Person
Every book Shaka Senghor recommended on podcasts
Key facts
- Shaka Senghor has recommended or discussed 5 books on podcasts, as of July 22, 2025.
- Shaka Senghor has talked about books on 2 podcasts, as of July 22, 2025.
- Those books came up in 2 episodes, as of July 22, 2025.
- The 3 books Shaka Senghor has mentioned in the most episodes, as of July 22, 2025: As a Man Thinketh, Black Gangster and Invictus.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Shaka Senghor aired on July 22, 2025.
Updated
Across 2 podcasts. Every show Shaka Senghor appears on, in one place — not just one.
Shaka Senghor appeared on podcasts to discuss his life and experiences, including his time spent in prison. During an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, he mentioned reading several books that provided him with inspiration and guidance. He talked about William Ernest Henley's poem Invictus, explaining that reading it while in solitary confinement helped him stay mentally strong and reminded him that he was the master of his own fate and the captain of his soul. He also discussed James Allen's book As a Man Thinketh, noting that he frequently opened the heavily worn pages for reminders that mastering one's thinking leads to mastering one's environment. In addition, he spoke about Donald Goines's book Black Gangster as part of the street literature he read early on, connecting with the stories because authors like Goines had also served time in prison. Furthermore, he mentioned Ben Horowitz's book What You Do Is Who You Are, using it to explain how conversations around prison culture could provide a framework for corporate application. On the a16z Podcast, Senghor discussed The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X, describing it as the most pivotal book in his life and explaining how it influenced him as he reconsidered his choices and personal path.
Books recommended by Shaka Senghor
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As a Man Thinketh
As a Man Thinketh by James Allen is a classic self-development text focused on the power of thought in shaping personal reality and character.
Discussed“There's a book called As a Man Think of by James Allen. It's about 60s something pages. I would literally my my my version of that was so dog here, but I would like literally just open it up and any page was about if you master your thinking, you can master your environment.”
Where to get it
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Black Gangster
Discussed“So he had these all these street books like Dope Fiend and you know uh Black Gangster and it was like all this kind of underbelly uh Iceberg Slim Pimp all these stories were stories I had read early on and these guys they were like me like Donald Go served time in prison.”
Where to get it
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Invictus
William Ernest Henley's classic 19th-century poem Invictus stands as a stirring declaration of personal courage and defiance in the face of overwhelming adversity, famously closing with the assertion that one is the master of their fate and the captain of their soul.
Discussed“I would read uh the poem Invictus. Like that poem always just kind of brought me back like you're the master of your own fate. You know what I'm saying? You're the you're the captain of your soul.”
Where to get it
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X
The Autobiography of Malcolm X is a classic American memoir recounting the life, civil rights activism, and spiritual evolution of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley.
Discussed“and I ended up getting introduced to Malcolm X's autobiography and that book became probably the most pivotal book and in my life you remember the cartoons like me you have like the the bad ain't that the bad little devil on one shoulder and like the little angel another soda”
Where to get it
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What You Do Is Who You Are
Ben Horowitz's What You Do Is Who You Are outlines practical strategies for building and maintaining strong business cultures by drawing on unexpected historical and modern examples.
Discussed“And Ben actually wrote this book called What You Do is Who You Are. And in the book, he talked about some of our conversations around culture. And it kind of gave them a framework to really understand how these lessons I learned in prison could really be applied in corporate.”
Where to get it
Books Shaka Senghor wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2353 - Shaka Senghor | The Joe Rogan Experience | 2025-07-22 | 4 |
| a16z Podcast: Your Worst Deeds Don’t Define You -- Life and Redemption in Prison | a16z Podcast | 2016-03-11 | 1 |
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“Freedom is like, you know, the the the book that I've recently written is called How to be free.”
“it's one of the things that inspired me to write writing my wrongs because I really wanted people to understand how are you go from the innocence of childhood to being caught up in his very addictive culture”
“when I was in prison I started writing I wrote in and published along with everything my first novel so we scrapped up our little funds and and and probably invested about three thousand dollars to buy a thousand copies of the book”