Podcast
Bari Weiss's book list: the books mentioned on Honestly with Bari Weiss
The most interesting conversations in American life happen in private. This show brings them out of the closet. Stories no one else is telling and conversations with the most fascinating people in the country, every week from The Free Press, hosted by former New York Times and Wall Street Journal journalist Bari Weiss.
Books from the latest episodes
Most recommended on Honestly with Bari Weiss
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Original Sin
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's book Original Sin was discussed across multiple episodes by host Bari Weiss, Mike Allen, and guest Andrew Cuomo. The speakers examined the book's investigative reporting into President Joe Biden's mental decline, the alleged cover-up by his administration, and the use of note cards during private cabinet meetings.
Discussed“Perhaps most dramatically in Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's new book, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline: Its Coverup, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.”
Where to get it
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The Righteous Mind
Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind was discussed on Honestly with Bari Weiss. Bari Weiss mentioned the book when talking about human emotional nature and how people use logic to retrofit justifications, as well as to discuss the innate human desire for meaning and spirituality. Kemi Badenoch also brought up the book during her appearance, describing it as an amazing and formative work.
Discussed“I know Jonathan Height talks about this in his book, The Righteous Minds, that we all have sort of a God-shaped hole in us”
Where to get it
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Stalin
Across multiple episodes of Honestly with Bari Weiss in early 2025 and late 2026, host Bari Weiss referenced Simon Sebag-Montefiore's acclaimed biography Stalin alongside several of his other historical works. Weiss highlighted these books to introduce the author and frame his extensive bibliography as essential reading for understanding power, politics, revolution, dictatorships, and human nature.
Discussed“Seabag, of course, is the author of more than 12 other books, like Stalin, The Court of the Red Czar, The Romanovs, and Catherine the Great and Potemkin.”
Where to get it
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The Message
Bari Weiss referenced The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates across multiple episodes of Honestly with Bari Weiss between October 2024 and February 2025. She brought up the newly published book on its release day to criticize its geopolitical perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In later episodes, she cited the work while discussing prevailing political narratives and modern ideologies being taught to young people in elite schools.
Discussed“it's captured in a more aidite way in tanasi coat's recent book the message and it's something that people young people are being educated to in our most elite schools”
Where to get it
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The Romanovs
Simon Sebag Montefiore's book The Romanovs was referenced multiple times on Honestly with Bari Weiss. In episodes from February 2025 and October 2026, Bari Weiss included The Romanovs in a list of the author's notable historical works. Weiss praised Montefiore's publications during her introductions as essential reading for understanding power, politics, revolution, dictatorships, and human nature.
Discussed“Seabag, of course, is the author of more than 12 other books, like Stalin, The Court of the Red Czar, The Romanovs, and Catherine the Great and Potemkin.”
Where to get it
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Jerusalem
Simon Sebag Montefiore's book Jerusalem was discussed on Honestly with Bari Weiss in February 2025. Bari Weiss highlighted the text as a unique biography of a city rather than a person, detailing its 3,000-year history across multiple religions and peoples. Montefiore also joined the podcast to discuss his writing process and his intention to write a history of Jerusalem that extended beyond just a Jewish or Zionist perspective.
Discussed“most of his books are biographies of people but Jerusalem is a biography of a city a city as he writes that is the house of the one God the capital of two peoples the Temple of three religions and the only city to exist twice in heaven and on Earth the book takes takes you through Jerusalem's 3,000 year”
Where to get it
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The Great Gatsby
During an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss, guest Shilo Brooks mentioned reading F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby with his students and producer, praising the author's writing. Separately, host Bari Weiss and guest Sarah Wynn-Williams noted that the title and epigraph of Wynn-Williams's memoir were taken from Fitzgerald's novel.
Discussed“F. Scott Fitzgerald is among the most beautiful writers ever to emerge in the world and I think when students have a sentence that takes their breath away when there's a phrase we were reading The Great Gatsby yesterday and I pointed out to my producer that Fitzgerald uses this phrase to describe the night sky, the silver pepper of”
Where to get it
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Atlas Shrugged
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, guests Brian Armstrong and Ted Cruz recommended Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" during episodes in early 2025. Armstrong listed the novel among the key works that shaped his perspective, while Senator Cruz described it as an extraordinary book when asked about literature that had a profound impact on his life.
Recommended“also just books like um outl Shrugged and you know these kind of things”
Where to get it
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The Strange Death of Europe
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, host Bari Weiss discussed Douglas Murray's book The Strange Death of Europe in multiple episodes. In January 2025, she mentioned it as a primary text where she first encountered anecdotes about UK grooming gangs. Later, in May 2025, she explicitly named the title while welcoming Murray to the podcast to discuss democracies and death cults.
Recommended“Douglas Murray, it's always such a pleasure to talk to you on microphone or over drinks, uh, which hopefully we'll do later. Your book, of course, is on democracies and death cults.”
Where to get it
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Abundance
Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson's book Abundance was discussed on Honestly with Bari Weiss. Bari Weiss introduced the guests and their new book during conversations about government and urban policy, noting its utopian vision for the left.
Discussed“in government they just wrote a new book all about this it's called abundance”
Where to get it
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Catherine the Great & Potemkin
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Bari Weiss highlighted Simon Sebag Montefiore's historical biography Catherine the Great & Potemkin. Weiss referenced the book alongside several of his other works, noting that his biographies are essential for understanding power, politics, revolution, dictatorships, and human nature.
Discussed“Seabag, of course, is the author of more than 12 other books, like Stalin, The Court of the Red Czar, The Romanovs, and Catherine the Great and Potemkin.”
Where to get it
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Fully Automated Luxury Communism
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson discussed Aaron Bastani's Fully Automated Luxury Communism. Both noted that they were somewhat inspired by the leftist tract while talking about technological thinking and the political left.
