Podcast
Freakonomics Radio book recommendations
Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior. To get every show in our network without ads and a monthly bon…
Latest mentions
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Superforecasting
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Hamlet
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Macbeth
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Africa’s Struggle for Its Art
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The Brutish Museums
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This Time Is Different
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Edison's Conquest of Mars
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The War of the Worlds
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What Is Intelligence?
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Allergic
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The Prisoner Of Sex
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The New Jim Crow
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Nudge
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Let Me Die Before I Wake
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The Backgammon Chronicles
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The Affluent Society
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The Accidental Superpower
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Soccernomics
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Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
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What Do YOU Care what Other People Think?
Most recommended on Freakonomics Radio
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Think Like a Freak (Republish)
On Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen J. Dubner frequently referenced his 2005 book co-authored with Steven D. Levitt, "Freakonomics," across multiple episodes such as "572. Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia? | Freakonomics Radio" and "Abortion and Crime, Revisited (Update)." Dubner read excerpts regarding cheating as a human endeavor and discussed the book's theories on legalized abortion reducing crime and the death penalty failing to deter crime. Guests also brought up the work; David Duchovny noted reading it in 2005 on "EXTRA: Why Quitting Is Usually Worth It," while listener John Colley joked on episode 594 about becoming the face of the book empire.
Discussed“If you've ever read Freakonomics, the namesake book of this show, you may recall this controversial link between legalized abortion and the fall of crime.”
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The Wealth of Nations
Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations was discussed on Freakonomics Radio by host Stephen Dubner, Glory Liu, Russ Roberts, and composer David Lang. The conversations explored Smith's economic theories, his views on public education, and the famous concept of the invisible hand. Furthermore, the book served as the foundational source text for a modern musical oratorio composed by David Lang.
Discussed“At the end of March, the composer David Lang debuted a modern piece of music set to a 250-year-old book, Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations.”
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Grit
Grit by Angela Duckworth was frequently discussed on Freakonomics Radio by host Stephen Dubner and guest Chris Bosh. Dubner regularly introduced Duckworth as a research psychologist and the author of the book, which explores the power of passion and perseverance. Chris Bosh mentioned discovering the book after his coach gifted it to him, prompting a discussion with Duckworth about its chapters and the importance of persistence.
Discussed“Our friend Angela Duckworth, a research psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote a book about this. It's called Grit, the power of passion and perseverance.”
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Moby Dick
On Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen Dubner discussed Moby Dick by Herman Melville across several episodes, including 551. What Can Whales Teach Us About Clean Energy, Workplace Harmony, and Living. As part of a series on the history and economics of whaling, the host interviewed experts and asked a modern whaler if he had read the famous novel. Guests shared how reading Melville at a young age sparked their fascination with whaling, while the host noted that despite its massive influence, the book encompasses much more than whaling itself.
Discussed“We met and we talked about like Herman Melville and Moby Dick for a really long time.”
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Thinking, Fast and Slow
On Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen Dubner frequently cited Daniel Kahneman's 2011 best-selling book Thinking, Fast and Slow to explore behavioral economics and cognitive psychology. Following Kahneman's passing, the podcast aired tributes honoring his generational influence, noting how his foundational research with Amos Tversky revolutionized psychology. Hosts and guests regularly pointed to concepts from the book, such as System 1 and System 2 thinking, as well as inside and outside approaches to project planning.
Discussed“Kahneman was a phenomenally influential psychologist who won a Nobel Prize in economics, wrote the best-selling book Thinking, Fast and Slow, and left behind an army of collaborators, mentees, and admirers.”
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Genius
James Gleick's biography Genius was mentioned on Freakonomics Radio in connection with Richard Feynman. Stephen Dubner thanked James Gleick for writing the book and cited it as the definitive biography of Feynman published in 1992. Dubner referenced Genius to discuss Feynman's reputation, including details about his behavior and relationships while teaching at Cornell. The host also acknowledged the book as a significant resource that provided valuable insights and contributed background material to the episodes.
