Person
Every book Marshall Kosloff recommended on podcasts
Marshall Kosloff is a podcast host and commentator best known for hosting The Realignment, where he frequently engages with guests on topics spanning modern American politics, history, and economics. Throughout the podcast, Kosloff has recommended several influential books to his listeners. He frequently points to George Packer's The Unwinding, describing it to left populists as the single best book available on modern American politics and societal decline since the start of the century. Kosloff also recommended Packer's subsequent book, Last Best Hope, encouraging his audience to purchase it through the show's bookshop. In discussions examining the inner workings of Washington, D.C. prior to the Trump era, he highlighted Mark Leibovich's 2013 book, This Town, noting how foundational it was for shaping his and Saagar Enjeti's understanding of the political establishment. To explain strategic concepts such as targeting an enemy's center of gravity, Kosloff referenced Carl von Clausewitz's classic military text On War. Additionally, he has endorsed Jimmy Soni's The Founders as an essential narrative detailing the story of PayPal and the entrepreneurs who shaped Silicon Valley, and he brought up Brad Stone's book on Amazon to discuss Jeff Bezos's resilient strategic mindset during the company's early years.
Books recommended by Marshall Kosloff
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The Price of Peace
The Price of Peace by Zachary D.
Discussed“we had you on back in august to talk about your book the price of peace”
Where to get it
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The Everything Store
The Everything Store by Brad Stone is a comprehensive non-fiction history that chronicles the meteoric rise of Amazon and the leadership style of its founder, Jeff Bezos.
Discussed“so he's the senior executive editor for the global technology at bloomberg but he's also for our purposes author of amazon unbound another book called the upstarts about uber and airbnb and the everything store the original biography of jeff bezos and tail of that amazing company”
Where to get it
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The Unwinding
The Unwinding by George Packer is a narrative non-fiction book that explores the profound political, economic, and social fracturing of America from the late twentieth century through the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis by following the intersecting lives of several ordinary citizens and public figures.
Recommended“look you guys need to read the unwinding which to this day is the best book on Modern American politics and I think if you read the unwinding George Packer 2013 the unwinding is basically his way of articulating this idea that for the past dude since start of this Century right it felt like the country is coming apart”
Where to get it
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The New Class War
The New Class War is a sharp political analysis by Michael Lind that examines the growing socioeconomic divides between managerial elites and working-class populations, diagnosing the structural failures of modern populism.
Discussed“we spoke about your book the new class war a month before lockdown's coronavirus”
Where to get it
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Last Best Hope
Last Best Hope by George Packer is a probing examination of contemporary American politics, national identity, and the crises currently facing democratic institutions.
Recommended“you can purchase george's book with a link to our bookshop which is down in the show notes”
Where to get it
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Post Corona
Post Corona: From Crisis to Opportunity by Scott Galloway is a forward-looking analysis that examines the structural shifts, accelerated trends, and long-term economic consequences left in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Discussed“good to be scott here before we get into your book post corona from crisis to opportunity which i really enjoyed”
Where to get it
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The Decadent Society
The Decadent Society by Ross Gregory Douthat is a cultural and political critique that examines how wealthy Western civilizations can stagnate into an era of economic plateau, institutional sclerosis, and cultural exhaustion.
Discussed“yeah ross the last time we had you on it was to discuss your book um it was i mean obviously the deccan society it's an incredible book”
Where to get it
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The Founders
The Founders by Jimmy Soni is a narrative history chronicling the creation of PayPal and the ambitious entrepreneurs who helped shape modern Silicon Valley.
Recommended“rate subscribe all all the above and everybody buy jimmy's book so let's get out of the way there you go”
Where to get it
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The Madness of Crowds
The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity by Douglas Murray is a provocative contemporary commentary that investigates the cultural, social, and political shifts surrounding modern identity politics, intersectionality, and public discourse.
Discussed“this is where i want to connect it actually to a little bit in your book in the rise and the construction of post-modern thought”
Where to get it
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Billion Dollar Loser
Billion Dollar Loser by Reeves Wiedeman is a narrative non-fiction book that chronicles the epic rise and spectacular fall of Adam Neumann and his company WeWork.
Discussed“So Reeves, you've just authored 'Billion Dollar Loser', the epic rise and spectacular fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork.”
Where to get it
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Dignity
Dignity by Chris Arnade is a photographic and journalistic portrait of ordinary Americans, non-voters, and working-class communities that explores how people find meaning outside of traditional political structures.