Discussed“we are somewhat inspired by this leftist track from a couple years ago which has the best name of any book published in the past couple of decades fully automated luxury communism”
Where to get it
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Lean In
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, host Bari Weiss brought up Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In on multiple occasions. In March 2025, during an episode with Sarah Wynn-Williams, Weiss cited the book as a work that typified the cultural era at Facebook. Earlier, in June 2024, while interviewing Sheryl Sandberg herself, Weiss referenced Lean In to highlight Sandberg's background and prominence as a corporate author and leader over a decade prior.
Discussed“I think the other book that typified this era at Facebook wasn't actually a Facebook book but was leanin written by Cheryl Sandberg”
Where to get it
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The all-or-nothing marriage
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Eli F. Finkel's book The All-or-Nothing Marriage was referenced in two separate episodes to explain the modern evolution of relationship expectations. Louise Perry mentioned the book on the February 19, 2025, episode titled "'1950s Sex Culture Got It Right' | Louise Perry," and a guest brought it up on the February 15, 2025, episode titled "Why Aren't Young People Having Sex?"
Discussed“there's this um uh Eli fle wrote this book called The All or Nothing marriage some years ago”
Where to get it
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Born Lucky
Leland Vittert's Born Lucky was discussed on Honestly with Bari Weiss by host Bari Weiss during an interview with the author. Weiss introduced the memoir, emphasizing its timely publication and exploring its themes of growing up with autism, navigating family dynamics, and the dedicated support of the author's father.
Discussed“He's just written a book about it called Born Lucky, A Dedicated Father, A Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism.”
Where to get it
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At War with Ourselves
During an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled H.R. McMaster’s Tell-all on Trump in January 2025, Michael Moynihan praised H. R. McMaster's book At War with Ourselves as fantastic and brilliantly written, telling the audience to purchase a copy. H. R. McMaster also appeared on the program to discuss the publication and explained the origin behind the book's title during his conversation with Moynihan.
Recommended“the book by the way is fantastic and do a thing that I never do I never read reviews of books until I'm done reading them”
Where to get it
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A Certain Idea of America
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, host Bari Weiss interviewed Peggy Noonan about her book A Certain Idea of America. Weiss noted that the book compiles eighty columns from the previous eight years, discussed its impact, and asked Noonan about the inspiration behind the title.
Discussed“and her new book a certain idea of America she collects 80 of them published over the last eight years”
Where to get it
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Case Against the Sexual Revolution
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, host Bari Weiss discussed Louise Perry's book "The Case Against the Sexual Revolution" during an interview with the author. Weiss noted the central arguments of the text and mentioned that it had recently been adapted into a version accessible for teens and young adults.
Discussed“This is the Crux of her book the case against the sexual Revolution which has just been adapted for young adults”
Where to get it
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Whistleblower
Discussed“in 2014 and this email is included in the book Mark sends an email Zuckerberg explaining what he views as the company's three-year plan to have Facebook fully operational in China”
Where to get it
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After
On the April 17, 2025 episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled "Ross Douthat: Why It’s Logical to Believe in God," guest Ross Douthat recommended the book After by Dr. Bruce Greyson. Douthat brought up the work while discussing near-death experiences, noting that it serves as a helpful survey of the literature and data surrounding the subject.
Recommended“I recommend a book called uh after by a doctor named Bruce Grayson, which is there have been a lot of surveys of the literature on this going back.”
Where to get it
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Believe
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, host Bari Weiss mentioned Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious by Ross Douthat during the episode "Ross Douthat: Why It's Logical to Believe in God" on April 17, 2025. Weiss introduced Douthat's newest book at the beginning of the discussion, noting its title and premise. She mentioned the book again toward the end of the episode while thanking Douthat for appearing on the program.
Recommended“His latest book, which we talk about today, is called Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious.”
Where to get it
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Desolation Angels
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled A Guide to Your Healthiest Life, with Dr. Mark Hyman from April 2025, Dr. Mark Hyman recommended Jack Kerouac as an author, specifically mentioning Desolation Angels. Hyman stated that Kerouac's work set him out on a path of wild adventure and inspired a crazy wisdom way of living that is not on the beaten path.
Recommended“and Um, it wasn't one book, but it was Jack Carowak as an author, maybe Desolation Angels, which really kind of set me out on this path of being on the wild adventure”
Where to get it
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The Cauldron
Simon Sebag Montefiore's book The Cauldron was recommended by Bari Weiss on Honestly with Bari Weiss. Weiss praised the text as a brilliant, best-selling work on the creation of the modern Middle East and encouraged listeners to check out Montefiore's recent media interviews about it.
Recommended“And that is what he does in his brilliant, best-selling new book, The Cauldron, the making of the modern Middle East.”
Where to get it
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On Democracies and Death Cults
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, host Bari Weiss discussed Douglas Murray's book On Democracies and Death Cults. Weiss highlighted Murray's analysis of the protests following the October 7, 2023 attacks, noting how the book offered a unique perspective on the Western response. At the conclusion of the episode, Weiss recommended the bestseller to listeners.
Discussed“And maybe put another way, and you write about this in the book, and as I read it, I'm like, "Wow, I can't I can't believe I didn't think about it this way." You know, there's been so many protests since October 7th, 2023. And what you write about and point out is that there was no mass protest in”
Where to get it
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The Genius Myth
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, in the episode "Is Anyone a Genius?" (2025-07-08), Bari Weiss promoted Helen Lewis's book "The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea" at the close of the interview. Weiss also mentioned the book earlier while discussing societal views of genius and questioning whether people's arguments are simply products of a capitalist economy.
Discussed“And your argument in your new book is this is not simply because we live in a capitalist economy.”