Discussed“The word most commonly attached to Richard Feynman would seem to be genius. That is the title of the definitive Feynman biography, published in 1992 by James Gleick.”
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Right Kind of Wrong
On Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen Dubner repeatedly referenced Amy Edmondson's book Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well across multiple episodes. Dubner introduced Edmondson as an organizational psychologist at Harvard Business School and highlighted her publication while exploring the nuances of human failure. He used the book's concepts to analyze specific events, such as evaluating whether the Vanderbilt nurse prosecution case qualified as an instance of failing well.
Discussed“She recently published a book called Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well. The Vanderbilt case was not an example of failing well.”
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The Theory of Moral Sentiments
On Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen Dubner and guests examined Adam Smith's foundational treatise The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Across episodes focusing on Smith's legacy, speakers highlighted that while The Wealth of Nations achieved greater popular fame, The Theory of Moral Sentiments represents Smith's true philosophical guide. The show detailed Smith's routine of revising final editions in Edinburgh, the adjustments made to religious content in later printings, and how political figures like Margaret Thatcher referenced his economic theories.
Discussed“The initial reception of The Theory of Moral Sentiments was quite warm. That's Glory Liu, a political scientist and reviews in London magazines, as well as in the United States, are praising Smith for the beauty of his writing.”
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Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present
On Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen Dubner and guest Fareed Zakaria discussed Zakaria's book "Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present" across episodes in early and late 2024. Zakaria noted how historical patterns outlined in the book were borne out by recent global political events, while Dubner cited the text to explore whether contemporary society is living through the most intensely revolutionary era in recent history.
Discussed“We had him on the show earlier this year to talk about his book, The Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present.”
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Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon
On Freakonomics Radio, the host examined Michael Lewis's book, "Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon," during an episode exploring public reaction to the author. The host read passages from the work to detail Sam Bankman-Fried's career transition from Jane Street Capital to founding Alameda Research, as well as his ambition to acquire unlimited wealth. The discussion highlighted the book's portrayal of Bankman-Fried's inner life and addressed the difficulty of distinguishing illegal acts from unusual behavior. Additionally, the episode featured Lewis discussing his narrative choices and considering whether trial lawyers reviewed the text prior to court proceedings.
Discussed“His books include Liars Poker, Moneyball, The Big Short, Flash Boys, and now, Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon.”
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Holy Bible (NIV)
On Freakonomics Radio, the Bible was referenced in several episodes between 2022 and 2024. Host Steven Dubner recommended the Hebrew Bible as a wild book about immigration due to its numerous touchpoints with migration. In another episode, pray.com CEO Steve Katina jokingly referred to the Bible as book one during a conversation about religious conversions with Dubner. Additionally, Peter Leeson discussed medieval French legal systems and religious beliefs that were grounded in the Bible's mix of brotherly love and wrath.
Discussed“We will get back to Hernandez soon enough, but if you want to read a really wild book about immigration, you might start with the Bible. Almost everything in the Hebrew Bible has some touch point with migration, and that is, my name is Roger Nam.”
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Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
On Freakonomics Radio, the host frequently referenced Michael Lewis's book 'Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game'. The book was mentioned in relation to discussions about the author's body of work, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of its publication, and to highlight its critical examination of the intelligence and integrity of the sports world's traditional establishment.
Discussed“His books include Liars Poker, Moneyball, The Big Short, Flash Boys, and now, Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon.”
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Nudge
On Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen Dubner frequently referenced Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein's book Nudge. Dubner promoted an updated edition in a preview for an upcoming episode and later brought up the beloved book to discuss choice architecture, sludge, and how the core concepts aim to make daily life easier.
Discussed“And you co-wrote a book years ago, a beloved book really, called Nudge. Correct. For anyone who's had the ill fortune to have not read Nudge, how would you describe it?”
