Person
Louis Theroux's book recommendations
Key facts
- Louis Theroux has recommended or discussed 8 books on podcasts, as of March 12, 2026.
- Louis Theroux has talked about books on 3 podcasts, as of March 12, 2026.
- Those books came up in 3 episodes, as of March 12, 2026.
- The 3 books Louis Theroux has mentioned in the most episodes, as of March 12, 2026: Empire of Pain, Going Clear and Inside Scientology.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Louis Theroux aired on March 12, 2026.
Updated
Across 3 podcasts. Every show Louis Theroux appears on, in one place, not just one.
Louis Theroux’s most recommended books
- Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
- Going Clear by Lawrence Wright
- Inside Scientology by Janet Reitman
- Norwood by Charles Portis
- The Dog of the South by Charles Portis
Louis Theroux is a British and American journalist, broadcaster, documentarian and author. He has received three British Academy Television Awards and a Royal Television Society Television Award. Appearing on shows such as This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von, Modern Wisdom, and The Joe Rogan Experience, Theroux has recommended and discussed several notable investigative and literary works. On Theo Von's podcast, he recommended Patrick Radden Keefe's Empire of Pain as a brilliant book detailing the opioid epidemic and the Sackler family, and he enthusiastically recommended Charles Portis's novels Norwood and The Dog of the South during a conversation about literary influences. Discussing high-profile belief systems and organizations, Theroux pointed to Janet Reitman's Inside Scientology as a great primer, and he compared it to Lawrence Wright's Going Clear while highlighting L. Ron Hubbard's self-doubts and affirmations listed in the latter text. He also discussed reading L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics to examine its unorthodox claims. Furthermore, during his appearance on Modern Wisdom, Theroux referenced Myron Gaines's book Why Women Deserve Less and Neil Strauss's The Game while analyzing pickup artistry and contemporary manosphere techniques.
Books Louis Theroux recommended or discussed
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Empire of Pain
Recommended“I bet that book by the way Empire of pain I haven't read that one Patrick Ren Keef brilliant book about how they started making C”
Where to get it
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Going Clear
Discussed“One of the most intriguing things in going clear is reading this list of uh I I think they called them affirmations”
Where to get it
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Inside Scientology
Recommended“I don't know if you ever read Janet Wrightman's book, Inside Scientology. It came out a year before Larry Wright's book um going clear.”
Where to get it
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Norwood
Recommended“so I read three of his books but my point is just and I totally recommend them one is called Norwood another one is called the dog of the South”
Where to get it
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The Dog of the South
Recommended“so I read three of his books but my point is just and I totally recommend them one is called Norwood another one is called the dog of the South”
Where to get it
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Dianetics
Discussed“The problem is when you read Dionetics, you realize it's how loopy it is in my view. And and in fact, cuz sometimes and I I I I praise this sort of skeptical-minded approach where people say, 'Well, what's your problem with Scientology?'”
Where to get it
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The Game
Discussed“and then using this sort of Neil Strauss the game adjacent techniques in order to say that I can teach you the psychology of women”
Where to get it
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Why Women Deserve Less
Discussed“their content is is very extreme and Myron Gaines wrote a book called Why Women Deserve Less.”
Where to get it
Books by Louis Theroux
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is The Manosphere Really That Dangerous? - Louis Theroux - #1070 | Modern Wisdom | 2026-03-12 | 2 |
| Louis Theroux | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #513 | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von | 2024-06-28 | 3 |
| #835 - Louis Theroux | The Joe Rogan Experience | 2016-08-22 | 6 |