Person
Every book Paul Millerd recommended on podcasts
Paul Millerd appears on podcasts such as How I Write to discuss writing processes, career transitions, and the thematic development behind his own books. Drawing on his background and extensive historical inquiry, Millerd frequently references influential works that shaped his structural and intellectual approach. During his podcast appearances, he discussed Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie, noting that it served as a primary model for how he wanted to structure his own book around personal transformation and the wisdom of another person. He also engaged with Max Weber's classic work The Protestant Ethic and the "Spirit" of Capitalism alongside David Perell, examining nerdy historical deep dives into the history of work that influenced the early stages of his writing. Furthermore, Millerd analyzed Erich Fromm's Escape from Freedom to explore how the cultural concept of freedom shifted during the 1950s and how historical threads can be pieced together in a narrative. Finally, he referenced Ramit Sethi's I Will Teach You to Be Rich to illustrate how an author can remain deeply engaged with their core ideas and message over many years, highlighting the sustained dedication required in modern publishing and long-term content creation.
Books recommended by Paul Millerd
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Escape from Freedom
Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm is a prominent psychological and sociological work that explores humanity's complex relationship with liberty and the psychological appeal of authoritarianism.
Discussed“And it's my telling of like how things happen and piecing together all these things through like Thomas Aquinas and the Protestant work ethic and all these things and like the quotes from Eric Fromm on The Escape from Freedom and like how freedom sort of changed in the 1950s.”
Where to get it
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I will teach you to be rich
I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi is a widely known personal finance guide that encourages readers to focus on major financial milestones rather than minor everyday expenses.
Discussed“He's still talking about I will teach you to be rich. He wrote that book in 2009, I think. It's 15 years ago.”
Where to get it
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The Protestant ethic and the "spirit" of capitalism and other writings
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is a seminal sociological study by Max Weber that investigates how ascetic Protestant religious values, particularly Calvinist beliefs regarding hard work and worldly success, inadvertently fostered the rise of modern Western capitalism.
Discussed“What? The Protestant ethic? No, like it the book is this combo. Like chapter three, I didn't really know where to position chapter three. Chapter three is a the it's called work work work. It's basically a deep dive into the history of work. And so when I started the book, that was the book. I was going to write”
Where to get it
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Tuesdays with Morrie
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is a bestselling memoir chronicling the author's weekly visits with his former sociology professor who is dying of ALS.
Discussed“And also, I think a model for my book was Tuesdays with Morrie. Have you read that book? I haven't. It's a story about Mitch Albom. And it's a story about Morrie Schwartz at the end of his life.”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaving McKinsey to Write Full-Time | Paul Millerd | How I Write Podcast | How I Write | 2024-04-17 | 5 |