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Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
Stephen Dubner highlighted the book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat on Freakonomics Radio, describing it as a worthwhile read and noting her previous appearances on the show. In another bonus episode, the host introduced Nosrat as the bestselling author of the food and cooking book, which was also adapted into a Netflix series. Nosrat herself appeared as a guest to discuss the long writing process behind the 2017 cookbook, which sold over a million copies in the United States and became a pop culture phenomenon.
Discussed“The other book he just mentioned, 'Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat,' is also well worth reading, and you can hear its author, Samin Nosrat, on a couple of Freakonomics Radio episodes from 2023.”
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SuperFreakonomics LP
Stephen Dubner discussed SuperFreakonomics, which he co-authored with economist Steve Levitt, across multiple episodes of Freakonomics Radio. In August 2024, Dubner cited a rough calculation from the book regarding athletic genetics in Major League Baseball families. In episodes from March 2023 and January 2023, Dubner and the host referenced specific chapters and stories from the book concerning altruism, apathy, and historical transportation.
Discussed“In Super Freakonomics, one of the books I wrote with economist Steve Levitt, we performed a rough calculation showing that if a Major League Baseball player has a son, that boy is about 800 times more likely than a random boy to also make the majors.”
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The Case against Education
On Freakonomics Radio, host Steven Dubner repeatedly referenced the book 'The Case Against Education' by economist Bryan Caplan. Dubner discussed Caplan's arguments that a primary function of a college degree is to act as a social signal for hiring suitability rather than solely human capital enhancement, noting how this dynamic drives credential inflation.
Discussed“The economist Brian Kaplan in a book called "The Case Against Education" argues that one major function of a college degree is to act as a social signal—a way to tell the world that you are worth hiring, worth being friends with, perhaps worth being intimidated by. In Kaplan’s view, this has driven a kind of credential inflation, where more”
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The Peter Principle
Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull's The Peter Principle was explored across multiple episodes of Freakonomics Radio. The host described it as a popular and humorous management book that explains the prevalence of incompetent bosses by arguing that employees rise to their level of incompetence. Stephen Dubner noted that people are promoted based on past experience rather than relevance to new roles, and the podcast discussed whether modern firms purposely choose to live with this systemic issue.
Discussed“The Peter Principle is a very funny and popular management book written by Lawrence J. Peter, and his book offers an explanation for why we might see incompetent bosses everywhere. 'Incompetent bosses everywhere... okay, I’m listening.”
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The Truth About Immigration
On Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen Dubner discussed the forthcoming book 'The Truth About Immigration' by Zeke Hernandez across episodes in March and April 2024. Dubner introduced Hernandez as a Wharton business professor and immigration expert whose research-heavy book aimed to simplify and untangle the complex realities of immigration. Hernandez used the book's findings to quiz listeners on immigration statistics and to address legitimate local complaints regarding communities that serve as gateways for disproportionate numbers of immigrants.
Discussed“He came to our attention because of a book he has coming out soon called The Truth About Immigration.”
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Adam Smith’s America
On Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen Dubner referenced Glory M. Liu's book "Adam Smith’s America" in episodes from May 2026. Dubner introduced Liu and discussed her central argument that Adam Smith is often used selectively by various political factions. Furthermore, Dubner cited Liu's analysis to explain how University of Chicago economists, particularly Milton Friedman and George Stigler, cherry-picked Smith's writings to establish him as a patron saint of free-market capitalism.
Discussed“When we published a Freakonomics Radio series on Adam Smith a few years ago, we interviewed Glory Liu, a political scientist at Georgetown and author of a book called Adam Smith's America: How a Scottish philosopher became an icon of American capitalism.”
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Allergic
On Freakonomics Radio, Stephen Dubner mentioned Theresa MacPhail's book, Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World, when introducing her background and expertise to listeners.
Discussed“McFale recently published a book called Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World.”
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Bowling Alone
On Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen Dubner discussed Robert D. Putnam's landmark 2000 book Bowling Alone across episodes in January 2023. Dubner referenced Putnam's thesis to analyze historical trends in American civic life and social capital, noting the finding that social capital remained relatively low in the early twentieth century before rising steadily through the 1960s.
