Podcast
Steve Levitt's book list: the books mentioned on People I (Mostly) Admire
Freakonomics co-author Steve Levitt tracks down other high achievers for surprising, revealing conversations about their lives and obsessions. Join Levitt as he goes through the most interesting midlife crisis you’ve ever heard — and learn how a renegade sheriff is transforming Chicago's jail, how a biologist is finding the secrets of evolution in the Arctic tundra, and how a trivia champion memor…
Recently mentioned books
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Scarcity
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Sapiens
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Noise
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Bright-sided
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Between Two Kingdoms
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The Fault in Our Stars
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Finnegans Wake
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Black Holes
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A Brief History of Time
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Out of the Mist
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The Ark Before Noah
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Enlightenment Now
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When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows...
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The Power of Habit
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Supercommunicators
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Smarter Faster Better
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The Creative Act
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Freakonomics
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Dao de Jing
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How schools work
Most recommended on People I (Mostly) Admire
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Freakonomics
Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner's book 'Freakonomics' was discussed by co-author Steve Levitt on People I (Mostly) Admire. Levitt reflected on the unexpected success of the bestseller, the unconscious rules he and Dubner followed while writing it, the documentary adaptation, and how the book's broader exploration of unconventional economic hypotheses eventually gained widespread acceptance.
Discussed“When I read that, I immediately thought about when Steven Dubner and I began writing Freconomics. We spent a few months mapping out the book together, abiding by all sorts of unconscious rules. we had about what a non-fiction book should look like.”
Where to get it
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Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow was discussed across several episodes of People I (Mostly) Admire, including a tribute episode following the author's passing. Host Steve Levitt frequently referenced the book as a blockbuster bestseller that popularized behavioral economics, introducing concepts like system one and system two thinking. In a special episode, Kahneman himself joined Levitt to discuss the profound impact and writing process behind the book, noting how it completely reshaped his intellectual focus.
Discussed“It's what Danny Conorman calls system one versus system two thinking. Can you explain to someone why those two modes of thinking matter? Reading Danny Conaman's book, Thinking Fast and Slow, really was just a life-changing experience for me and so many other people”
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Superfreakonomics
Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner's SuperFreakonomics was discussed by co-author Steve Levitt across several episodes of People I (Mostly) Admire between 2023 and 2024. Levitt reflected on the book's commercial performance relative to Freakonomics, the controversies surrounding its chapter on climate change and solar geoengineering, and predictions regarding private incentives and carbon emissions.
Discussed“I was in New York City shortly after the release of super Freakonomics the follow-up to Freakonomics and that book was proving to be quite controversial because of a chapter we had written on climate change”
Where to get it
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The Fault in Our Stars
John Green's The Fault in Our Stars was featured on People I (Mostly) Admire in episodes with host Steve Levitt, Suleika Jaouad, and John Green himself. Levitt discussed his experience re-reading the novel and shared his appreciation for the story, while Jaouad described connecting deeply with the protagonists during her own cancer treatment. Green also reflected on the creative process and the unexpected cultural phenomenon surrounding the bestseller.
Discussed“Have you read The Fault in Our Stars? It's John Green's book about two young people, I think, with cancer who are dying, who fall in love. It's one of my favorite books. I love John Green. I had him on the show. He was amazing.”
Where to get it
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Between Two Kingdoms
Suleika Jaouad's memoir "Between Two Kingdoms" was discussed and recommended on People I (Mostly) Admire by Steve Levitt across multiple episodes in 2024 and 2025. Levitt recommended the book to listeners alongside Jaouad's documentary "American Symphony," brought it up during a conversation with guest Hank Green about cancer experiences, and praised it for documenting Jaouad's battle with cancer and her return to everyday life. Levitt also shared an emotional reaction, stating that he cried repeatedly while reading the memoir.
Discussed“I'm not generally an emotional or an empathetic person, but I cried over and over reading your book between two kingdoms.”
Where to get it
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Scarcity
On People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt and guest Sendhil Mullainathan discussed Mullainathan's book Scarcity across multiple episodes between 2023 and 2026. Levitt shared his initial skepticism regarding the ambitious title before praising the book's psychological insights into poverty, while Mullainathan discussed the positive feedback he received from readers who felt the work accurately captured their lived experiences.
