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Every book Michael Lester recommended on podcasts

Key facts

  • Michael Lester has recommended or discussed 8 books on podcasts, as of March 19, 2026.
  • Michael Lester has talked about books on 1 podcast, as of March 19, 2026.
  • Those books came up in 2 episodes, as of March 19, 2026.
  • The 3 books Michael Lester has mentioned in the most episodes, as of March 19, 2026: Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, Rise and kill first and The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy.
  • The latest episode with a book mention from Michael Lester aired on March 19, 2026.

Updated

Guest on The Shawn Ryan Show · 8 books · 2 episodes across 1 podcast

Michael Lester appeared on multiple episodes of The Shawn Ryan Show to discuss international relations, foreign policy, and historical military conflicts. During his appearances, Lester recommended several notable books to support his analysis. He recommended Ronen Bergman's Rise and Kill First to illustrate targeted Israeli assassinations, and suggested Robert H. Cartmill's The Next Hundred Years . . . Then and Now when discussing long-term population growth projections. Lester also recommended John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt's The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy to examine foreign influence, as well as John Perkins's Confessions of an Economic Hit Man to explain how economic leverage and debt traps function in global affairs. In addition to his direct book recommendations, Lester discussed several historical and theoretical works throughout the interviews. He referenced Cyrus Ingersoll Scofield's The Scofield Bible Correspondence Course to analyze the roots of Christian Zionism, Christopher Clark's The Sleepwalkers and Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August to explain how nations unintentionally stumble into military mobilization and war, and George Orwell's classic novel 1984 to highlight themes of hidden government control and societal manipulation.

Books Michael Lester recommended or discussed

Who said what is our best reading of each episode. In hand-checked samples, at least 6% of mentions were credited to the wrong speaker, sometimes an interviewer’s line recorded as the guest’s, sometimes the reverse. Every entry below quotes the words and links to the episode, so you can check it.

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  1. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

    John Perkins · Recommended · 1 episode

    Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins is an exposé detailing how covert economic strategies, loans, and international financial institutions are used by powerful nations and corporate elites to manipulate and exploit developing countries.

    Recommended
    “There was a good book um confessions of an economic hitman where he talks about how his job this author I forgot his name Peterson he would go in and convince countries you need to help have us come in and help you”
    Where to get it
  2. Rise and kill first

    Ronen Bergman · Recommended · 1 episode

    Rise and Kill First by Ronen Bergman is an exhaustive investigative history detailing the targeted assassinations and covert operations carried out by Israel's intelligence services.

    Where to get it
  3. The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy

    John J. Mearsheimer; Stephen M. Walt · Recommended · 1 episode

    The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt is a critical geopolitical analysis examining the immense influence of domestic interest groups on American foreign policy in the Middle East.

    Recommended
    “Mirshimer and Waltz wrote a book called the Apac Lobby where they went in depth and looked at this. And again, the data is there.”
    Where to get it
  4. The Next Hundred Years . . . Then and Now

    Robert H. Cartmill · Recommended · 1 episode

    The Next Hundred Years .

    Recommended
    “There's a really interesting book called the next hundred years. It's written back in uh I think 2008 or so around then and the guy predicted here's what's going to happen over the next hundred years.”
    Where to get it
  5. 1984

    George Orwell · Discussed · 1 episode

    1984 by George Orwell is a classic dystopian novel depicting a totalitarian regime characterized by extreme surveillance, historical denial, and psychological manipulation.

    Discussed
    “I go a lot back a lot to like George Orwell's 1984. You don't even see what's happening, right?”
    Where to get it
  6. The Guns of August

    Barbara Tuchman · Discussed · 1 episode

    The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historical account that details the outbreak and opening month of the First World War.

    Where to get it
  7. The Scofield Bible Correspondence Course

    Cyrus Ingersoll Scofield · Discussed · 1 episode

    Discussed
    “And the big answer to that is something called the Scofield Bible.”
    Where to get it
  8. The Sleepwalkers

    Christopher Clark · Discussed · 1 episode

    Christopher Clark's The Sleepwalkers is an acclaimed historical examination of how European powers stumbled into the catastrophe of the First World War.

    Discussed
    “Christian Clark who wrote a book called The Sleepwalkers.”
    Where to get it

Appearances

EpisodePodcastDateBooks
#289 Michael Lester - Is the United States Going to War with Iran For Israel?The Shawn Ryan Show2026-03-194
#277 Michael Lester - Are We the Bad Guys?The Shawn Ryan Show2026-02-055