Person
Every book Maureen Callahan recommended on podcasts
Maureen Callahan’s most recommended books
- Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule
- Goddess by Anthony Summers
- The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker
- Woke Racism by John McWhorter
- A million little pieces by James Frey
- Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
- Primary Colors by Joe Klein
- The Crying Book by Heather Christle
- The Strangers Were There by John Bell Clayton
Maureen Callahan appeared on multiple episodes of The Megyn Kelly Show to discuss true crime, current events, and cultural commentary, frequently recommending and critiquing various books. Callahan recommended her own investigative work, Ask Not, advising listeners to read it if they doubted her claims. She also named Gavin de Becker's The Gift of Fear as one of her favorite books that every woman should read, explaining that it teaches individuals to trust their instincts when feeling uncomfortable. Additionally, Callahan brought up John McWhorter's Woke Racism while discussing a recent article written by the Columbia linguistics professor. In discussions regarding memoirs and true crime, Callahan critiqued Lena Dunham's Not That Kind of Girl while reviewing Dunham's past writings and actions. Alongside Megyn Kelly, Callahan discussed Ann Rule's Stranger Beside Me on multiple occasions to draw parallels between serial killers Ted Bundy and Israel Keyes. Callahan also talked about the contents of her own book, American Predator, which details the full confessions of Israel Keyes. In another segment, she examined Bell Burdan's bestseller The Strangers Were There to discuss the author's divorce and subsequent revelations regarding her background and wealth, weaving together literary references with ongoing cultural and true crime discussions.
Books recommended by Maureen Callahan
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Stranger Beside Me
Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule is a chilling true crime memoir written by a woman who was personally acquainted with serial killer Ted Bundy.
Discussed“Wound up. What was the name of that book? It was so good. Stranger beside me.”
Where to get it
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American Predator
American Predator by Maureen Callahan is a detailed true crime investigation into the life and crimes of serial killer Israel Keyes.
Discussed“The confession, which is in American Predator, the text of the entire confession. Uh, the FBI has never made that public.”
Where to get it
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Goddess
Goddess by Anthony Summers is a detailed biographical investigation that examines the tumultuous life, career, and final months of Marilyn Monroe.
Discussed“you can read it in his book goddess about Marilyn about eight desperate calls that Marilyn had made to Bobby”
Where to get it
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Ask Not
Ask Not by Maureen Callahan is a critical biographical exploration of the Kennedy family history, focusing particularly on their complex relationships and historical controversies involving women.
Recommended“Read Ask Not if you don't believe me.”
Where to get it
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The Gift of Fear
The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker is a bestselling self-help and safety guide that teaches readers how to recognize and trust their innate intuition to protect themselves from violence.
Recommended“and I was thinking about this knowing we were going to be discussing this one of my favorite books and one that I think every woman should read is the gift of fear by Gavin debecker”
Where to get it
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Woke Racism
Woke Racism by John McWhorter is a sociological critique that argues contemporary anti-racism and progressive dogmatism have evolved to function as a dogmatic religion that ultimately harms the communities it aims to protect.
Recommended“For those who might not be familiar, he is a black professor of linguistics at Columbia and he wrote a book called woke racism and he is amazing.”
Where to get it
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A million little pieces
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey is a controversial autobiographical work that chronicles addiction, rehabilitation, and recovery.
Discussed“Do you remember when Oprah took James Frey to the woodshed over A Million Little Pieces A Million Little Pieces, and all he did was like exaggerate his drug addiction?”
Where to get it
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Not That Kind of Girl
Lena Dunham's candid autobiographical release chronicles various personal experiences, formative years, and youthful reflections, serving as the author's first major foray into memoir writing.
Critiqued“And again, in her first memoir, Not That Kind of Girl, she wrote about being sexually inappropriate with her younger sister multiple times.”
Where to get it
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Primary Colors
Primary Colors by Joe Klein is a satirical roman à clef novel that offers a behind-the-scenes look at a presidential campaign modeled after Bill Clinton's 1992 run, originally published anonymously before the author's identity was revealed.
Discussed“It reminds me, remember when Primary Colors came out and it was it was anonymously written and it was like the inside scoop on the on the scandalous, you know, behind the scenes going going on with the Clintons and within like a week Drudge had it was Joe Klene and and some some professor shot it through a a”
Where to get it
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The Crying Book
The Crying Book by Heather Christle is a lyrical and deeply introspective exploration of human grief, sorrow, and the physiological act of weeping, written by a talented poet.
Discussed“It is an act of extreme cruelty and spite, and a little nugget for your viewers and listeners: Vanity Fair fought tooth and nail to get that extract from the book about Mary and Bobby.”
Where to get it
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The Strangers Were There
The Strangers Were There by John Bell Clayton is a literary work that draws considerable public attention regarding personal narratives and memoir discussions.
Discussed“Bell Burdan wrote this book. It's a best-seller. It's on the best-seller list still, called Strangers, and it's about her divorce from her husband who came home and at one night during COVID announced he was leaving her.”
Where to get it
Books Maureen Callahan wrote
Appearances
Other mentions (4: passing, ad reads, own books)
“The confession, which is in American Predator, the text of the entire confession, uh, the FBI's never made that public. I had to get that through someone very very close to the case.”
“He compared it to the Lord of the Rings book.”
“my last book American predator was published by Viking that book did Gang Busters for them”
“So for example, my last book, 'American Predator,' was published by Viking.”