Where to get it
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The Unsettling of America
Dr. Mark Hyman appeared on Honestly with Bari Weiss on April 15, 2025, where he recommended Wendell Berry's The Unsettling of America as a foundational and impactful influence on his life. Hyman discussed the book to illustrate his views on the destruction of family farms and the rise of centralized, industrialized agriculture.
Discussed“And it was the Wendel Bear wrote a book about this called the unsettling of America. And it was about the destruction of family farms and the the the centralization and the aggregation of big agricultural”
Where to get it
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Trump: The Art of the Deal
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Palmer Luckey recommended Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal as essential reading for understanding Trump's mindset and negotiation strategies. This prompted Bari Weiss to note that she had never read the book, leading into a broader conversation about Trump's business tactics.
Discussed“Have you ever read The Art of the Deal? I've actually never read it.”
Where to get it
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Unfettered
On the podcast Honestly with Bari Weiss, host Bari Weiss discussed John Fetterman's book, Unfettered, during the November 11, 2025 episode featuring the senator. Weiss brought up the title to examine Fetterman's stroke, political campaign, and battle with depression, while also recommending that listeners read the book to understand his vulnerability regarding mental health and suicidal ideation.
Discussed“Okay, Senator, let's talk about your new book, Unfettered, which is a very clever title.”
Where to get it
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Open Socrates
On Honestly with Bari Weiss in May 2025, Bari Weiss introduced Agnes Callard's book Open Socrates during an interview titled Agnes Callard Was Married. Then She Met Her Husband. Weiss outlined the book's core premise regarding the philosophical life and the importance of asking fundamental questions, bringing up the text again toward the end of the episode to praise Callard's unique mindset.
Discussed“All of Agnes' experiences and her reflections on them became fodder for her new book, which is called Open Socrates, the case for a philosophical life, where she says we're not asking ourselves the most important questions.”
Where to get it
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Sex and the single girl
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, host Bari Weiss brought up Helen Gurley Brown's 1962 classic Sex and the Single Girl. Weiss mentioned the book and its author, the longtime editor of Cosmopolitan, while comparing historical shifts in sex culture to contemporary perspectives.
Discussed“one thing I was thinking about coming into this conversation is Helen Gurley Brown who famously wrote sex and the single girl in 1962”
Where to get it
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The Sword of Freedom
On the podcast Honestly with Bari Weiss, host Bari Weiss brought up Yossi Cohen's book, The Sword of Freedom, during the September 23, 2025 episode titled "Inside the Mossad". Weiss praised the work as a thrilling true story and used it to introduce her guest and transition into a discussion about intelligence cover stories and operations.
Discussed“But my guest's new book, The Sword of Freedom, reads just like one of those fantastical thrillers, except every word of it is true.”
Where to get it
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What's with Baum?
On Honestly with Bari Weiss in September 2025, Bari Weiss brought up Woody Allen's first novel, What's with Baum?, during an interview with the author titled Woody Allen on Life and Death. Weiss introduced the book in the episode description, highlighting its title and basic premise, and later raised the novel during the conversation to ask Woody Allen why he chose to write his first book at this stage in his life.
Discussed“Now, at age 89, Woody Allen is out with his first novel. It's called What's With Bob?”
Where to get it
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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
On March 13, 2025, during an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled Andrew Schulz Has Advice for Dems, Jews, and Comics, guest Andrew Schulz discussed Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Schulz shared that he had read the book about three different times, noting how it profoundly impacted him as a beautiful story that explores the human condition and the dynamics of outsider relationships.
Recommended“Huckleberry fin really yeah I read Huckleberry fin like three different times”
Where to get it
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American Heretics
On the April 22, 2025 episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled Can America Survive Without Christianity?, guest Jonathan Rauch recommended American Heretics by Jerome E. Copulsky. Rauch referenced the book while discussing how the American founders faced down attempts by Christians who were unhappy that the country was not formally named as Christian.
Recommended“There's a wonderful new book about this by Jerome Kapolski called American Heretics about how the founders had to actually face down some attempts by Christians who were very unhappy that the country wasn't named as Christian”
Where to get it
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Bible
Recommended“look the natural answer is is the Bible and that that I think is true”
Where to get it
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Brain Train
Dr. Mark Hyman brought up Chris Palmer's book Brain Train on Honestly with Bari Weiss while discussing the emerging field of metabolic psychiatry and how dietary changes can address conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disease.
Recommended“You got Chris Palmer who wrote a book called Brain Energy talking about how he cured schizophrenics by changing their diet and bipolar disease.”
Where to get it
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Changing World Order
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, guest Brian Armstrong discussed "Changing World Order" by Ray Dalio during the March 6, 2025 episode. Armstrong noted that Dalio's book had been influential on his thinking, pointing out that some of the ideas he shared during the interview reflected concepts from the book.
Recommended“I think um Ray Doo’s Book Changing World Order you hear some of the ideas reflected in my comments today”
Where to get it
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Demons
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss from February 2025, Jeffrey Kane recommended Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Demons. When Bari Weiss asked him about the last book he read, Kane described the novel as a wonderful exploration of what happens when a society attempts to replace the idea of God with ideologies like communism.
Recommended“I read a lot so I I sometimes I even forget so I'm actually uh I just finished reading this book right here which is dovi it's demons and uh this is a wonderful novel about what happens when a society tries to replace the idea of God with ideologies in this particular case communism”
Where to get it
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Emma
On the October 30, 2025, episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled Men Are Struggling. Reading Can Help., Shilo Brooks recommended Jane Austen's novel Emma. He suggested the book to young people as a meaningful text to meditate upon, specifically regarding the central theme of love alongside other classic works of literature.
Recommended“I think you need to meditate especially as a young person on love. Whether you do that through Jane Austen and a book like Emma or Pride and Prejudice, George Eliot's Middlemarch, Plato's Symposium books on love...”