Discussed“one of the reasons that we wanted to bring you back is you you first joined us to talk about your book dignity which was a profile of you know i mean it was a as a photographic a journalist's attempt to capture america writ large non-voters voters and so many more”
Where to get it
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New Cold Wars
Discussed“We are following up Tuesday's episode with demito perovich that covered the possibility of an invasion of Taiwan with an episode with the New York times's David E Sanger to discuss his new book new cold Wars new cold Wars is the best book I've read in the past few years on this broad subject”
Where to get it
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On War
On War by Carl von Clausewitz is a seminal nineteenth-century Prussian military treatise examining the philosophy, strategy, and political dimensions of armed conflict.
Recommended“And this is from on war by klaus wits so you're going to get some my graduate school”
Where to get it
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The Deficit Myth
The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton is an economics book that presents Modern Monetary Theory and challenges conventional ideas surrounding government debt and federal spending.
Recommended“stephanie kelton who's actually going to be on the podcast soon um she kind of popularized this idea in a book called the deficit myth and it's a very good book by the way people should read it”
Where to get it
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The Strange Death of Europe
The Strange Death of Europe by Douglas Murray is a non-fiction book that examines the cultural and political transformation of Europe through mass migration, open borders, and demographic shifts.
Discussed“he's wrote the strange death of europe back in 2017 about immigration”
Where to get it
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The Three-Body Problem
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu is a celebrated Chinese science fiction novel that incorporates concepts like the dark forest theory and explores extraterrestrial contact and state control.
Recommended“two of which we picked out were the three body problem i have it right behind me here”
Where to get it
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This Town
This Town by Mark Leibovich is a journalistic portrait of Washington, D.C., that exposes the hypocrisy, careerism, and bipartisan nature of the political establishment.
Recommended“he'd also written a book back in 2013 that was really foundational how sauger and i thought about dc in washington it was called this town and it was this really interesting portrait of what dc looked like right before the trump era”
Where to get it
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Up All Night
Up All Night is a compelling non-fiction book by Lisa Napoli that explores the fascinating origins of 24-hour cable news and the profound impact of media icon Ted Turner on the broadcasting industry.
Discussed“so we are here to talk about your book up all night ted turner cnn and the birth of 24 hour news”
Where to get it
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2034
2034 is a gripping work of speculative military fiction co-authored by Elliot Ackerman and James Stavridis that imagines a devastating future global conflict between superpowers.
Discussed“what interested you in the work of speculative fiction that 2034 is”
Where to get it
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A World Without Email
A World Without Email by Cal Newport is a productivity guide exploring how organizations and individuals can escape the trap of constant communication overhead and digital distraction.
Discussed“so let's talk about then specifically the book you know world without email”
Where to get it
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Amazon Unbound
Amazon Unbound is a comprehensive biographical book by Brad Stone that details the life of Jeff Bezos and the massive expansion of Amazon.
Discussed“so he's the senior executive editor for the global technology at bloomberg but he's also for our purposes author of amazon unbound another book called the upstarts about uber and airbnb and the everything store the original biography of jeff bezos and tail of that amazing company”
Where to get it
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Chaos under Heaven
Chaos under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the Twenty-First Century by Josh Rogin is a deep dive into the high-stakes geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China during the Trump administration.
Discussed“this is one of my favorite current affairs books i think of the entire trump era”
Where to get it
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Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile is a non-fiction book that details covert U.S.
Discussed“I'm reading you remember Charlie Wilson's War yeah so I actually have the book”
Where to get it
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Deep Work
Deep Work by Cal Newport is a prominent self-improvement guide that examines the ability to focus without distraction on cognitively demanding tasks, offering rules for achieving success in a noisy world.
Discussed“um okay so as soccer and i were just talking with you at the start of this we really love your books digital minimalism deep work”
Where to get it
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Digital Minimalism
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport is a thoughtful manifesto that advocates for a targeted, intentional approach to personal technology use, encouraging individuals to reclaim their time and attention from constant digital stimulation.
Discussed“um okay so as soccer and i were just talking with you at the start of this we really love your books digital minimalism deep work”
Where to get it
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Freedom from fear
Freedom from Fear by David M.
Discussed“because you know I like the big Oxford history is the United States like Freedom From Fear”
Where to get it
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Lords of Finance
Discussed“you know it's interesting i one of the things i appreciate about your book i'm reading another book right now called lords of finance which was very hot like 10 years ago”
Where to get it
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Study Guide
Study Guide by SuperSummary is a reference resource that breaks down popular literature and historical non-fiction.