Discussed“and the thought that comes to my mind is motivated by an essay of a sociologist named Robert Putnam that was written probably 20 some years ago entitled bowling alone and the thesis is relatively simple and that at that time Putnam was arguing that we don't have a healthy Civic life because we don't have what he called the”
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Brothers Emanuel
Ezekiel J. Emanuel's memoir Brothers Emanuel was featured on Freakonomics Radio. In the December 12, 2024 episode, Stephen Dubner discussed Zeke Emanuel as the oldest brother who undertook the effort to write the family memoir. In the June 1, 2023 episode, Ari Emanuel humorously mentioned that his brother Zeke had released a book titled The Brothers Book and noted a related interview that took place during a Microsoft CEO conference.
Discussed“Zeke Emanuel is the oldest brother, the one who took the trouble to write a family memoir called 'The Brothers Emanuel.'”
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Eve
On Freakonomics Radio, host Steve Levitt discussed Cat Bohannon's book "Eve" across episodes in December 2023. Levitt candidly admitted his initial skepticism about prehistoric topics, but praised how the author's fresh perspective and surprising insights made the book impossible to put down. He highlighted totally new facts presented in the work, including biological findings about male nipples producing milk. Cat Bohannon also joined the show as a guest to discuss the writing and editing process behind her exploration of human evolution.
Discussed“Welcome to a special episode of 'People I Mostly Admire' with Steve Levitt. I did not expect to like this book. I'm generally just not that interested in things that happened 200 million years ago or even 10,000 years ago.”
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Freakonomics
On Freakonomics Radio, the book Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner was referenced in multiple episodes. On August 8, 2024, host Stephen Dubner mentioned the title while introducing the show itself. Later, on December 26, 2024, in the update episode "Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia?," Dubner began the program by reading excerpts from the 2005 book to discuss cheating as a prominent feature in human endeavors.
Discussed“I rarely do this, but today I'm going to start by reading a couple of sentences from Freakonomics, which Steve Levitt and I published in 2005. Cheating, we wrote, may or may not be human nature, but it is certainly a prominent feature in just about every human endeavor.”
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Genius : the Life and Science of Richard Feynman
On Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen Dubner discussed James Gleick's biography Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman. Dubner thanked Gleick for the helpful resource, introduced it as the definitive biography of Feynman, and referenced specific details from the book regarding Feynman's controversial behavior while teaching at Cornell.
Discussed“The word most commonly attached to Richard Feynman would seem to be genius. That is the title of the definitive Feynman biography, published in 1992 by James Gleick.”
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Genius & Anxiety
On Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen Dubner referenced Norman Lebrecht's book Genius & Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847–1947 in episodes from December 2022 and February 2025. Dubner quoted passages from the book and cited Lebrecht's analysis to explore historical perspectives and potential explanations for high levels of Jewish achievement.
Discussed“I thought back to this passage from a book called genius and anxiety how Jews changed the world 1847 and 1947 by Norman lebre”
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Hamlet
William Shakespeare's play Hamlet was brought up on Freakonomics Radio in discussions surrounding stolen art. Guest Victor Ehikhamenor used Hamlet as an analogy, comparing the disorganized and disjointed display of looted Benin artifacts to tearing random pages out of Shakespeare's famous play. Host Stephen Dubner later reiterated this comparison to illustrate the chaotic presentation of the historical plaques.
Discussed“They are disjointed because it's like taking William Shakespeare's Magbet or Hamlet. You go to first act, you tear the page off, then you go to the last act and you tear it off. Then you paste it on the wall and call it William Shakespeare.”
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Liar's Poker
On Freakonomics Radio, the host discussed Michael Lewis's debut book, Liar's Poker, highlighting its significance in capturing Wall Street culture and the financialization trends of the 1980s. Described as part memoir and part expose of the money harvesting industry, the book was noted for its accidental success. The podcast explored how Lewis's reflections on rereading the book influenced his later career and noted that Billy Beane's familiarity with Liar's Poker played a key role in granting Lewis access for his subsequent writing projects.
