Person

Lex Fridman’s book recommendations in 2021

88 books · 56 episodes · Lex Fridman’s most recommended books, all years →

Every episode from 2021, newest first

#253 – Michael Malice: New Year’s Special

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-12-31

The Idiot by Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский · discussed · at 0:26
Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak by Larry Smith · discussed · at 55:34
The Machiavellians by James Burnham · discussed · at 1:07:08

#251 – Ray Dalio: Money, Power, and the Collapse of Empires

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-12-25

Principles by Ray Dalio · recommended · at 0:07
Changing World Order by Ray Dalio · discussed · at 4:29

#244 – Robert Crews: Afghanistan, Taliban, Bin Laden, and War in the Middle East

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-11-28

Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler · discussed · at 45:18

#242 – Ben Askren: Wrestling and MMA

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-11-20

The talent code by Daniel Coyle · discussed · at 1:21:13
The culture code by Daniel Coyle · recommended · at 1:21:17

#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-11-16

The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus · discussed · at 51:51

#240 – Neal Stephenson: Sci-Fi, Space, Aliens, AI, VR & the Future of Humanity

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-11-11

Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson · discussed · at 51:40
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson · discussed · at 1:46:10

#239 – Niall Ferguson: History of Money, Power, War, and Truth

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-11-08

Doom by Niall Ferguson · discussed · at 1:42:04

#237 – Steve Viscelli: Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-11-03

The Big Rig by Steve Viscelli · discussed · at 0:04

#234 – Stephen Wolfram: Complexity and the Fabric of Reality

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-10-27

A new kind of science by Stephen Wolfram · discussed · at 0:50

#233 – Carl Hart: Heroin, Cocaine, MDMA, Alcohol & the Role of Drugs in Society

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-10-23

Drug Use for Grown-Ups by Carl L. Hart · discussed · at 7:00
High Price by Carl Hart · discussed · at 57:43

#232 – Brian Greene: Quantum Gravity, Big Bang, Aliens, Life, Death, and Meaning

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-10-20

The elegant universe by Brian Greene · discussed · at 0:00
What is Life? by Erwin Schrödinger · discussed · at 4:05
Until the End of Time by Brian Greene · discussed · at 11:37

#230 – Kelsi Sheren: War, Artillery, PTSD, and Love

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-10-14

Do the F*cking Work by Brian Buirge · discussed · at 2:28:20

#229 – Richard Wrangham: Role of Violence, Sex, and Fire in Human Evolution

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-10-10

The Goodness Paradox by Richard Wrangham · discussed · at 1:35:45
Catching Fire by Richard Wrangham · discussed · at 1:42:42

#228 – RZA: Wu-Tang Clan, Kung Fu, Chess, God, Life, and Death

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-10-05

The Tao of Wu by RZA (Rapper) · discussed · at 1:20:05

#227 – Sean Kelly: Existentialism, Nihilism, and the Search for Meaning

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-09-30

The Idiot by Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский · discussed · at 36:53
Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky · discussed · at 37:11
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse · discussed · at 1:08:55
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse Illustrated Edition by Herman Hesse · discussed · at 1:09:30
Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse · discussed · at 1:09:31
All Things Shining by Hubert Dreyfus, Sean Dorrance Kelly · discussed · at 1:51:12
MOBY-DICK; or, THE WHALE by Herman Melville · discussed · at 1:56:54
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway · discussed · at 2:04:50

#226 – Jo Boaler: How to Learn Math

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-09-27

Deep Work by Cal Newport · discussed · at 1:11:16

#222 – Jay McClelland: Neural Networks and the Emergence of Cognition

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-09-20

Parallel Distributed Processing by David E. Rumelhart, James L. McClelland, PDP Research Group · discussed · at 17:44

#218 – Jaron Lanier: Virtual Reality, Social Media & the Future of Humans and AI

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-09-06

The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker · discussed · at 17:33
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams · discussed · at 1:27:31

#216 – Vincent Racaniello: Viruses and Vaccines

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-09-01

THE PLAGUE by Albert Camus · discussed · at 3:12:58

#215 – Wojciech Zaremba: OpenAI Codex, GPT-3, Robotics, and the Future of AI

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-08-29

Deep Work by Cal Newport · discussed · at 1:13:42
2001, a Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke · recommended · at 2:51:15

#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-08-23

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway · recommended · at 2:15:17
The Dead by James Joyce · discussed · at 2:15:45
Ulysses by James Joyce · discussed · at 2:16:07
Finnegans Wake by James Joyce · discussed · at 2:16:19

#211 – Brian Muraresku: The Secret History of Psychedelics

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-08-15

Ancient brews by Patrick E. McGovern · discussed · at 31:52
Immortality Key by Brian C. Muraresku · discussed · at 34:21
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey · discussed · at 1:27:44

#210 – Matt Walker: Sleep

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-08-11

Why Do Moths Drink Elephants' Tears? by Matt Walker · recommended · at 0:00

#209 – Luís and João Batalha: Fermat’s Library and the Art of Studying Papers

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-08-09

Mathematics is the Poetry of Science by Cedric Villani · discussed · at 5:52
Galileo's for the Social and Cognitive Legitimation of Science by Mario Biagioli · discussed · at 42:43

#208 – Jeff Hawkins: The Thousand Brains Theory of Intelligence

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-08-08

A Thousand Brains by Jeff Hawkins · discussed · at 0:03
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin · discussed · at 24:05

#207 – Chris Duffin: The Mad Scientist of Strength

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-08-03

A Study of the Effects of Ego Dejection and Elation in an Academic Life Situation by the Psychogalvanic Technique by Chris William Kyriazis · recommended · at 0:20