Where to get it
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Enlightenment Now
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss in August 2024, John Mackey recommended Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now to support the argument that capitalism has significantly benefited humanity.
Recommended“If people could just read stepen pinker's book Enlightenment now or Johan norberg's books and defense of global capitalism or the now the rework of that the capitalist Manifesto”
Where to get it
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Good Food on a Tight Budget
During an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled A Guide to Your Healthiest Life, Dr. Mark Hyman brought up the guide Good Food on a Tight Budget by the Environmental Working Group and Share Our Strength. Dr. Hyman mentioned the resource to explain how families can afford nutritious, budget-friendly meals that support both health and the environment.
Recommended“So I gave them a guide called Good Food on a Tight Budget from the Environmental Working Group. How to eat well for your wallet, good for the planet, and good for your health.”
Where to get it
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In Defense of Global Capitalism
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, guest John Mackey recommended Johan Norberg's book In Defense of Global Capitalism while discussing the positive impacts and history of capitalism.
Recommended“If people could just read stepen pinker's book Enlightenment now or Johan norberg's books and defense of global capitalism or the now the rework of that the capitalist Manifesto”
Where to get it
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John Adams
On Honestly with Bari Weiss in November 2024, Bari Weiss prompted Peggy Noonan during a lightning round to name a great book on the American Founders, leading to a discussion of David McCullough's John Adams.
Recommended“best book of about on about David McCulla cited many times in in a certain idea of America yeah oh thank you very much for that prompt you're welcome David McCulla John Adams which really is a great book”
Where to get it
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Middlemarch
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Shilo Brooks recommended George Eliot's Middlemarch for readers wanting to think more deeply about love.
Recommended“Whether you do that through Jane Austen and a book like Emma or Pride and Prejudice, George Eliot's Middlemarch, Plato's Symposium books on love...”
Where to get it
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Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil
Shilo Brooks appeared on Honestly with Bari Weiss to discuss reading and recommended Friedrich Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil. He praised the work as the most scathing critique of the West from top to bottom ever written, encouraging listeners to engage with its deep challenges to Western traditions.
Recommended“I've written a book on him, but he wrote a book called Beyond Good and Evil which in my view is the most scathing critique of the West from top to bottom ever written.”
Where to get it
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Pride and Prejudice
During the October 30, 2025 episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled Men Are Struggling. Reading Can Help., Shilo Brooks recommended Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Brooks brought up the classic novel alongside other texts while discussing books that explore the theme of love.
Recommended“Whether you do that through Jane Austen and a book like Emma or Pride and Prejudice, George Eliot's Middlemarch, Plato's Symposium books on love...”
Where to get it
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Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Brian Armstrong mentioned Ray Dalio's book Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order, noting that several of the ideas found in the work were reflected in his own commentary during the episode.
Recommended“Ray Doo's Book Changing World Order you hear some of the ideas reflected in my comments today”
Where to get it
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Pronoun Trouble
On Honestly with Bari Weiss in the 2025 episode Debating Pronouns with John McWhorter, Bari Weiss promoted John McWhorter's new book, Pronoun Trouble, at the conclusion of the interview, telling listeners that they could purchase it anywhere books are sold.
Recommended“but for now your happy book is called pronoun trouble The Story of Us in seven little words you can get it anywhere you get books”
Where to get it
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Salt Sugar Fat
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Dr. Mark Hyman recommended Michael Moss's book Salt Sugar Fat. He noted that the author interviewed three hundred food industry executives, scientists, and whistleblowers to expose how the food industry intentionally engineers addictive products.
Recommended“Michael Moss wrote a book about this called Salt, Sugar, and Fatty. interviewed 300 different food industry executives and scientists and whistleblowers.”
Where to get it
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Start, Stay, or Leave
During an appearance on Honestly with Bari Weiss in the episode Fox News Host Dana Perino: Cable News Is Not Dead, released on May 6, 2025, Dana Perino recommended Trey Gowdy's book Start, Stay, or Leave. Perino discussed her colleague's background as a prosecutor and congressman who eventually decided to leave the leadership track in Congress, prompting her to view his work as one of the best books on career decision-making.
Recommended“And Trey Gaudy is a colleague of mine who had been a prosecutor, been a congressman, and he decided to leave um the leadership track in Congress. I wanted to ask him, how did you know that it was time? I think his book uh Start, Stay, or Leave is one of the best books of decision-making I've ever read.”
Where to get it
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Summary of Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World: Fareed Zakaria
During an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson Have a Plan for the Left, Derek Thompson mentioned Fred Murphy's summary of Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria. Thompson cited the work as one of the books that inspired him in high school to pursue a career in journalism.
Recommended“uh the book that made me want to become a journalist was from beir to Jerusalem and the book that I found most inspiring in high school when I absolutely decided to become a journalist was the future of Freedom by Fred Zakaria”
Where to get it
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Superabundance
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, guest John Mackey recommended Marian Tupy and Gale Pooley's book Superabundance to illustrate historical improvements in human living standards.
Recommended“if they would read um Maran T's book on super abundance people just don't understand the past”
Where to get it
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The Capitalist Manifesto
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss featuring John Mackey released on August 29, 2024, guest John Mackey recommended Johan Norberg's book The Capitalist Manifesto. Mackey pointed to Norberg's work as part of a broader defense of global capitalism alongside other texts.
Recommended“If people could just read stepen pinker's book Enlightenment now or Johan norberg's books and defense of global capitalism or the now the rework of that the capitalist Manifesto”
Where to get it
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The Federalist papers
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled What Makes America Exceptional, released on July 2, 2025, Akhil Amar discussed The Federalist Papers by John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. Amar recommended the 18th-century newspaper op-eds to listeners who appreciate historical language, highlighting them as foundational arguments for the ratification of the United States Constitution.
