Person
Every book Matt Frederick recommended on podcasts
Matt Frederick is a host on the podcast Stuff They Don't Want You To Know, where he explores historical mysteries, conspiracies, and unusual phenomena while often referencing books and graphic novels related to the episode topics. During discussions on financial power and wealth, Frederick mentioned the graphic novel The Black Monday Murders to illustrate how ultra-wealthy individuals pursue power. When covering scenarios related to global conflict, he highlighted Annie Jacobsen's book Nuclear War: A Scenario as a detailed source outlining the sequence of events during a potential nuclear exchange. For maritime history and adventure, Frederick praised Joshua Slocum's sailing memoir Sailing Alone Around the World, expressing a wish that more people would read it. Addressing historical labor struggles such as the Colorado coal rush, he shouted out John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, explaining how the novel informed his understanding of corporate structures and worker struggles. When discussing the Abscam political sting operation, Frederick recommended Robert W. Greene's book The Sting Man, telling listeners that the nuts-and-bolts story was well worth their time. Additionally, he mentioned Arthur Miller's play The Crucible when exploring folklore surrounding poppets. Through these references, Frederick uses literature and historical texts to add depth and context to the podcast's investigative subjects.
Books recommended by Matt Frederick
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Chariots of the Gods?
Chariots of the Gods? by Erich von Daniken is a well-known alternative history book that posits ancient civilizations were influenced by extraterrestrial visitors.
Discussed“didn't until 1968 when Danakin's breakout piece Chariots of the Gods made the bold claim that the world's oldest religion originated not from the observance of uh the the celestial bodies, the observance of astronomical movement or from the natural world itself, but rather as a reaction to um firsthand experience and contact with an alien.”
Where to get it
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Nuclear War
Annie Jacobsen's nonfiction book Nuclear War: A Scenario provides a chilling, unsparing countdown and thorough examination of what a global nuclear exchange would actually look like.
Recommended“So we can shout out Annie Jacobson for her book nuclear war a scenario that goes through pretty much what we're about to take you through.”
Where to get it
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Conference on Clean Room Specifications
Conference on Clean Room Specifications by Sandia Corporation is a technical publication detailing strict environmental controls and contamination-prevention standards used in high-precision manufacturing and research.
Recommended“and also uh check out clean room I'm I'm bullish on it uh anyway”
Where to get it
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Sailing Alone Around the World
Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum is a classic maritime memoir chronicling the author's historic journey as the first person to successfully navigate a single-handed voyage around the globe.
Recommended“who is an historical figure that I wish more people read his book sailing alone around the world is a stem to Banger”
Where to get it
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Sleeping Murder, The Murder at the Vicarage
Sleeping Murder and The Murder at the Vicarage are classic detective novels written by renowned mystery author Agatha Christie.
Recommended“I mean, Black Monday Murders, one of the best graphic novels ever written. Spoiler, it's not done yet.”
Where to get it
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The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is a classic American novel depicting the hardships of Oklahoma families migrating to California during the Great Depression.
Recommended“shout out to Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath hugely that's that's the book that that really hipped me to this whole struggle and this whole structure you know”
Where to get it
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The Sting Man
The Sting Man is a non-fiction book by Robert W.
Recommended“and you can read about all of this in a book called The Sting man that was written by Robert W green uh this whole story like this book is nuts it is um really worth your time if you if you like reading books check it out”
Where to get it
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11/22/63
11/22/63 by Stephen King is a science fiction time-travel novel in which a high school teacher attempts to prevent the assassination of John F.
Discussed“112263 you know we talked about Comedians and satirists and science fiction and stuff so many amazing ways that folks like that who maybe you wouldn't immediately think can really shed light on this stuff I learned a lot of this stuff from that book um and a lot of it is historically accurate of course it's a work of”
Where to get it
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1984
George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984 presents a chilling vision of a totalitarian society characterized by perpetual war, pervasive government surveillance, and the systematic manipulation of historical truth and language.
