Person
Ben Shapiro books: every book Ben Shapiro wrote and recommended
Across 9 podcasts. Every show Ben Shapiro appears on, in one place — not just one.
Books by Ben Shapiro
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Brainwashed
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The Right Side of History
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Project President
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How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps
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The Authoritarian Moment
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Porn Generation
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Primetime Propaganda
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Bullies
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The People Vs. Barack Obama
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If It Ain't Woke, Don't Fix It
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Facts & Furious
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Hamas's Trap
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Lions & scavengers
Ben Shapiro’s most recommended books
- Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville
- The Federalist papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay, James Madison, John Jay
- Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
- How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
- White Fragility by Dr. Robin DiAngelo
- Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam
- Critical Race Theory by Richard Delgado, Jean Stefancic
- Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt
- Prey by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan Haidt
Benjamin Aaron Shapiro is an American conservative political commentator and media host. He writes columns for Creators Syndicate, Newsweek, and Ami Magazine, and is editor emeritus for The Daily Wire, which he co-founded in 2015. Shapiro is the host of The Ben Shapiro Show, a daily political podcast and live radio show. He was editor-at-large of Breitbart News from 2012 until his resignation in 2016. Shapiro has also authored 16 non-fiction books. During podcast interviews on platforms like The Ezra Klein Show and Lex Fridman Podcast, Shapiro recommended Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America and Friedrich August Hayek's The Constitution of Liberty as foundational political texts. He also highlighted Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Prey to discuss the impacts of immigration in Europe, recommended Rabbi Daniel Lapin's Thou Shalt Prosper for insights on money and economics, suggested Henry Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson as an accessible introduction for young readers, and praised Carl Trueman's The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self for its perspective on modern identity shifts.
Books recommended by Ben Shapiro
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Democracy in America
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville is a foundational socio-political study offering an insightful external perspective on the American political and cultural landscape.
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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The Federalist papers
The Federalist papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay, James Madison, John Jay is a foundational collection of essays advocating for the ratification of the United States Constitution.
Discussed“If you read Federalist 51, James Madison is talking about if angels were to govern, if human beings were angels, no government would be necessary. If human beings were devils, then no government would be capable.”
Where to get it
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Dreams from My Father
Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama is an introspective memoir chronicling the future president's early life, family history, and journey toward self-discovery.
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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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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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
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Bowling Alone
Bowling Alone by Robert D.
Discussed“well there's a robert putnam who's a sociologist over at harvard He wrote an entire book about the social fabric called bowling alone”
Where to get it
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Critical Race Theory
Critical Race Theory by Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic is an accessible introductory text outlining the core tenets and academic framework of critical race theory.
Discussed“that is the generalized theory of critical race Theory as proposed by for example jeene stanic and Richard Delgado in their book on critical race theory that has taken a softer form that we referred to as Dei”
Where to get it
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Economics in One Lesson
Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlift is a classic introductory guide to economic principles that emphasizes the importance of free markets and the unseen consequences of government intervention.
Recommended“The first econ book that I thought was really great 'cause it was written for teenagers, essentially, is one called Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. It's like 150 pages. I recommend it to everybody sort of 15 and up.”
Where to get it
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Prey
Prey by Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a striking and provocative book examining the impacts of mass immigration and Islamic culture on the rights and safety of women and young girls across various European countries.
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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The Coddling of the American Mind
The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt explores how well-intentioned ideas and bad pedagogical approaches are setting a generation up for failure, with a strong focus on the mental health impacts of social media.
Recommended“Well, that's another the other Jonathan Haidt book, The Coddling of the American Mind, which is amazing.”
Where to get it
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The Constitution of Liberty
Friedrich Hayek's The Constitution of Liberty is a foundational text of classical liberalism, defending individual freedom, the rule of law, and limited government.
Recommended“and maybe I'll go with the Constitution of Liberty by FA Hayek.”
Where to get it
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The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl R.
Recommended“there's a great book by Carl Trueman called Rise and Triumph for the Modern Self, which I think is the best book in the last 10 years. That's been sort of impactful on some of the thoughts I've been having lately.”
Where to get it
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Thou Shall Prosper
Thou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin is a popular book blending financial guidance with traditional Jewish wisdom and economic principles.
Recommended“uh Rabbi Daniel lapen my good friend I I met him because I read his book Thou shalt Prosper uh for those of you that don't know he's an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and this is one of my favorite books on money and economics um definitely in the top 10 of books I've ever read on the subject”
Where to get it
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12 Rules for Life
Jordan B.