Recommended“If you have a taste for 18th century language, read the Federalist Papers, um a series of newspaper op-eds arguing um that the Constitution is a you know, a good document that should be ratified.”
Where to get it
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The Republic
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled Men Are Struggling. Reading Can Help. released on October 30, 2025, Shilo Brooks recommended Plato's Republic. Brooks described the work as likely the greatest book on justice ever written and an essential text for a proper liberal education.
Recommended“Yeah, so I think you know, you can't not read Plato's Republic. Plato's Republic is probably the greatest book on justice ever written.”
Where to get it
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The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Bari Weiss recommended Martin Gurri's book The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium. She described it as extraordinary and noted that it captured political tensions effectively even though it was written before the rise of Donald Trump.
Recommended“I think Martin gur's book The Revolt of the public was extraordinary like Trump's not mentioned in the book it came out before the whole Trump phenomenon”
Where to get it
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The Right
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled '“Biden Wasn’t Running the Country.” Speaker Mike Johnson on the Biden Cover-Up', Speaker Mike Johnson recommended Matthew Continetti's book 'The Right'. Johnson brought up the book to discuss the history and the merging of various factions within the conservative movement.
Recommended“Matthew conetti wrote a book recently the right phenomenal”
Where to get it
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The Sovereign Individual
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Brian Armstrong recommended "The Sovereign Individual" by James Dale Davidson, William Rees-Mogg, and Lord William Rees-Mogg during the episode "Inside Trump's Crypto Revolution" on March 6, 2025. Armstrong described the work as a very provocative book that contributed to and influenced several of the ideas he mentioned during the interview.
Recommended“I think there's books like the sovereign individual which I think were very provocative and led to some of the ideas that I'm mentioning here today”
Where to get it
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The Symposium
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled Men Are Struggling. Reading Can Help. released on October 30, 2025, Shilo Brooks recommended Plato's Symposium. Brooks highlighted the book as an essential text on love that encourages readers to think deeply beyond superficial concepts.
Recommended“George Eliot's Middlemarch, Plato's Symposium books on love that give you that make you begin to think more than just about kind of the super...”
Where to get it
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The Wealth and Poverty of Nations
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Bari Weiss asked Patrick McGee about an important book he had read recently, prompting McGee to name The Wealth and Poverty of Nations by the late Harvard economist David Landes.
Recommended“What's the most important book you've read in the past five or so years, the Wealth and Poverty of Nations by David Lans or Landes. Okay. Um, late Harvard economist. It's basically on the industrial revolution.”
Where to get it
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Walden
On the Honestly with Bari Weiss episode "A Guide to Your Healthiest Life, with Dr. Mark Hyman" released on April 15, 2025, Dr. Mark Hyman recommended Henry David Thoreau's Walden. Hyman shared that the book deeply influenced him by structuring his vision of how to live and what life could and should look like.
Recommended“Uh was Walden by Henry Theorough, which basically structured my vision of what life could and should look like and how to live.”
Where to get it
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What I Saw at the Revolution
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, host Bari Weiss recommended Peggy Noonan's book What I Saw at the Revolution during the episode titled Peggy Noonan on How to Save America | Free Press Book Club. Weiss praised it as Noonan's most famous work and noted the profound impact it had on her regarding Noonan's time in the Reagan administration.
Recommended“I want to talk about your book that's had the biggest impact on me and I imagine your most famous book and that book is of course what I saw at the revolution which is a book about your time in the Reagan Administration”
Where to get it
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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
On Honestly with Bari Weiss in the 2025 episode What Makes America Exceptional, with Akhil Amar, Akhil Amar brought up Titus Maccius Plautus's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Amar mentioned the play as an example of a cultural work depicting the freeing of slaves, referencing the character played by Zero Mostel.
Discussed“It's in Ben-Hur. It's in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The Zero Mostel character.”
Where to get it
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A Game of Thrones
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Bari Weiss brought up Game of Thrones while asking Sam Altman about the harsh criticisms Elon Musk has directed at him.
Discussed“he's compared you to Littlefinger in the Game of Thrones most devastatingly said I don't trust him”
Where to get it
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A Kiss Before Dying
A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin was referenced on Honestly with Bari Weiss. Woody Allen mentioned the novel as one of the two books he genuinely enjoyed reading, distinguishing it from everything else he considered homework.
Discussed“Catcher in the Rye and A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin.”
Where to get it
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A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled '1950s Sex Culture Got It Right' released on February 19, 2025, host Bari Weiss mentioned 'A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century' by Louise Perry. During the discussion, Weiss specifically referenced the young adult adaptation of Louise Perry's book.
Discussed“it's called a new Guide to Sex in the 21st century”
Where to get it
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Against the Machine
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Bari Weiss brought up Paul Kingsnorth's book Against the Machine while addressing the author on stage.
Discussed“Um, this is your 10th book, this new book, Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity, which we're going to talk about tonight.”
Where to get it
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Basic economics
On Honestly with Bari Weiss in December 2024, Kemi Badenoch brought up Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell, citing it as the single biggest influence on her path to becoming a conservative.
Discussed“Um but the biggest biggest uh influence was Thomas Sowell and Basic Economics. And that was a very very random uh choice.”
Where to get it
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Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace was brought up on Honestly with Bari Weiss. Akhil Amar referenced the work during a discussion on American exceptionalism to illustrate how ancient texts and historical works addressed the concept of freeing individual slaves.
Discussed“It's in the Bible, you know, it And the old world had the idea of freeing slaves. It's in the Old Testament. It's in the New Testament. It's in Ben-Hur.”