Discussed“His books include Liars Poker, Moneyball, The Big Short, Flash Boys, and now, Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon.”
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Little House on the Prairie
On Freakonomics Radio, guest professor Victor Matheson brought up Laura Ingalls Wilder's book Little House on the Prairie across two episodes. Matheson referenced the books and television series, specifically the character Pa Ingalls, from his childhood to illustrate economic concepts. He used Pa Ingalls to discuss the idea of a jack-of-all-trades, contrasting the character's versatility with the concept of specialization and whether someone can excel at doing many different things.
Discussed“I think back to the books and the TV series that were on when I was a kid: Little House on the Prairie and Paul Ingalls.”
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Macbeth
On Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen Dubner and guest Victor Ehikhamenor discussed William Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" in May 2023 and August 2026 episodes. Ehikhamenor referenced the play to create an analogy regarding looted Benin bronzes, arguing that displaying artifacts out of chronological or thematic context fragments their narrative in a manner akin to rearranging acts of Shakespeare.
Discussed“They are disjointed because it's like taking William Shakespeare's Magbet or Hamlet. You go to first act, you tear the page off, then you go to the last act and you tear it off. Then you paste it on the wall and call it William Shakespeare.”
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Parent Nation
On Freakonomics Radio, Dana Suskind's book was discussed in December 2022. Host Stephen Dubner introduced the author and highlighted her upcoming publication, stating its full title and noting that Suskind is the wife of guest John List.
Discussed“This is a point Dana suskin makes in a book she's publishing in April. It's called parent Nation unlocking every child's potential fulfilling society's promise”
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Pests
On Freakonomics Radio, Stephen Dubner mentioned Bethany Brookshire and her newly published book, Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains, while introducing her as a guest to discuss animal topics and human relationships with wildlife.
Discussed“She recently published a book called Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains. So, you can see where her allegiance lies.”
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Power and Progress
On Freakonomics Radio, Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson's book Power and Progress was discussed by host Adam Davidson and Stephen Dubner. The hosts explored the book's central question regarding why certain countries and people are rich while others are poor. They examined how the book uses historical events, such as World War I, to illustrate the unforeseen consequences of technological decisions and concentrated corporate power.
Discussed“Johnson co-wrote a book, 'Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle of Technology and Prosperity,' with another MIT economist, Daron Acemoglu. The question that they address in that book is a big one: why are some countries and some people rich while others are poor?”
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Random Acts of Medicine
On Freakonomics Radio, the book Random Acts of Medicine by Anupam B. Jena and Christopher Worsham came up in multiple episodes. In episode 668, Stephen Dubner discussed the book during the introduction of guest Bapu Jena. In episode 549, the host promoted the new book during an ad-read and segment for the Freakonomics MD podcast, encouraging listeners to read the work by Babu Jena and Christopher Worsham.
Discussed“In 2023, he published a book along with his co-author Christopher Worsham called Random Acts of Medicine. The random in the title isn't just random.”
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The Licensing Racket
The Licensing Racket by Rebecca Haw Allensworth was discussed on Freakonomics Radio in January and February 2025. Host Stephen Dubner introduced legal scholar Rebecca Allensworth as a guest to examine the power, reach, and shortcomings of professional licensing boards. Dubner quoted from the book regarding barriers to entry and restrictions on practice, and recommended the publication to listeners at the conclusion of the episodes.
Discussed“Rebecca allensworth is a law professor at Vanderbilt University and she's written a book about Professional Licensing. We Americans like to think of our economy as open and dynamic. allensworth shows that in many ways it's not and that these licensing boards help too many bad actors stay in their professions and keep too many good ones out. and that's”
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THE PETER PRINCIPLE WHY THINGS ALWAYS GO WRONG
The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong by Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull was discussed on Freakonomics Radio in March 2023 and April 2024. The podcast host referenced the book while exploring the prevalence of bad bosses, highlighting its authorship and its massive commercial sales success.
