Person
Every book Bill Maher recommended on podcasts
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Bill Maher appears on, in one place — not just one.
Bill Maher is a comedian, political commentator, and television host who is best known for anchoring Real Time with Bill Maher and hosting Politically Incorrect. During his appearances on podcasts like The Megyn Kelly Show and The Joe Rogan Experience, Maher has recommended and discussed several notable books. He humorously recommended his own book, What This Comedian Said Will Shock You, suggesting that readers treat it like a nightly devotional by keeping it by their bedside. On The Joe Rogan Experience, Maher recommended Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff's The Coddling of the American Mind to discuss child-rearing and independence, and he recommended Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens while exploring early human behavior and monogamy. In addition to these recommendations, Maher has used other literary works to frame his commentary. He discussed Matt Taibbi's Hate Inc. to analyze media bias and cable news hosts, referenced David Mamet's play November to praise its comedic political writing, and reflected on his own past collection New Rules, specifically highlighting satirical essays dealing with historical perspectives and the passage of time.
Books recommended by Bill Maher
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What This Comedian Said Will Shock You
What This Comedian Said Will Shock You by Bill Maher is a satirical book by the comedian and host designed to mock clickbait culture while offering humorous and punchy commentary on contemporary politics and society.
Recommended“They're funny and punchy, but uh this one uh I think people should treat like the Bible. I think you should put it by their nightstand and read passages each night and I think it'll help you through your life.”
Where to get it
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Sapiens
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari is a sweeping exploration of how Homo sapiens evolved, dominated the planet, and constructed complex imaginary orders like religion, money, and nations.
Recommended“You ever read that book Sapiens? Yes. Such a great book and he goes into the fact that monogamy probably not what what is wired in us.”
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 examines how modern safetyism and social media culture are impacting the psychological resilience of younger generations.
Recommended“Have you ever had Jonathan Haidt on your show? Yeah. His book, The Coddling of the American Mind, is exactly about that. And he believes that you should let your kids roam around”
Where to get it
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Hate Inc
Hate Inc.
Discussed“Matt taibi's book is basically saying that Rachel Maddow has become Bill O'Reilly”
Where to get it
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New Rules
New Rules by Bill Maher is a collection of humorous editorials and cultural observations that poke fun at modern absurdities and political discourse.
Discussed“But I had a book a New Rules book out about 15 years ago, and the subtitle was a polite musings from a timid observer, which I thought was hysterically funny, but every disc jockey in America did not get it.”
Where to get it
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November
Discussed“yeah i saw a play he wrote in new york in 2008 called november it was a political thing but it was just like a one laugh after another”
Where to get it
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Sex at Dawn
Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha is a popular book that challenges conventional assumptions about human sexuality and monogamy.
Discussed“It's basically about that. So, my friend Dr. Chris Ryan wrote it. Interesting uh That's it's basically about that.”
Where to get it
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The Undead Among Us - The Figure of the Vampire as the "Unknown Other" and Its Representation in "True Blood"
Discussed“I mean yeah, I mean look, it was a different era; I also, there's a couple of really funny editorials in that book about time and the idea that the woke have this crazy idea that, you know, people that lived 500 years ago really should have known better. Yeah, you know, they have this magic moral time machine where”
Where to get it
Books Bill Maher wrote
- Politically Incorrect
- New Rules
- What This Comedian Said Will Shock You
- The Undead Among Us - The Figure of the Vampire as the "Unknown Other" and Its Representation in "True Blood"
- True Story
Appearances
Other mentions (5: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and when we put out a book from the show it was called you know the best of Politically Incorrect”
“But I had a book, a New Rules book out about 15 years ago And the subtitle was a polite musings from a timid observer Which I thought was hysterically funny But every disc jockey in America did not get it They just took it like Okay no That was understatement And it's supposed to be satire But never mind”
“this book is from the editorials now I really redid all of them”
“I say it in the introduction of the book I say I have lost some people and I don't miss them”
“I mean, there's no solution except cholesterol all—and watching Real Time and buying this book. All right; it's called—you know, it's actually very—it's the funniest book ever, I think. And, uh, lots of people have said the same thing, so I know it sounds like, you know, because we're tussling that it's all serious, but it's actually very funny, it”