Person
Every book Laird Hamilton recommended on podcasts
Across 3 podcasts. Every show Laird Hamilton appears on, in one place — not just one.
Laird Hamilton’s most recommended books
- The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown
- Blue Mind by Wallace J. Nichols
- How to Read the Bible by James L. Kugel
- THE LIFE AFTER LIFE by Pratish Aggarwal
- Dune by Frank Herbert
- Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World by Barry Lopez
- Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
- Moby Dick by Herman Melville
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Psychology of Totalitarianism by Mattias Desmet
Laird John Hamilton is an American big-wave surfer, co-inventor of tow-in surfing, and an occasional fashion and action-sports model and actor. He is married to Gabrielle Reece, a former professional volleyball player, television personality, and model. Hamilton appeared on several podcasts, including The Shawn Ryan Show, My First Million, and The Joe Rogan Experience, where he discussed his near-death surf experiences, surviving Jaws, and various books that influenced his life and philosophy. He frequently recommended Patrick McKeown's The Oxygen Advantage, highlighting how breathing techniques and addressing mouth-breathing issues can improve oxygen absorption, while noting that the author serves on the board of XPT. Hamilton also expressed a deep reverence for the Bible, stating that he spent a significant amount of time reading it multiple times and considering it the only truly worthwhile book to read. Additionally, he recommended Wallace J. Nichols's Blue Mind to discuss the science behind why people are naturally drawn to the ocean and the soothing psychological effects of water. Hamilton mentioned enjoying Pratish Aggarwal's The Life After Life as a book he recently listened to and appreciated. Furthermore, he discussed Susan Casey's book The Wave, highlighting specific chapters that detailed a major big-wave surfing session in Maui involving himself and other surfers.
Books recommended by Laird Hamilton
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The Oxygen Advantage
Patrick McKeown's 'The Oxygen Advantage' is a health and wellness guide that explores the benefits of functional breathing techniques, arguing that many modern physical ailments stem from chronic mouth breathing.
Recommended“there's some beautiful books called breathe the oxygen Advantage I mean there's some really good podcasts and good books around breathing itself”
Where to get it
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Blue Mind
Blue Mind by Wallace J.
Recommended“no it's called the blue mind the guy's pretty interesting and he does a study of why we gravitate towards being on the beach”
Where to get it
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How to Read the Bible
How to Read the Bible by James L.
Recommended“and for a long time I was like well the I spent a lot of time reading the Bible and and only and it was like the only book I ever had I think I read I might have read it twice um read it like read the thing and read it read it it was like I go I”
Where to get it
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THE LIFE AFTER LIFE
THE LIFE AFTER LIFE by Pratish Aggarwal is a thought-provoking exploration of consciousness, existence, and the mysteries of mortality.
Recommended“well I did I did I liked uh there was a book called Life After Life that I really um I I really enjoyed um by uh what's his name Moody”
Where to get it
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Dune
Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction masterpiece Dune is widely celebrated as an epic space opera exploring ecology, religion, and political power on a desert planet.
Discussed“when I was really young she read me Dune she read me you know Jonathan Livingston she read me all these crazy crazy books growing up”
Where to get it
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Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World
Discussed“let me see the uh you know there's a there's a gnarly a really pretty heavy one called Embrace The Fearless uh embrace fearlessly the burning World by uh Barry Lopez he's he's pretty radical”
Where to get it
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Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach is an allegorical novella about a seagull learning about flight, self-perfection, and breaking free from the rigid conformity of his flock.
Discussed“she read me you know Jonathan Livingston she read me all these crazy crazy books growing up”
Where to get it
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Moby Dick
Moby Dick by Herman Melville is a classic 19th-century novel exploring the obsessions of Captain Ahab and the dramatic whaling voyage of the Pequod.
Discussed“If you've ever read Moby Dick, you know about the whale that sinks the ship. Yes, there's actually a true story behind it. So Nantucket originally was for Quakers, yeah, were whale men.”
Where to get it
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The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.
Discussed“So my my mom used to read me and I think that's probably why I started other than I had some educational issues but with reading um they messed me up one of the programs definitely messed me up but then my mom would read to me so I really had no reason to read but she read me like”
Where to get it
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The Psychology of Totalitarianism
The Psychology of Totalitarianism by Mattias Desmet is an academic and cultural analysis examining how societal mass formation and ideological compliance pave the way for totalitarian governance.
Discussed“the psychology of totalitarianism was pretty was a pretty heavy book”
Where to get it
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The trap
The Trap is a 1994 political and economic book written by Sir James Goldsmith that serves as a critical response to the failure to halt the expansion of the European Union.
Discussed“no the the full conspiracy was called The Trap that one's called the Trap”
Where to get it
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The wave
Discussed“there's a book called The Wave right and written by Susan Casey who's an incredible writer and she writes different books about different subjects and in the book The Wave there's a there's a chapter or two about a day that we rode on Maui which was it's it's not at jaws it's another location right by the airport”
Where to get it