Where to get it
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Benefit of Clergy
On the July 8, 2025 episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled Is Anyone a Genius?, guest Helen Lewis discussed various cultural figures and critical essays. She specifically cited Benefit of Clergy by George Orwell, highlighting it as his critical review of Salvador Dali's memoir.
Discussed“It's from the essay benefit of clergy which is his review of Salvador Darly's memoir in which he says Salvador Darly horrible.”
Where to get it
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Careless People
During the March 11, 2025 episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled 'Meet Sarah Wynn-Williams, Facebook’s Highest-Ranking Whistleblower', the host introduced the guest's new book, 'Careless People', by reading its full subtitle and describing it as a cautionary tale of power, greed, and lost idealism.
Discussed“the book is called careless people a cautionary tale of power greed and lost idealism”
Where to get it
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Catherine the Great
Bari Weiss brought up Simon Dixon's biography of Catherine the Great on Honestly with Bari Weiss while praising the author's broader historical catalog as essential reading for understanding power politics, revolutions, and human nature.
Discussed“his many books like Stalin the court of the red SAR the Roman no and Katherine the Great to name a few are essential to understanding power politics Revolution dictatorships and above all human nature”
Where to get it
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Consilience
During the April 15, 2025, episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled A Guide to Your Healthiest Life, Dr. Mark Hyman brought up E.O. Wilson's book Consilience. Dr. Hyman cited the text to illustrate the concept of a unifying framework that connects diverse disciplines across the social and physical sciences, while pointing out that traditional medicine currently lacks such an overarching theoretical framework.
Discussed“I Wilson's I read his book Consilience, the unit of knowledge. He talked about this this sort of framework that connects all these disciplines together in in sort of social sciences sciences and he said there's no theory of medicine.”
Where to get it
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Cross Purposes
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled Can America Survive Without Christianity?, host Bari Weiss brought up Jonathan Rauch's book Cross Purposes. Weiss cited the title and used it to ask the guest a central question about why America has apparently become ungovernable.
Discussed“In this new book of yours called Cross Purposes, which is a wonderful title, you ask a simple question, which is why has America become ungovernable?”
Where to get it
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Days of rage
On Honestly with Bari Weiss in 2025, Bari Weiss referenced Bryan Burrough's book Days of Rage while discussing historical eras characterized by intense political violence and frequent bombings during the 1960s and 1970s.
Discussed“You read a book like Brian Burr's book Days of Rage about the 60s and 70s and you're like there it's like a bomb every other day.”
Where to get it
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Dominion
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled 1950s Sex Culture Got It Right released on February 19, 2025, guest Louise Perry brought up Tom Holland's book Dominion. Perry cited the text to discuss the historical roots of sexual ethics, arguing that the Me Too movement traces its origins back to the first sexual revolution despite being a secular movement.
Discussed“and actually this the argument that's made by Tom Holland in his book Dominion in many ways me too despite me too being a secular movement traces its Origins back to that first sexual Revolution”
Where to get it
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English Poems for Kids - Volume One
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss on March 11, 2025, the host mentioned Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. The book was brought up while discussing the cultural era at Facebook, with the host noting that it typified the period.
Discussed“I think the other book that typified this era at Facebook wasn't actually a Facebook book but was leanin written by Cheryl Sandberg”
Where to get it
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Free: My Search for Meaning
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, host Bari Weiss introduced Amanda Knox's memoir Free: My Search for Meaning at the start of an August 2025 interview. Weiss discussed the book in the context of Knox's experiences and her path toward forgiving the man who sent her to prison.
Discussed“She's recently released a memoir about this whole experience and it's called Free, My Search for Meaning.”
Where to get it
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From Beirut to Jerusalem
In the March 18, 2025 episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson Have a Plan for the Left, guest Derek Thompson discussed Thomas L. Friedman's book From Beirut to Jerusalem. Thompson cited the book as the primary text that inspired him and made him want to become a journalist when he was younger.
Discussed“the book that made me want to become a journalist was from beir to Jerusalem”
Where to get it
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Good Energy
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Megyn Kelly mentioned the book Good Energy by Casey Means and Calley Means. She discussed the book while noting Tucker Carlson's previous interviews with the authors, focusing on their critiques of the food and healthcare systems.
Discussed“and she wrote this book called good energy which Tucker had her on over he had her brother c means on like a year earlier and they're very much into the why is our food system poisoned question and why is is our healthare system so focused on you know treating the illness as opposed to preventing the illness”
Where to get it
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Hereditary Genius
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, guest Helen Lewis referenced Francis Galton's nineteenth-century book "Hereditary Genius" during a discussion on the history of intelligence testing and eugenics. Lewis described the text as a slightly eccentric yet inspired work in which Galton attempted to rank the population of Britain by lettered classes based on familial lineage.
Discussed“Francis Golton who's um a really brilliant 19th century kind of dilotant scholar half cousin of Charles Darwin and he writes this slightly mad but you know inspired book called hereditary genius in which he tries to rank everybody in Britain by lettered classes”
Where to get it
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Hillbilly Elegy
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss in November 2024, Peter Thiel discussed Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance, noting that it was written around the time Vance emerged as a figure who attempted to explain Trump to liberals.
Discussed“around the time when he wrote the hillbilly elegy book and and he was sort of you know in some ways became um the way to explain Trump to you know liberals”
Where to get it
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How to be a conservative
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled Is Kemi Badenoch the Next Margaret Thatcher? released on December 12, 2024, host Bari Weiss brought up Roger Scruton's book How to be a Conservative. Kemi Badenoch joined the discussion and agreed on the significant influence of Scruton's work.
Discussed“What about Roger Scruton? Uh yes yes, um How to Be a Conservative. That also had”
Where to get it
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How to Win Friends and Influence People
During the September 30, 2025 episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled "How One Man Overcame His Autism," Leland Vittert discussed Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. He mentioned the classic self-help book in the context of a story where his father's best friend handed him a copy during his youth.
