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Louis Theroux books: every book Louis Theroux wrote and recommended
Across 3 podcasts. Every show Louis Theroux appears on, in one place — not just one.
Books by Louis Theroux
Louis Theroux’s most recommended books
- Going Clear by Lawrence Wright
- Inside Scientology by Janet Reitman
- Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
- Norwood by Charles Portis
- The Dog of the South by Charles Portis
- Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard
- Stiffed by Susan Faludi
- The Game by Neil Strauss
- Why Women Deserve Less by Myron Gaines (Entrepreneur)
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. During his podcast appearances, Theroux has recommended and discussed several notable books. On This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von, he recommended Patrick Radden Keefe's Empire of Pain while discussing the opioid crisis and the Sackler family, and he strongly recommended novels by Charles Portis, specifically naming Norwood and The Dog of the South during a conversation about literary influences and his father's writing. On The Joe Rogan Experience, Theroux pointed listeners to Janet Reitman's Inside Scientology as a great primer on the subject and discussed Lawrence Wright's Going Clear, highlighting the self-doubts and affirmations listed in the book. Additionally, during his appearance on Modern Wisdom, Theroux mentioned several other works in the context of contemporary subcultures and social issues, including Myron Gaines's Why Women Deserve Less, Neil Strauss's The Game when analyzing pickup artistry techniques, and Susan Faludi's Stiffed while talking about the decline of manufacturing and male identity.
Books recommended by Louis Theroux
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Going Clear
Going Clear by Lawrence Wright is a meticulously researched investigative nonfiction book that chronicles the history, inner workings, and controversies of the Church of Scientology.
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
Inside Scientology by Janet Reitman is an investigative journalism book that chronicles the history, inner workings, and controversial practices of the Church of Scientology through extensive research and interviews.
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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Empire of Pain
Patrick Radden Keefe's Empire of Pain is a meticulously researched history tracing the Sackler dynasty, Purdue Pharma, and their central role in driving the devastating opioid epidemic.
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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Norwood
Norwood by Charles Portis is a slender, humorous novel following an ex-marine named Norwood Pratt on a strange mission to New York City commissioned by a shady character.
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
Charles Portis's "The Dog of the South" is a darkly humorous comic novel following an idiosyncratic road trip across the American landscape.
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
Dianetics by L.
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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Stiffed
Stiffed by Susan Faludi is an exploration of the cultural, economic, and emotional crises facing American men amidst the decline of traditional manufacturing industries.
Discussed“there's a book I haven't read all of it but I've read in it by Susan Fudi a feminist writer published in the late '9s I think called stiff that talks about the decline of manufacturing and the struggle for male identity in a kind of postmanufacturing era”
Where to get it
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The Game
The Game by Neil Strauss is a non-fiction book that explores the secretive underworld of pickup artistry and social dynamics.
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
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is The Manosphere Really That Dangerous? - Louis Theroux - #1070 | Modern Wisdom | 2026-03-12 | 3 |
| 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 |