Discussed“By the way, just to say, Robin DiAngelo wrote the best-selling book 'White Fragility,' and Ibrahim Kendi wrote 'Stamped from the Beginning' and 'How to Be an Anti-Racist.' So these are the biggest speakers, if you go to Barnes and Noble, if it's open, they’re who you're going to see.”
Where to get it
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Thank You for Smoking
Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley is a satirical novel about the exploits of a charismatic tobacco lobbyist who defends the indefensible.
Discussed“so this is and i'm glad we you mentioned thank you for smoking for a second because it's not just as if you're producing a movie thank you for smoking the book and the movie is actually a funny satiric but serious examination of how the political system in washington dc works”
Where to get it
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The industries of the future
The industries of the future by Alec Ross is a forward-looking business and non-fiction book that examines upcoming technological and economic shifts across various global sectors.
Discussed“especially given the context of your previous book to industry the future”
Where to get it
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The Ones We've Been Waiting For
The Ones We've Been Waiting For by Charlotte Alter is a political non-fiction book that explores how a rising generation of millennial leaders is poised to transform American politics and governance.
Discussed“so the first part is you wrote a book last year if it is now out in paperback it's titled the ones you've been waiting for how a new generation of leaders would transform america”
Where to get it
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The war on normal people
The War on Normal People by Andrew Yang is a stark economic critique examining the disruptive impacts of automation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the American workforce, while advocating for sweeping policy solutions like universal basic income.
Discussed“you wrote your book before obviously you ran for your candidacy but how many years before that did you kind of see that you know the fourth industrial revolution kind of happening before your eyes”
Where to get it
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Why We're Polarized
Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein is a prominent contemporary political analysis book that examines the deep structural forces driving partisan division and ideological sorting in the United States.
Discussed“um so like – ezra klein's book i don't know if you've seen what why would polarized you might have read it”
Where to get it
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Winners Take All
Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas is a critical exploration of elite philanthropy and the ways in which wealthy change-makers often preserve systemic inequality while pretending to solve global problems.
Discussed“have you all read anand gi regards his book winners take all”
Where to get it
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Woke Racism
Woke Racism by John McWhorter is a critique arguing that modern anti-racism functions as a dogmatic religion and harms Black America.
Discussed“author of woke racism which is basically pushing back on modern social justice civil rights discourse on the left and in the democratic party”
Where to get it
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Zero to One
Zero to One by Peter A.
Discussed“I've been inspired by Peter Thiel's vision that we have too much innovation in the world of bits but not enough in the world of atoms, in 'rust out' that refers to this age of decadence. It seems that one of the reasons many boomers and others struggle to think critically about today’s politics is that we haven't lived in”
Where to get it
Books Marshall Kosloff wrote
- Polarized by Degrees
- Up All Night
- Boomers
- Always Day One
- Billion Dollar Loser
- The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
- The war on normal people
Appearances
Other mentions (17: passing, ad reads, own books)
“today's episode is with Michigan State professor and the scanon Center Senior fellow Matt Gman he has a new book out it's called polarized by degrees”
“we also discuss this town his previous book about obama's washington”
“he's the author of the founders the story of paypal and the entrepreneurs who shaped silicon valley sagar who are those founders”
“Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR and Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News, returns to The Realignment”
“i mean i remember uh you know i did make a movie once in hollywood david thank you for smoking just so everybody knows one of my favorite films”
“and i mean on a broader level is this why you wrote the book because you can see just how us our society”
“obviously please purchase the book we'll put a link in the show notes go to bookshop.org to do that yeah the book is uh boomers the men and women who promised freedom and delivered disaster wherever fine books are sold”
“always day one how the tech titans plan to stay on top forever great book however horrific timing”
“So we are here to talk about your book, Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News. But a good place to start would be your thoughts on the future.”
“so reeves you've just authored billion dollar loser the epic rise and spectacular fall of adam newman and wework”
“he's the author of dignity”
“So that was right when you guys released your book, you were sort of in the middle of Bernie doing really well, there was no pandemic, so it's been a while.”
“we just say robin d'angelo wrote the best-selling book white fragility ibrahim kennedy wrote stamp from the beginning and how to be an anti-racist”
“we just say robin d'angelo wrote the best-selling book white fragility ibrahim kennedy wrote stamp from the beginning and how to be an anti-racist”
“we just say robin d'angelo wrote the best-selling book white fragility ibrahim kennedy wrote stamp from the beginning and how to be an anti-racist”
“You wrote your book before you ran for your candidacy, but how many years before that did you kind of see the Fourth Industrial Revolution kind of happening before your eyes?”
“I just remembered his book title God Guns Grits and Gravy”