Discussed“His best friend pulls him aside and hands him a copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People by Derek Dale Carnegie.”
Where to get it
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In Defense of Looting
Nellie Bowles mentioned In Defense of Looting by Vicky Osterweil on Honestly with Bari Weiss on May 30th 2024. She discussed how NPR held a friendly question and answer session concerning the importance of riots and looting as protest tactics with the author.
Discussed“NPR held a friendly Q&A about the importance of riots and looting as a protest tactic with the author of a book titled simply In Defense of Looting.”
Where to get it
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Irreversible Damage
On the Honestly with Bari Weiss podcast episode Megyn Kelly Enjoys Watching Legacy Media Crumble, Megyn Kelly brought up Abigail Shrier's book Irreversible Damage to support her claims regarding social contagion and the impact of gender-transition treatments on minors.
Discussed“you had Abigail shri's book in 2020 irreversible damage which showed it's a social contagion and then it went to a place where it's like not only is a social contagion like like anorexia can be where you lose a bunch of weight but you put it then back on and you get to the gym and you build muscle”
Where to get it
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Karl Marx on the Jewish Question
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss, Shilo Brooks discussed assigning Karl Marx's Karl Marx on the Jewish Question in a seminar at Princeton. Brooks noted that he paired the reading alongside Elie Wiesel's Night for that specific week of coursework.
Discussed“And our reading for that week was two books. One was Karl Marx's The Jewish Question and I had coupled that with Elie Wiesel's Night.”
Where to get it
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Listening to the Law
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Bari Weiss introduced Amy Coney Barrett's newly published book Listening to the Law at the start of the interview.
Discussed“So, let's start with your newly published book, Listening to the Law.”
Where to get it
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Lives of the Artists
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss, Helen Lewis brought up Giorgio Vasari's biographical work Lives of the Artists. Lewis referenced the book while examining Renaissance artists and discussing the historical perspective on artistic genius.
Discussed“The thing that was interesting looking at those Renaissance artists is that Giorgio Vasari's lives of the artist.”
Where to get it
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Madame Bovary
During an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled Jerry Seinfeld on the Rules of Comedy—and Life on May 28, 2024, Jerry Seinfeld discussed Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Seinfeld brought up the novel to quote a famous line about the importance of being regular and orderly in life.
Discussed“There's this Flaubert quote. I can't believe I'm saying that, but I'm saying it. Wow. You just beat me in pretentious. I did. I'm going to see if I can even outdo myself. I've obviously never read Madame Bovary, but I do really, really love the sentiment of this quote, which is be regular and orderly in your life so”
Where to get it
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Mansfield Park
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled What Makes America Exceptional, released on July 2, 2025, Akhil Amar referenced Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park. Amar brought up the book while comparing George Washington's social status to fictional characters such as Lord Bertram.
Discussed“He's not a lord, you know, like Lord Bertram or whatever in in Mansfield Park or something like that. He's, you know, he's not like Lady Catherine de Bourgh or whatever.”
Where to get it
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Myth of the Machine
During an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled The Spiritual Cost of the Digital Age released on November 4, 2025, Paul Kingsnorth discussed Lewis Mumford's two-volume work Myth of the Machine. Kingsnorth referenced Mumford as a great critic of technology from the 1960s whose ideas served as a precursor to his own views on the digital age.
Discussed“There's a section in the book in which I talk about Lewis Mumford, the great critic of technology from the 1960s wrote a two volume book called the myth of the machine.”
Where to get it
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Night
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss, Shilo Brooks mentioned coupling Karl Marx's work with Elie Wiesel's book Night for a seminar reading assignment.
Discussed“One was Karl Marx's The Jewish Question and I had coupled that with Elie Wiesel's Night. And we were going to read them together that week and it was the week it just happened to be that week.”
Where to get it
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On the Edge
Nate Silver's book On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything was introduced by Michael Moynihan on the August 20, 2024 episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss. Moynihan brought up the book at the start of the interview to discuss the subject of risk with Silver.
Discussed“He just wrote an entire book about it, On the Edge, The Art of Risking Everything.”
Where to get it
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Organic Manifesto
Jillian Michaels brought up Maria Rodale's book Organic Manifesto during an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss. She cited the book to illustrate how long she had been discussing health and organic food before those topics became political, noting that her very first podcast appearance over a decade prior was with Rodale to discuss the text's focus on getting back to nature and eating real food.
Discussed“my very first podcast I want to say 12 13 years ago was with Maria rodale about her book The Organic Manifesto which was espousing like getting back to Nature eating real food”
Where to get it
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Pascal's Wager
On an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled Andrew Schulz Has Advice for Dems, Jews, and Comics released on March 13, 2025, host Bari Weiss brought up Pascal's Wager by Paul Bartha and Lawrence Pasternack. Weiss mentioned the philosophical concept during a discussion about the idea that living as if God exists helps people lead better lives.
Discussed“it's called Uh Pascal's wager”
Where to get it
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Potemkin
During an episode of Honestly with Bari Weiss titled How the New Middle East Was Made with Simon Sebag Montefiore, which aired on October 13, 2026, Bari Weiss brought up Simon Sebag Montefiore's book Potemkin. Weiss named the title while highlighting the author's extensive bibliography and previous historical works.
Discussed“Seabag, of course, is the author of more than 12 other books, like Stalin, The Court of the Red Czar, The Romanovs, and Catherine the Great and Potemkin.”
Where to get it
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Prepare the Way of the Lord
On Honestly with Bari Weiss during the episode A Guide to Your Healthiest Life, with Dr. Mark Hyman, released on April 15, 2025, agricultural issues were discussed. Mark Hyman referenced Wendell Berry's book The Unsettling of America, which was mistakenly attributed in the transcript, to address the destruction of family farms and the industrialization of agriculture.