#202 – Rick Doblin: Psychedelics

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-07-21

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey · discussed · at 49:44

Machines, Creativity & Love | Dr. Lex Fridman

Huberman Lab · 2021-07-19

The Fighter's Mind by Sam Sheridan · recommended · at 2:22:26

#201 – Konstantin Batygin: Planet 9 and the Edge of Our Solar System

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-07-19

The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge by Abraham Flexner · discussed · at 1:42:17
The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle · discussed · at 2:03:30
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams · discussed · at 2:39:39

#199 – Roger Reaves: Smuggling Drugs for Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-07-11

Smuggler by Roger Reaves · discussed · at 0:26
The Shawshank Redemption by Frank Darabont · discussed · at 1:28:30

#196 – Yeonmi Park: North Korea

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-07-01

In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park, Maryanne Vollers · discussed · at 2:52
Man's Search For Ultimate Meaning by Victor Frankl · discussed · at 18:51
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl · discussed · at 18:51
1984 by George Orwell · discussed · at 22:49
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse · recommended · at 1:53:31

#194 – Bret Weinstein: Truth, Science, and Censorship in the Time of a Pandemic

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-06-25

The Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka · discussed · at 21:23
A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century by Heather Heying · discussed · at 1:51:04

#193 – Rob Reid: The Existential Threat of Engineered Viruses and Lab Leaks

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-06-21

On Writing by Stephen King · discussed · at 14:09
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer · discussed · at 1:42:54
A Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka, Sheba Blake · discussed · at 1:52:13

#192 – Charles Hoskinson: Cardano

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-06-16

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway · discussed · at 4:53:48

#190 – Jordan Ellenberg: Mathematics of High-Dimensional Shapes and Geometries

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-06-13

Shape by Jordan Ellenberg · discussed · at 3:41
Duel at Dawn by Amir Alexander · recommended · at 20:15
How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenberg · discussed · at 2:41:42

#189 – David Sinclair: Extending the Human Lifespan Beyond 100 Years

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-06-07

The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker · discussed · at 1:32:34
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl · discussed · at 1:35:56

#187 – Frank Wilczek: Physics of Quarks, Dark Matter, Complexity, Life & Aliens

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-05-29

A Beautiful Question by Frank Wilczek · discussed · at 9:55
Fundamentals by Frank Wilczek · recommended · at 17:22

#185 – Sam Harris: Consciousness, Free Will, Psychedelics, AI, UFOs, and Meaning

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-05-20

Free Will by Sam Harris · recommended · at 3:16:55

#183 – Po-Shen Loh: Mathematics, Math Olympiad, Combinatorics & Contact Tracing

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-05-14

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams · discussed · at 2:07:31

#182 – John Danaher: The Path to Mastery in Jiu Jitsu, Grappling, Judo, and MMA

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-05-09

The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker · discussed · at 8:56

#180 – Jeremi Suri: History of American Power

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-04-30

Henry Kissinger and the American Century by Jeremi Suri · discussed · at 1:02:29

#177 – Risto Miikkulainen: Neuroevolution and Evolutionary Computation

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-04-19

The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker · discussed · at 10:03

#175 – Yannis Pappas: History and Comedy

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-04-12

Slouching Toward Nirvana by Charles Bukowski · discussed · at 0:33

#174 – Tyler Cowen: Economic Growth and the Fight Against Conformity and Mediocrity

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-04-10

Big Business by Tyler Cowen · discussed · at 35:00

#172 – Ryan Schiller: Librex and the Free Exchange of Ideas on College Campuses

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-03-30

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari · discussed · at 7:14

#169 – Ryan Hall: Solving Martial Arts from First Principles

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-03-20

Deep Work by Cal Newport · discussed · at 2:28:15

#168 – Silvio Micali: Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, Algorand, Bitcoin, and Ethereum

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-03-15

The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous, James Fouhey · recommended · at 0:37

#167 – Saagar Enjeti: Politics, History, and Power

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-03-14

Hitler by Ian Kershaw · recommended · at 0:17
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins · discussed · at 2:51:18

#166 – Cal Newport: Deep Work, Focus, Productivity, Email, and Social Media

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-03-05

Deep Work by Cal Newport · recommended · at 0:04
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport · discussed · at 0:08
A World Without Email by Cal Newport · discussed · at 0:12

#158 – Zev Weinstein: The Next Generation of Big Ideas and Brave Minds

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-02-05

The Idiot by Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский · recommended · at 1:25:43

#156 – Tim Dillon: Comedy, Power, Conspiracy Theories, and Freedom

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-01-29

On the Road by Jack Kerouac · discussed · at 0:24
Teaching Tricks to Canaries and Cage Birds by Carolyn Knapp · discussed · at 2:20:50
Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp · recommended · at 2:21:12

Lex Fridman: Ask Me Anything – AMA January 2021

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-01-27

The Giver by Lois Lowry · discussed · at 7:25

#154 – Avi Loeb: Aliens, Black Holes, and the Mystery of the Oumuamua

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-01-14

Extraterrestrial by Avi Loeb · recommended · at 0:05

#153 – Dmitry Korkin: Evolution of Proteins, Viruses, Life, and AI

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-01-11

The World Computer by Jonathan Beller · discussed · at 2:02:50
The Brain in Context by Jonathan D. Moreno, Jay Schulkin · discussed · at 2:02:50

#152 – Dan Gable: Olympic Wrestling, Mental Toughness & the Making of Champions

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-01-09

A Wrestling Life by Dan Gable · discussed · at 11:19
Wrestling Tough by Mike Chapman · discussed · at 37:09
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway · discussed · at 1:03:32
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway · discussed · at 1:03:32

#151 – Dan Kokotov: Speech Recognition with AI and Humans

Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-01-04

Creative Selection by Ken Kocienda · recommended · at 46:46

Other mentions in 2021 (65: passing, ad reads, own books)