Discussed“But in this week's episode, I pick up in the middle of our conversation with me telling Sendil about my first reaction to hearing that he had written a book entitled Scarcity.”
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The evolution of cooperation
Robert Axelrod's book The Evolution of Cooperation was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire. Host Steve Levitt recalled how reading the book in college for an economics course profoundly impacted him, while guest Yul Kwon referenced Axelrod's game theory principles to explain strategic decision-making and cooperation.
Discussed“So from a game theory perspective, I was always a fan of Robert Axelrod's work around the evolution of cooperation.”
Where to get it
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The Selfish Gene
Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire by host Steve Levitt, Richard Dawkins, and guest Richard Prum. Levitt shared how eye-opening the book was upon reading it, and the speakers examined key concepts from the text, including the chapter on memes, replicators, family economics, and the trade-offs between offspring quantity and parental investment.
Discussed“I have to start with a confession before last week i' never read your book to selfish genene I have now and I was quite shocked at how eye openening the book was for me”
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A Brief History of Time
Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time came up on People I (Mostly) Admire as Steve Levitt discussed popular science literature. Levitt and guest Sendhil Mullainathan talked about the irony of the book being a ubiquitous presence on bookshelves while rarely being fully read. Levitt also reflected on how interviews with scientists like Neil deGrasse Tyson inspired curiosity and a renewed desire to tackle complex works like Hawking's classic.
Discussed“I think like many people my first real introduction to black holes was Stephen Hawkings book a brief history of time and I think that book must have come out in the 1980s and it sold millions and millions of copies probably one of the bestselling science books of all time.”
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Enlightenment Now
Steven Pinker's book Enlightenment Now was brought up on People I (Mostly) Admire by Steve Levitt and Morgan Levey. The hosts discussed the core themes of reason, science, humanism, and progress, referencing past interviews with Pinker to evaluate how views on human progress have evolved.
Discussed“Five years ago, we talked a lot about his book entitled Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.”
Where to get it
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Subtract
On People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt and guest Sendhil Mullainathan discussed Leidy Klotz's book 'Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less' across episodes in January 2023 and August 2024. Levitt initially admitted that he dismissed the book as typical pop science before Mullainathan urged him to give it a second chance, revealing its profound influence on their thinking and its integration into a behavioral science learning app. Klotz himself also appeared on the show to summarize his research ideas regarding why the best solutions often involve subtraction rather than addition.
Recommended“there's this great book by Lighty clots it's called subtract it just came out it's awesome, oh yeah I've heard of that I haven't read it it's really nice it's one of the books in our app”
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The God Delusion
On multiple episodes of People I (Mostly) Admire in July and August 2024, host Steve Levitt discussed Richard Dawkins's bestselling book The God Delusion. Levitt highlighted the text while introducing Dawkins as a distinguished evolutionary biologist, using the book to transition into a conversation about Dawkins's compelling arguments against religion and the reactions he received.
Discussed“this is in some sense a leading to talking to you and the reactions you've gotten when you've argued against religion in books like The God Delusion you have this enormous amount of research and you've done around natural selection”
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The Power of Habit
Charles Duhigg's bestselling book The Power of Habit was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire by host Steve Levitt. Levitt brought up the 2012 book multiple times, highlighting its remarkable commercial success, great reviews, and massive sales when introducing Duhigg as a guest and exploring the background of his literary career before discussing his newer projects.
Discussed“My guest today, Charles Doohig, is a pulp surprisewinning journalist and the author of blockbuster bestsellers, including The Power of Habit.”
Where to get it
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The Soul of an Octopus
Sy Montgomery's book The Soul of an Octopus was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire when host Steve Levitt interviewed the author and later referenced her work in other episodes. Levitt highlighted the book as a finalist for the National Book Award, emphasizing how it captured the public imagination and detailed Montgomery's profound bond with an octopus. Montgomery herself discussed the book's impact, noting how it inspired readers to change their personal eating habits regarding seafood.
Discussed“are you familiar with the nature writer sa Montgomery y among many other books she wrote one called the soul of the octopus”
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The Sports Gene
On People I (Mostly) Admire, David Epstein's book The Sports Gene was discussed by host Steve Levitt and guest Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. Levitt and Stephens-Davidowitz referenced the book to examine genetics in sports and to explore how the work debunks the popular 10,000-hour rule.