Discussed“that's you know what reminds me of the telescreens in 1984 which were like on this on one level seen as like a luxury and as like a really cool technological Gadget where you could watch all of these whatever entertainment you so wished but it was a two-way thing”
Where to get it
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A Canticle for Leibowitz
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M.
Book club“Thinking things like Canacle for Liowitz, The Day After Tomorrow. Uh hey, you hit us to your favorites.”
Where to get it
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Banksy. Wall and piece
Discussed“and a comment that copyright is for losers from his 2006 book wall and peace”
Where to get it
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Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown is a deeply influential historical book that chronicles the systematic displacement, broken treaties, and forced assimilation of Native American tribes in the American West through the perspective of the indigenous peoples.
Discussed“If I'm not mistaken, um there's a really fantastic series on HBO was called Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee that was based on a book of the same name. And it was about um just the conflict between, you know, like it was with uh Sitting Bull”
Where to get it
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Delay, Deny, Defend
Delay, Deny, Defend by Jay M.
Discussed“a book written by author Jay Fineman first published in 2010 has skyrocketed to number two on the Amazon non-fiction charts the uh bestselling non-fiction charts the subtitle is why insurance companies don't pay claims and what you can do about it the title is delay deny defend”
Where to get it
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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“Well, if anyone's ever read the Alex or no, the book that the Alex Gibney documentary Going Clear was based on, um the footnotes alone in that book like are massive.”
Where to get it
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Hannibal
Discussed“in Thomas Harris's um sequel to Silence of the Lambs Hannibal was based on”
Where to get it
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J. Robert Oppenheimer and the American Century
J.
Discussed“well I for one cannot wait for Oppenheimer and it's because of that graphic novel comic book I don't know I don't know how we got our hands on did you give it uh I don't know how we got our hands on it but man it's good that's one of the ones you hit me too Matt I think”
Where to get it
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Lives
Lives by Plutarch is a classic collection of parallel biographies of famous Greek and Roman leaders, offering enduring moral and historical lessons from antiquity.
Discussed“Um the line that stands out to me and I think to a lot of us uh is from Plutarch in his work lives where he says the first messenger that gave notice of Lucilles's coming was so far from pleasing Ty Grains that he had his head caught off were his pains and no man dared to bring further”
Where to get it
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Missing 411
Missing 411 by David Paulides and Chris Williams is a nonfiction investigation into mysterious disappearances of people in national parks and public lands.
Discussed“say that Anthony um most notable David Pilates in his book series he also recently released a short documentary about it that would make for an interesting topic to play”
Where to get it
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Mythology
Discussed“I've got a giant tome here called Mythology, the illustrated anthology of world myth and storytelling.”
Where to get it
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Nameless
Nameless by Grant Morrison is a mind-bending comic book series that dives into dark, space-themed horror and complex existential mysteries.
Discussed“and in the in between these two episodes I've mentioned just off air that I was reading that book The nameless and I didn't realize that a big part of that book is about the anian language that we covered in do angels have a language”
Where to get it
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Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr.
Discussed“we were talking about some of our favorite children's books and I reread a book called oh the Places You'll Go by Dr Seuss”
Where to get it
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Plutarch's Lives, Volume 1 (of 4) by Plutarch
Discussed“Um the line that stands out to me and I think to a lot of us uh is from Plutarch in his work lives where he says the first messenger that gave notice of Lucilles's coming was so far from pleasing Ty Grains that he had his head caught off were his pains and no man dared to bring further”
Where to get it
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Poor Richard's Almanac
Poor Richard's Almanac was a popular annual publication written and published by Benjamin Franklin under the pseudonym Richard Saunders between 1732 and 1758.
Discussed“all right this is Poor Richard's Almanac Ben Franklin's defense of astrology”
Where to get it
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The 12th Planet
The 12th Planet by Zecharia Sitchin explores alternative human origins and ancient astronaut theories derived from Sumerian texts.