Discussed“I think that a lot of his best stuff is the kind of 12 rules for life here's the thing that you can do this morning that's going to make your life a lot better”
Where to get it
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1984
George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984 presents a chilling vision of a totalitarian society characterized by perpetual surveillance, historical denial, and severe psychological manipulation.
Discussed“I mean, I think the reason that that Orwell's "1984" is prophetic is not because it was prophecy, it's because he was actually describing a thing that was happening in the Soviet Union at the time.”
Where to get it
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Basic economics
Thomas Sowell's bestselling introduction to economic principles explains market systems and public policy without relying on complex equations or graphs.
Discussed“It's easier than say Thomas Sowell's Basic Econ; which is four or 500 pages.”
Where to get it
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Enlightenment Now
Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker is a data-driven defense of reason, science, humanism, and progress that argues humanity is living in an era of unprecedented health, prosperity, and safety.
Discussed“I think human beings don't change, and the story of humanity is not humanity becoming ever better, sort of in the Steven Pinker notion.”
Where to get it
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Free Will
Free Will is a concise philosophical book by Sam Harris that argues humans do not possess conscious control over their 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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Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a dark novella detailing a voyage up the Congo River into the African interior, confronting themes of imperialism, moral decay, and human savagery.
Discussed“and you're also not allowed to use Joseph Conrad because even though we're all forced to read Heart of Darkness in high school you're not allowed to mention Joseph Conrad anymore”
Where to get it
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Hillbilly Elegy
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D.
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
The other 14 books Ben Shapiro recommended or discussed, ranked
- Lions & scavengers by Ben Shapiro
- Moby Dick by Herman Melville
- Nudge by Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
- The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones
- The Authoritarian Moment by Ben Shapiro
- The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt
- The Protocols of the Elders of Zion by Victor, E Marsden
- The Quest for Cosmic Justice by Thomas Sowell
- The Right Side of History by Ben Shapiro
- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer
- The True Believer by Eric Hoffer
- The war on normal people by Andrew Yang
- The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
Questions about Ben Shapiro’s book recommendations
What book does Ben Shapiro recommend most?
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville. Ben Shapiro recommended it in 2 episodes.
How many books has Ben Shapiro recommended on podcasts?
We have found 34 books Ben Shapiro recommended or discussed, across 16 episodes of 9 podcasts. Ad reads and passing mentions are not counted.
What books are on Ben Shapiro's reading list?
The books Ben Shapiro has recommended most on podcasts are Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville, The Federalist papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay, James Madison, John Jay, Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and White Fragility by Dr. Robin DiAngelo. The full book list below has all 34.
What books has Ben Shapiro written?
Brainwashed (2004), Porn Generation (2005), Project President (2007), Primetime Propaganda (2011), Bullies (2013), The People Vs. Barack Obama (2014), The Right Side of History (2019), How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps (2020), The Authoritarian Moment (2021) and If It Ain't Woke, Don't Fix It (2022), among 13 in all.
What did Ben Shapiro recommend on The Joe Rogan Experience?
Dreams from My Father, How to Be an Antiracist and White Fragility, among 10 books in all.
What is the latest book Ben Shapiro recommended?
Dreams from My Father, discussed on The Ezra Klein Show (2025-09-16).
People who recommend the same books
Appearances
Other mentions (18: 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”
“my first book came out when I was 20 when I was graduating from from UCLA was called brainwashed how universities indoctrinate America's youth”
“my second book came out while I was at Harvard Law and it was titled porn generation how social liberalism is corrupting our future that was 2005”
“the thing that I'm proudest of in terms of like one product that I've created is the right side of History which is basically a review of Western philosophy over the course of about 250 Pages it was the hardest thing I've had to write I think it was a really interesting and cogent book”
“But in terms of like establishing a long-term body, listen—the thing that I’m proudest of in terms of one product that I’ve created is 'The Right Side of History,' which is basically a review of Western philosophy over the course of about 250 pages. It was the hardest thing I’ve had to write; I think it was a really interesting”
“Honestly, I feel like Linda Blair in The Exorcist.”
“He's like the end of The Sixth Sense. He's the only person in the room who didn't know he was dead.”
“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.”
“"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”
“like that's like two steps down from throwing somebody under a Subway”
“now watch Game of Thrones”
“well I don't think we're House of Cards”
“it's sort of like the Joker says in the Dark Knight we need to think there's a plan”
“This is an even better book than the odd of the deal”
“exactly this is John Goldberg's Point liberal fascism”