Discussed“I had David Epstein on the show a couple years back he's written some great books like range and the sports Gene”
Where to get it
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The Wealth of Nations
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt and Peter Singer discussed Adam Smith's book The Wealth of Nations. Levitt brought up the work to explore the Invisible Hand Theory and contrast his own economic background with Singer's moral philosophy. Singer also highlighted the contrast between The Wealth of Nations and Smith's other work, The Theory of Moral Sentiments.
Discussed“I'd forgotten that Dubner had done this three-part series on Adam Smith, and to win the Adam Smith Award, Dubner crafted an absolutely brilliant speech in which he talked about Adam Smith's life and details; it was really masterful.”
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A Gentleman in Moscow
On People I (Mostly) Admire in the episodes Reading Dostoevsky Behind Bars (Update) from March 8, 2025, and Reading Dostoevsky Behind Bars from August 19, 2023, Reginald Dwayne Betts brought up A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Betts mentioned the novel as part of the resources available in a prison browsing library for individuals interested in stories set in Russia.
Discussed“they go Czech off they go a gentleman in Moscow which is a very new book to set in Russia”
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
On the People I (Mostly) Admire episode The Joy of Math With Sarah Hart, Steve Levitt brought up Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Levitt used the classic work to ask a guest about the presence of mathematical logic in children's literature.
Discussed“and with Lewis Carroll being of course the most famous mathematician author of all time he must have used math in his stories like Alice in Wonderland”
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Animal Liberation
Peter Singer's book Animal Liberation was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire by host Steve Levitt. Levitt referenced the 2015 edition of the book while analyzing U.S. meat consumption statistics and noted that the text heavily influenced many individuals to adopt vegetarianism and contributed to the rise of the effective altruism movement.
Discussed“I personally know at least a dozen people who became vegetarian after they read his book animal Liberation and the effective altruism movement is in large part the consequence of his early writings on the topic”
Where to get it
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Black Boy
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Reginald Dwayne Betts discussed Richard Wright's memoir Black Boy during the episode titled Reading Dostoevsky Behind Bars. Betts mentioned the 300-page book in the context of it being successfully adapted into a concise solo show designed to be accessible for prisoners.
Discussed“So we got black boy and that's a 300 page book that's fit to a 45 minute solo show”
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Braiding Sweetgrass
Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire by host Steve Levitt. Levitt enthusiastically recommended the book, noting that it stands out as one of the best-selling and most influential non-fiction works of the past decade. He highlighted the incredible social impact the book has achieved since entering the New York Times bestseller list, ahead of an interview with the author.
Discussed“Robin's book, Braiding Sweetg Grass, is one of the best-selling and most influential non-fiction books of the last decade.”
Where to get it
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Breath
On People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt recommended James Nestor's Breath in September 2024, and previewed it alongside the author's other work in August 2024. Levitt also used the episodes to transition the conversation directly to the themes and details of the book with the author.
Discussed“let's turn to your more recent book it's called breath”
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Deep
James Nestor's Deep was featured on People I (Mostly) Admire in September 2024. Steve Levitt recommended the book multiple times across episodes as a fascinating read, while also previewing an upcoming interview with the author. James Nestor himself appeared on the show to discuss the two and a half years he spent researching and writing the book.
Recommended“and you know what my answer is I say what you should really read is Deep by James Nester”
Where to get it
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Drug Use for Grown-Ups
On the People I (Mostly) Admire podcast episode from January 20, 2023, host Steve Levitt and guest Carl Hart discussed Hart's book Drug Use for Grown-Ups. Levitt praised the book and questioned Hart about media reactions to his heroin use admissions, while Hart elaborated on chapter arguments concerning drug policy reform, pleasure, and the language used in neuroimaging research.
Discussed“he is a recreational heroin smoker and his book in which he defends legalizing all drugs is very libertarian and he's clear about that”
Where to get it
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Grit
On People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt brought up Angela Duckworth's mega-bestselling book Grit in conversations with guests. Levitt noted how the 2016 book touched a nerve in society and used it to discuss goal hierarchies and the psychological concept of grit, contrasting it with the value of quitting.