Discussed“The book he wrote with Raymond Hull was called 'The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong.' It wound up selling millions of copies. The book was meant to say corporate strategy.”
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The Power of Bad
John Tierney and Roy F. Baumeister's book 'The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It' was featured on Freakonomics Radio. Host Stephen Dubner discussed the core psychological concept of negativity bias with reference to Roy Baumeister's work, subsequently introducing the co-authored book to explain how negative experiences disproportionately influence human behavior and how individuals can counteract those effects.
Discussed“the social psychologist Roy bowmeister calls it the power of bad”
Speaker Why Is U.S. Media So Negative? | Freakonomics Radio | Episode 477 2023-01-18 Listen at 14:09Where to get it
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The Voltage Effect
John A. List's book "The Voltage Effect" was featured prominently on Freakonomics Radio, where host Stephen Dubner discussed scaling failures, optimal quitting, and pharmaceutical research with the author. List explained that many failures to scale stem from a lack of common sense and shared insights regarding business leaders like Travis Kalanick.
Discussed“What my book is trying to claim about is that all of our failures to scale—and the world is replete with failure after failure after failure—I want that to be viewed as a failure of common sense.”
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Triumph of the City
On Freakonomics Radio, Stephen Dubner and Zach Ware discussed Edward Glaeser's book Triumph of the City as a primary inspiration for the Downtown Project and Tony Hsieh's urban development ideas. Dubner later referenced the book again to examine Glaeser's arguments regarding the economic and social value of cities.
Discussed“one of his main Inspirations was a Harvard Economist named ed Glaser who four years ago published a Manifesto called Triumph of the city how our greatest invention makes us richer smarter Greener healthier and happier”
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What Do You Care What Other People Think: Further Adventures of a Curious Character
On Freakonomics Radio in February and March 2024, host Stephen Dubner and guest Ralph Leighton discussed Richard Feynman's second autobiographical book, What Do You Care What Other People Think? Further Adventures of a Curious Character. The speakers noted that the bestseller was co-written with Leighton and published in 1988, the same year Feynman passed away, following up on his earlier 1985 book.
Discussed“The second book was titled 'What Do You Care What Other People Think? Further Adventures of a Curious Character.'”
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A Book on Books
On Freakonomics Radio on January 3, 2023, featured artist Flora Yukonovich discussed discovering "A Book on Books" by Victionary. She explained that while looking in her art school library, she stumbled across the book containing the paintings of Jean-Honoré Fragonard.
Discussed“As if wallpaper and Disney cartoons weren't bad enough, she stumbled across a book in the art school library with the paintings of Jean-Honoré Fragonard.”
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A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence
On the January 24, 2025, episode of Freakonomics Radio titled 619. How to Poison the A.I. Machine, host Stephen Dubner mentioned that economist Eric Brynjolfsson cited Michael Wooldridge's book A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence during a talk. The book was referenced to discuss various problems that artificial intelligence was still far from solving.
Discussed“he cited a book by the Oxford computer scientist Michael waldridge called a brief history of artificial intelligence”
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A Wrinkle in Time
During an episode of Freakonomics Radio titled Chris Bosh: “This Didn’t End the Way It’s Supposed to End.” released on January 23, 2023, Chris Bosh talked about Madeleine L'Engle's book A Wrinkle in Time, sharing that it was the very first novel he ever read and expressing his love for the book.
Discussed“my first novel that I read was a wrinkle in time I love that book”
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Advancing the Ball
During the September 19, 2024 episode of Freakonomics Radio, titled 603. Did the N.F.L. Solve Diversity Hiring? (Part 1), host Stephen Dubner discussed Jim Rooney's admiration for his late father, Dan Rooney. In this segment, Dubner mentioned that Jim Rooney authored a book about his father titled A Different Way to Win.
Discussed“The other thing to say is this: Jim Rooney is an unabashed fan of his late father, Dan; he wrote a book about his father called 'A Different Way to Win.'”