Discussed“And it was the uh Wendel Bear wrote a book about this called the unsettling of America. And it was about the destruction of family farms and the the the centralization and the aggregation of big agricultural uh sort of organizations.”
Where to get it
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Prey
On Honestly with Bari Weiss, Bari Weiss brought up Ayaan Hirsi Ali's book Prey as a source where she previously encountered anecdotes about grooming gangs.
Discussed“as I mentioned before your book prey was one of the first places other than Douglas Murray's book strange death of Europe where I came across some of these anecdotes and I just want to share them um with listeners”
Where to get it
The other 29 books mentioned on Honestly with Bari Weiss, ranked, with the latest episode and time
- Private Truths, Public Lies by Timur Kuran
- Profiles in courage by John F. Kennedy
- Sex and culture by J. D. Unwin
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ... By Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens). New Ed ... by Samuel Langhorne Clemens
- The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
- The Cure for Alcoholism by Roy Eskapa
- The end of history by Francis Fukuyama
- The End of History and the Last Man by Francis Fukuyama
- The Firm by John Grisham
- The Future of Freedom by Fareed Zakaria
- The Game by Neil Strauss
- The Godfather by Mario Puzo
- The Great Illusion by Norman Angell
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Managerial Revolution by Unknown
- The Price of Greatness by Hilary Emmanuel
- The prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
- The Principles of Psychology by William James
- The Protocols of the Elders of Zion by Victor, E Marsden
- The Red Decade by Eugene Lyons
- The Road to Serfdom by F. A. Hayek
- The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn
- The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
- The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
- The Ungovernable City by Vincent Cannato
- The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James
- Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu, James A. Robinson
- Woke Racism by John McWhorter
Guests who recommended books
- Shilo Brooks (11)
- Dr. Mark Hyman (11)
- Kemi Badenoch (5)
- John Mackey (5)
- Helen Lewis (4)
- Akhil Amar (4)
- Ross Douthat (4)
- Brian Armstrong (4)
- Peter Thiel (4)
- Woody Allen (3)
- Derek Thompson (3)
- Andrew Schulz (3)
- Louise Perry (3)
- Marc Andreessen (3)
- Sarah Wynn-Williams (2)
- Mike Johnson (2)
- Ted Cruz (2)
- Megyn Kelly (2)
- Erica Kirk (1)
- John Fetterman (1)
- Paul Kingsnorth (1)
- Palmer Luckey (1)
- Katie Herzog (1)
- Leland Vittert (1)
- Dana Perino (1)
- Jonathan Rauch (1)
- Ezra Klein (1)
- Simon Sebag Montefiore (1)
- Jeffrey Kane (1)
- Jillian Michaels (1)
- H. R. McMaster (1)
- Peggy Noonan (1)
- Douglas Murray (1)
- Nellie Bowles (1)
- Jerry Seinfeld (1)
Latest mentions
“And that is what he does in his brilliant, best-selling new book, The Cauldron, the making of the modern Middle East.”
“Seabag, of course, is the author of more than 12 other books, like Stalin, The Court of the Red Czar, The Romanovs, and Catherine the Great and Potemkin.”
“Seabag, of course, is the author of more than 12 other books, like Stalin, The Court of the Red Czar, The Romanovs, and Catherine the Great and Potemkin.”
“Seabag, of course, is the author of more than 12 other books, like Stalin, The Court of the Red Czar, The Romanovs, and Catherine the Great and Potemkin.”
“Seabag, of course, is the author of more than 12 other books, like Stalin, The Court of the Red Czar, The Romanovs, and Catherine the Great and Potemkin.”
“One of my favorite books in the Bible is the book of Job.”
“And now one of my favorite book is the ungovernable city. And that was about John Lindseay.”
“Okay, Senator, let's talk about your new book, Unfettered, which is a very clever title.”
“Um, this is your 10th book, this new book, Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity, which we're going to talk about tonight.”
“There's a section in the book in which I talk about Lewis Mumford, the great critic of technology from the 1960s wrote a two volume book called the myth of the machine.”
“I chose Machiavelli because he wrote the greatest book on leadership ever written, The Prince which advises you to lie, cheat, steal, and murder to get ahead.”
“One was Karl Marx's The Jewish Question and I had coupled that with Elie Wiesel's Night. And we were going to read them together that week and it was the week it just happened to be that week.”
“And our reading for that week was two books. One was Karl Marx's The Jewish Question and I had coupled that with Elie Wiesel's Night.”
“Yeah, so I think you know, you can't not read Plato's Republic. Plato's Republic is probably the greatest book on justice ever written.”
“I've written a book on him, but he wrote a book called Beyond Good and Evil which in my view is the most scathing critique of the West from top to bottom ever written.”
“I think you need to meditate especially as a young person on love. Whether you do that through Jane Austen and a book like Emma or Pride and Prejudice, George Eliot's Middlemarch, Plato's Symposium books on love...”
“Whether you do that through Jane Austen and a book like Emma or Pride and Prejudice, George Eliot's Middlemarch, Plato's Symposium books on love...”
“Whether you do that through Jane Austen and a book like Emma or Pride and Prejudice, George Eliot's Middlemarch, Plato's Symposium books on love...”
“George Eliot's Middlemarch, Plato's Symposium books on love that give you that make you begin to think more than just about kind of the super...”
“Shakespeare's guilty of the same thing although he wrote a book called Taming of the Shrew which sobers one up about what love should be.”
Episodes
Link to this list from your show notes
Host or produce Honestly with Bari Weiss? Give your listeners every book mentioned on the show, with the episode and the minute it came up. New episodes are added as they come out.