Discussed“in 2016 you wrote a book called grit that really touched a nerve in society it became a mega bestseller”
Where to get it
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How schools work
How Schools Work by Arne Duncan was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire. Host Steve Levitt brought up the memoir, which Arne Duncan wrote after serving as the Secretary of Education under Barack Obama, and asked the author about the provocative meaning behind the book's famous opening line.
Discussed“So, you were Secretary of Education under Barack Obama, and after you left that job, you wrote a memoir entitled How Schools Work.”
Where to get it
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How to Say Goodbye
On People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt discussed Wendy MacNaughton's book How to Say Goodbye. Levitt shared that he was initially approaching the book under work and deadline pressures, but ultimately found the prose and illustrations incredibly moving. He humorously noted the irony of expecting a guide on how to say goodbye, and repeatedly recommended the special book to listeners at the conclusion of his episodes.
Discussed“so I'm breaking out of my fear of artist mode to talk to you today because you have created something that's incredibly beautiful and that touched me so deeply it's a book of illustrations of pros and it's called how to say goodbye”
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Insurrections
During multiple episodes of People I (Mostly) Admire, specifically "112. Reading Dostoevsky Behind Bars" and its 2025 update, Reginald Dwayne Betts discussed Rion Amilcar Scott's short story collection Insurrections. Betts cited the book as part of the library catalog in the context of his work bringing literature and reading programs to incarcerated individuals.
Discussed“but you also have somebody like Ron Scott who's an amazing short story writer and we had this collection of his called insurrections in the catalog”
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Le capital au XXIe siècle
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Le capital au XXIe siècle by Thomas Piketty was mentioned during different segments. Steve Levitt asked a quiz question about the French economist's claims that increasing wealth inequality is a feature of capitalism, and Seth Stephens-Davidowitz referenced the book while discussing Kindle underlining statistics.
Discussed“Here's another question that was absolutely easy for me, but that I'm guessing might have been hard for you: which French economist, author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century, claims that increasing wealth inequality is a feature of capitalism and suggests steeply progressive capital taxes and a cap on the possible total wealth of a person in order to get”
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Looking for Alaska
On People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt and guest John Green discussed Green's debut novel, 'Looking for Alaska', in episodes from April 2023 and June 2024. Green shared the origins of outlining the book to his mentor and discussed the novel's unusual trajectory of growing sales over its first eleven years of publication.
Discussed“can you take me back to your first book it's called Looking for Alaska”
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Moby Dick
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Herman Melville's Moby Dick was discussed in episodes from April 2023 and September 2024. Ken Ono recalled his mentor Basil Gordon reciting the opening of the novel and using its themes as an analogy for mathematical discovery. Additionally, Sarah Hart shared that she wrote an academic paper published in 2021 focusing on the mathematics found within Moby Dick.
Discussed“He started reciting Moby Dick; the opening to Moby Dick was really striking.”
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Once upon a Prime
On People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt discussed Sarah Hart's book Once Upon a Prime across episodes in 2023 and 2025. Levitt praised the book for its joyful exploration of the magical overlaps between literature and mathematics, highlighting how it approaches the subject through play and cultural connection rather than strictly practical goals.
Discussed“Sarah wrote a book called once upon a prize which dives into the magical overlap between literature and Mathematics”
Where to get it
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One Hundred Years of Solitude
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Reginald Dwayne Betts mentioned One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez in the episodes 112. Reading Dostoevsky Behind Bars and Reading Dostoevsky Behind Bars (Update). He cited the novel as an example of the profound books included in prison libraries.
Discussed“so you have your 100 Years of Solitude”
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Outlive
On an episode of People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt discussed Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia and Bill Gifford. Levitt shared how reading Attia's book provided profound insights into the author's personal struggles with emotional health and childhood trauma, while Attia explained how the book addresses the limitations of traditional medicine in treating chronic diseases.
Recommended“It has taken him seven years to collect and organize his insights into his first book. It's called 'Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.'”
Where to get it
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Paper Towns
John Green discussed his novel Paper Towns on People I (Mostly) Admire when describing the difficult experience of rereading the book in 2010 to write its screenplay adaptation.