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
On Freakonomics Radio, guest Rocco Landisman discussed adapting Mark Twain's novel 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' during the April 11, 2025 episode. Landisman explained the plan to take the American literary classic, which was his favorite novel, and set it to music with new songs by country legend Roger Miller.
Discussed“The plan was to take an American literary classic, Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. It was my favorite novel, and set it to music with new songs by the country legend Roger Miller.”
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Aesop's Fables
During an episode of Freakonomics Radio titled Can the Big Bad Wolf Save Your Life? released on January 3, 2023, the host discussed various stories featuring wolves as villains. To emphasize the historical negative portrayal of wolves in literature, the host highlighted The Boy Who Cried Wolf from Aesop's Fables by Aesop.
Discussed“But the big bad wolf also shows up in German folk tales like Little Red Riding Hood by The Brothers Grimm, and in the Russian musical story, Peter and the Wolf by Sergey Prokofiev, and centuries earlier too, in one of Aesop's Fables, The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”
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Africa’s Struggle for Its Art
On Freakonomics Radio, Stephen Dubner discussed Africa’s Struggle for Its Art by Bénédicte Savoy in the episode titled "Is a Museum Just a Trophy Case? (Update)" on August 21, 2026. The narrator introduced Savoy as a French art history professor at the technical university in Berlin and referenced her book in the show's resources while talking about the Benin plunder and the art market around 1900.
Discussed“That is Benedict Seavois, a French professor of art history at the technical university in Berlin. As for the Benin plunder, most important pieces went directly to the British Museum, but the rest has been sold on the art market and the art market around 1900.”
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Alexander Hamilton
On the April 18, 2025 episode of Freakonomics Radio titled "630. On Broadway, Nobody Knows Nothing", Luis Miranda Jr. discussed Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton. He mentioned that he had just read the amazing book, which served as the inspiration for his son, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Discussed“is that yes, I just read this amazing and as I'm reading it, this is the Ron Cher now biography of Hamilton.”
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Alice Neel: The Art of Not Sitting Pretty
During an episode of Freakonomics Radio released on January 14, 2023, titled 'A Fascinating, Sexy, Intellectually Compelling, Unregulated Global Market,' the host brought up the book 'Alice Neel: The Art of Not Sitting Pretty' by Phoebe Hoban and Alice Neel. The host introduced Phoebe Hoban as the author of the biography focused on artist Alice Neel, explicitly stating the title of the book to the audience.
Discussed“That's Phoebe Hoban who wrote a biography of Alice Neal. It's called The Art of not sitting pretty”
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Amelia Bedelia
During the Freakonomics Radio episode titled 556. A.I. Is Changing Everything. Does That Include You?, released on September 7, 2023, the host referenced the Amelia Bedelia book series by Peggy Parish. The host used the books, which feature a character who takes everything literally, to illustrate how artificial intelligence interprets instructions quite literally before introducing prompt engineer Anna Bernstein.
Discussed“I sometimes think of those Amelia Bedelia books about the girl who takes everything literally; you ask her to plant a bulb, and she puts a light bulb in the dirt. Here's prompt engineer Anna Bernstein.”