Discussed“is the 12th planet. Uh and he says this story or this narrative is readily apparent to anybody who has half their jimmies about them”
Where to get it
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The Art of War
The Art of War by Sun Tzu is an ancient military treatise on strategy, tactical awareness, and understanding adversaries that continues to guide modern readers in various fields.
Discussed“Couldn't you train an AI on like just Sun Tzu's The Art of War or like on just specific pieces of very agreed upon smart writing?”
Where to get it
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The Black Monday Murders, Vol. 1
The Black Monday Murders, Vol.
Discussed“you know Ben this reminds me of the Black Monday murders what's the name of the the position within the Inner Circle that is this sacrifice it's like the chair no what what is it the stone chair the stone chair that dude step bladder was on the stone chair he was on the stone chair just I was thinking”
Where to get it
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The Boys
The Boys by Garth Ennis is a gritty, subversive comic book series that examines the dark side of superhero tropes, corporate accountability, and the severe complications of managing individuals with extraordinary abilities.
Discussed“there's a great uh great new version of that in the boys I think that's the entire series goes over that”
Where to get it
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The Crucible
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a classic theatrical play dramatizing the Salem witch trials as an allegory for state-sponsored persecution and conformity.
Discussed“Wasn't there a thing about poppets in the crucible, about that being sort of a witchy item, a poppet?”
Where to get it
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The Day After Tomorrow
Book club“Thinking things like Canacle for Liowitz, The Day After Tomorrow. Uh hey, you hit us to your favorites.”
Where to get it
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The Devil in the Shape of a Woman
The Devil in the Shape of a Woman by Carol F.
Discussed“this also reminds me of a work by the author Carol Carlson the devil in the shape of a woman that I wanted to wanted to ask you about because in Carlson's examination uh what uh this author is looking at is more of a um an emphasis on”
Where to get it
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The FBI
Discussed“There's this historian I've been reading, uh, Jeffery Jones, who wrote a book called "The FBI: A History" and several other articles.”
Where to get it
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The Final Witness
Discussed“So, the the book is called The Final Witness, A Kennedy Secret Service Agent Breaks His Silence After 60 Years.”
Where to get it
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The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time Book 2)
The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time Book 2) by Robert Jordan is a classic epic fantasy novel that continues the sprawling, multi-volume narrative of the Wheel of Time series.
Discussed“like the Greyman in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, right?”
Where to get it
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The Monster of Florence
Discussed“a true crime story called The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston from the Atlantic”
Where to get it
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Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré is a classic espionage novel that follows veteran British intelligence agent George Smiley as he hunts for a Soviet mole high up in the Circus.
Discussed“or like Carla in the uh excellent I think was John Leair novels adapted into the most famous one would be Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy.”
Where to get it
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Watchmen
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons is a groundbreaking graphic novel set in an alternate history where superheroes are real, exploring complex moral dilemmas, Cold War tensions, and the psychological toll of vigilantism.
Discussed“and one of the non-um radioactive penis related story notes of Watchmen it's very much a b plot of Watchmen uh there's this question about who watches the Watchman”
Where to get it
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Where My Shadow Falls
Discussed“He got a bronze star, wrote another book, and I haven't read this one; it's called "Where My Shadow Falls" in 1949. Um, I told you he's in the shadows, mhm.”
Where to get it
Books Matt Frederick wrote
Appearances
Other mentions (7: passing, ad reads, own books)
“And this is this reminds me I'm sure it reminds a lot of us of the Dune universe and the longstanding ban on thinking machines or Terminator 2.”
“The old Gish Gallup, right? Uh there are the running man, another good example. Shout out Stephen King. Um via his pseudonym.”
“That is the seminal 2000's classic Drive from the album Make Yourself by Incubus.”
“Yeah, that's just at least the image I get. Eric Von Däniken! Love to drop that name.”
“oh like the Christopher walk and King Louie in the liveaction uh Jungle Book”
“also that the way it's depicted in The liveaction Jungle Book in the King Louie character”
“it turns out Androids do Dream of Electric Sheep or at the very least bad directions”