Discussed“I had to do it once I wrote a screenplay adaptation of my book Paper Towns and so I had to reread Paper Towns once in 2010 and it was excruciating”
Where to get it
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Power and Progress
On People I (Mostly) Admire, podcast host Steve Levitt discussed "Power and Progress" by Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson across episodes released in February and October 2024. Levitt introduced the book as an exploration of technology, prosperity, and property rights that reaches unexpected conclusions. At the end of the episodes, he recommended it alongside "Why Nations Fail" as his favorite works by Acemoglu.
Discussed“I want to talk about your most recent book it's co-authored with Simon Johnson and it's called power and progress came out in May of 2023”
Where to get it
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Range
David J. Epstein's book Range was discussed by host Steve Levitt on People I (Mostly) Admire, including an interview with Epstein himself. Levitt highlighted the book's exploration of generalists versus specialists, noting how societal and parental forces push individuals toward extreme specialization, and expressed his appreciation for the stories and arguments presented.
Discussed“I had David Epstein on the show a couple years back he's written some great books like range and the sports Gene”
Where to get it
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Remembrance of Things Past
Steve Levitt brought up Marcel Proust's work Remembrance of Things Past on People I (Mostly) Admire to discuss how sensory experiences like scents, flavors, and other details trigger powerful memories. Levitt jokingly asked guests if they had at least pretended to read the famous novel.
Discussed“and it reminds me of I'm not going to ask if you read it but have you at least pretended to read Marcel PR remembrance of things past”
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Sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari's bestselling book Sapiens came up in discussions on People I (Mostly) Admire, notably during Steve Levitt's interview with the author and in Levitt's farewell episode. Levitt highlighted the book's massive popularity and unusual lack of traditional characters despite its immense commercial success. The host also quoted and examined provocative statements from the text, including Harari's perspective that human life has no inherent meaning from a scientific standpoint and his characterization of the Agricultural Revolution as history's biggest fraud.
Discussed“And so what was interesting as I read his amazing book, Sapiens, there is not a character in the entire book. So he violates your first rule of storytelling, like how can this book sell millions of copies when it doesn't have anything that people like?”
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Smarter Faster Better
Charles Duhigg's book Smarter Faster Better was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire by host Steve Levitt. Levitt highlighted how the book tackles productivity through engaging storytelling, specifically noting an illustrative story shared in the book regarding the difficult creative path behind the making of the movie Frozen.
Discussed“It's called Smarter, Faster, Better. It tackles productivity and it uses great storytelling to make its point.”
Where to get it
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The Anthropocene Reviewed
On People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt discussed John Green's 'The Anthropocene Reviewed' in episodes from April 2023 and June 2024. Levitt expressed his surprise upon discovering that the New York Times bestseller was a non-fiction work aimed at adults, sharing how he stumbled upon it in a German bookstore.
Discussed“so I've secretly been a fan of John Green for a while but when I stumbled onto his latest book The anthropos scine reviewed I was shocked at discover that it was non-fiction actually meant for adults”
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The Better Angels of Our Nature
On episodes of People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt and guest Dan Gilbert discussed Steven Pinker's book The Better Angels of Our Nature. Levitt and Gilbert highlighted the book's argument that violence has significantly decreased over time, and Levitt humorously recalled how a synopsis of the Old Testament within the book made him laugh.
Discussed“I believe, yeah, there's no doubt, and my colleague Steve Pinker has now written several books convincingly arguing, at least convincingly, I think, that on most parameters, the world is getting better.”
Where to get it
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The Black Poets
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Reginald Dwayne Betts described how receiving Dudley Randall's poetry anthology The Black Poets in solitary confinement changed his life. Betts highlighted the profound emotional resonance of reading Etheridge Knight's poem 'For Freckle Face Gerald' from the collection while imprisoned.
Discussed“yo somebody sent me a book and I end up getting this book called the black poet and it changed my life”
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The Blind Watchmaker
Richard Dawkins's The Blind Watchmaker was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire by host Richard Dawkins and guest Richard Prum. Dawkins referenced his book to explain how he uses problem-posing to teach complex biological facts like bat echolocation, while Prum brought up the work to critique its strictly adaptationist view of biology for omitting cognitive complexity and active choice in nature.