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Host picks
- Grit
- Nudge
- The Wealth of Nations
- Adam Smith’s America
- Allergic
- Genius
- Genius : the Life and Science of Richard Feynman
- Pests
- Right Kind of Wrong
- The Licensing Racket
- Triumph of the City
- A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- Africa’s Struggle for Its Art
- Beyond Broadway
- Bowling Alone
- Build a Brand Like Trader Joe's
- Charlotte's Web
- City of Champions
- Conscious Leadership
Guest picks
- Grit
- The Wealth of Nations
- A Wrinkle in Time
- Alexander Hamilton
- Dark Money
- David Copperfield
- Edison's Conquest of Mars
- Gang Leader for a Day
- Good to Great
- Hamlet
- How the Mighty Fall
- Interaction of Color
- Letters to a Young Athlete
- Letters to a Young Poet
- Love Your Enemies
- Macbeth
- Madame Bovary
- Moneyball
- Outliers
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Guests who recommended books
- Chris Bosh (8)
- Russ Roberts (4)
- Angela Duckworth (4)
- Victor Ehikhamenor (2)
- Alex McDonald (2)
- Fareed Zakaria (2)
- Eric Zimmerman (2)
- Glory Liu (2)
- David Lang (2)
- Maria Konnikova (2)
- Tony Hsieh (2)
- Christopher Sykes (1)
- John Preskill (1)
- Helen Czerski (1)
- Dennis Rasmussen (1)
- Fleur Barron (1)
- Nicholas Cullinan (1)
- Luis Miranda Jr. (1)
- Brian Burke (1)
- Arthur Brooks (1)
- Zach Ware (1)
- John Mackey (1)
- Sudhir Venkatesh (1)
- Tara McGowan (1)
Latest mentions
“Tetlock argued in his book super forecasting that when it comes to predicting the future, even an expert can be beat by a thoughtful amateur.”
“He said they feel disjointed, like tearing the pages from William Shakespeare's Macbeth or Hamlet, wherein you might take the first act and then skip to the last act before pasting the pages on the wall and declaring it Shakespeare.”
“He said they feel disjointed, like tearing the pages from William Shakespeare's Macbeth or Hamlet, wherein you might take the first act and then skip to the last act before pasting the pages on the wall and declaring it Shakespeare.”
“That is Benedict Seavois, a French professor of art history at the technical university in Berlin. As for the Benin plunder, most important pieces went directly to the British Museum, but the rest has been sold on the art market and the art market around 1900.”
“Consider the book he published in 2020. It's called The Brutish Museums: The Beninian Bronzes:es Colonial Violence and Cultural Rest. Here is a typical sentence. The sacking of Benin City in February 1897 was an attack on human life, on culture, on belief, on art, and on sovereignty.”
“There's a book I'm guessing you know Ken Rogoff and Carmen Reinhardt just after the global financial crisis where you were heavily involved when the cleanup crew. The cleanup crew, right? and their book was called this time is different eight centuries of financial folly they were talking about that financial crash”
“He read The War of the Worlds and he read the unauthorized sequel to The War of the Worlds called Edison's Conquest of Mars.”
“Goddard, he didn't just believe in the story randomly. He received it as a teenager. He read about it. He read The War of the Worlds and he read the unauthorized sequel to The War of the Worlds called Edison's Conquest of Mars.”
“Now, you published a book last year based in part on the work that you and your team are doing at the Paradigms of Intelligence Team. It's called What Is Intelligence? Lessons from AI about evolution, computing, and minds.”
“mcf recently published a book called allergic our irritated body in a changing world”
“Mailer had recently published a provocative book on the women's liberation movement called The Prisoner of Sex, and Vidal had given it a negative review.”
“So, the example that they picked was this book The New Jim Crow, which I'm really simplifying there, but makes the argument that the mass incarceration after the war on drugs basically was intended and had the consequence of suppressing African-American communities.”
“and he's just published an updated edition of his Landmark 2008 book Nudge”
“There was an organization called the Hemlock Society that published a book of how-to. It was called Let Me Die Before I Wake.”
“Here's how Bob Woolsey Tel described it in his book The Backgammon Chronicles, A Prose Adventure on Tour, Volume 1. Backgammon has evolved from a model like that of soccer, basketball, or tennis, where it is the fantastic inspired shot that will be the object of awe for years to come, to a sport like gymnastics, or ice skating, or”
“John Kenneth Golreth said in the affluence society which was published in the early 1960s I think he said the mark of the United States is private affluence and public squalor.”
“There was a very very good book by Peter Zahhan called the accidental superpower which makes this point very powerfully.”
“It is based on the book of the same name by Simon Cooper and Stefan Shaminesky.”
“His book, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman, a memoirish catalog of his adventures and misadventures, had been a best-seller.”
“The second book was called What Do You Care What Other People Think? Further Adventures of a Curious Character.”