbilly Elegy
Hillbilly Elegy by J.
Discussed“i mean this is what jd vance talks about in hillbilly elegy right the people who are in these small towns and they've basically been told that they have two choices they can go on welfare or they can leave”
Where to get it
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How to Be an Antiracist
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X.
Critiqued“Abraham Kenzi specifically writes this, right? In "How to be an Antiracist", he says literally any system that generates racial inequality is a racist system.”
Where to get it
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Nudge
Nudge by Richard H.
Discussed“there's a scholar named cass sunstein as a legal scholar and he wrote a book called nudge he was very famous it was”
Where to get it
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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey is a classic American novel that examines institutional oppression, individuality, and mental health through the experiences of patients in a psychiatric ward ruled by the tyrannical Nurse Ratched.
Discussed“mental illness was basically one flu Over the Cuckoo's Nest nobody was seriously crazy”
Where to get it
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The Right Side of History
The Right Side of History by Ben Shapiro is a book that provides a concise review of Western philosophy and laments what the author perceives as the cultural and moral decline of contemporary society.
Discussed“I mean, there've been things that have been going wrong, which is why I wrote the previous book, "Right Side of History", which was the country's kind of falling apart.”
Where to get it
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The True Believer
The True Believer by Eric Hoffer is a classic socio-psychological study examining the underlying causes of mass movements, fanaticism, and the personal motivations that drive individuals to join fanatical causes.
Discussed“In his book, The True Believer, Eric Hoffer explains that those who tear down the societies in which they live are typically what he terms inferiors.”
Where to get it
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The war on normal people
The War on Normal People by Andrew Yang is a socio-economic critique that examines how automation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution threaten traditional labor markets, proposing sweeping policy solutions like universal basic income.
Discussed“so there's there's two problems that come up there and this is where andrew's book is interesting because problem number one is that the people will be poor”
Where to get it
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White Fragility
White Fragility by Dr.
Discussed“This is what Abraham Kenzi says in "How to be an Antiracist," and Robin DiAngelo sort of mirrors this.”
Where to get it
Books Ben Shapiro wrote
- The Right Side of History
- How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps
- Creativity, Inc. (The Expanded Edition)
- The People Vs. Barack Obama
- Facts Don't Care about Your Feelings
- Lions & scavengers
- Primetime Propaganda
- The Authoritarian Moment
Appearances
Other mentions (9: passing, ad reads, own books)
“So so the way that I describe it in this book and and I give a sort of more wholesome definition in an earlier book that I that I did called the right side of history”
“I want it to be called, "How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps" and I'm gonna write it in the next six weeks.”
“I mean, there've been things that have been going wrong, which is why I wrote the previous book, "Right Side of History", which was the country's kind of falling apart.”
“"How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps" by moi. You can get it”
“what's amazing is a review of my new book and my new book has several sections in there dedicated to how terrible the alt-right is and then the interview they did with me doesn't talk about alt-right stuff at all”
“i mean this is where you know my my book which i always hesitate to pitch my own stuff because it sounds gauche pitch away but the new book the right side of history number one new york times best-selling non-fiction book wait a minute you got number one in the new york times best-selling really yeah we sold enough”
“so you can check out my book the right side of history It talks about a lot of the sort of deeper issues we're talking about judeo-christian values and reason”
“exactly this is John Goldberg's Point liberal fascism”
“This is an even better book than the odd of the deal”