Discussed“in my third book The Blind watchmaker for example I devoted most of a chapter to bat echolocation sonar the navigation by bats using Echo”
Where to get it
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The Book of Hope
The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire during an interview with Jane Goodall. Host Steve Levitt brought up the book by noting it as her fifth title featuring the word hope, using it to transition into a broader conversation about her survival guide for trying times.
Discussed“so your latest book is entitled The Book of Hope a survival guide for trying times and if I'm counting correctly it's your fifth book that has the word hope in the title”
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The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Junot Díaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was mentioned by Reginald Dwayne Betts on People I (Mostly) Admire in both August 2023 and March 2025. Betts spoke about bringing someone into a prison facility to perform a theatrical adaptation based on the book.
Discussed“we brought somebody in to perform a brief wondrous life of Oscar wild”
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The Citadel
Abraham Verghese discussed AJ Cronin's novel The Citadel on People I (Mostly) Admire, citing it as an example of fiction that directly influenced real-world public health policy. He noted that people frequently said the UK's National Health Service was born out of this specific book about a Welsh mining town and its medical conditions.
Discussed“In the UK, the National Health Service, people say, was born out of this one book, The Citadel, about a Welsh mining town and the medical conditions.”
Where to get it
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The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club)
On the May 3, 2025, update episode of People I (Mostly) Admire titled "Abraham Verghese Thinks Medicine Can Do Better (Update)," the host recommended Abraham Verghese's bestselling novel The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club) as it was being released in paperback. Steve Levitt previously discussed the book with the author on the October 14, 2023, episode, noting its extensive run on the New York Times bestseller list.
Discussed“And then your most recent book is called The Covenant Water. And it's again a huge bestseller.”
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The Creative Act
Rick Rubin's 'The Creative Act: A Way of Being' was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire in episodes from 2023 and 2025. Host Steve Levitt introduced the book as a profound philosophical work rather than a standard music industry memoir, admitting his initial surprise at its depth. Rubin joined Levitt to discuss the publishing journey behind the book, noting the initial pushback he received from publishers regarding his unconventional focus, while Levitt highlighted the central message that creativity is not a rare ability.
Discussed“His new book is entitled The Creative Act, A Way of Being. And it's not at all the book you might expect from a big wig in the music industry. It's a book about I honestly can't even explain what the book is about, even though I loved it.”
Where to get it
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The Luminaries
On People I (Mostly) Admire, guest Sarah Hart brought up Eleanor Catton's novel The Luminaries in episodes from 2023 and 2025. Hart discussed the book to illustrate the intersection of literature and mathematics, explaining how the 2013 Booker Prize-winning novel employs an underlying mathematical structure where each chapter is precisely half the length of the preceding one.
Discussed“there's a book called The Luminaries by Elena Katen won the book of prize in 2013 and that book has a mathematical structure underneath it which is that every chapter is half the length of the one before”
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The Premonition
Michael Lewis's book The Premonition was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire by host Steve Levitt and guest Charity Dean. The conversations focused on Dean's prominent role in the book as a public servant navigating the COVID-19 crisis, examining the pandemic response strategies and leadership decisions detailed in the work.
Discussed“I want to move this conversation from the past to the present because Michael's most recent book it's called the premonition”
Where to get it
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The Secret History of Wonder Woman
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Reginald Dwayne Betts discussed Jill Lepore's The Secret History of Wonder Woman. Betts mentioned working to include the book in prison libraries and shared a positive letter he received from an incarcerated woman who found the book to be amazing.
Discussed“Professor J leore historian out of Harvard we got her book in there about Wonder Woman”
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The Theory of Moral Sentiments
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Peter Singer and Steve Levitt discussed Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments to contrast it with his more famous work, The Wealth of Nations, noting that the former lays out Smith's foundational moral theories.
Discussed“You're referring to the Adam Smith of The Wealth of Nations but there's also the Adam Smith of the theory of moral sentiments and I think that the distinction between the two is that in the theory of moral sentiments Smith is lying at a moral theory”
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The Things They Carried
Reginald Dwayne Betts discussed Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried on People I (Mostly) Admire in both August 2023 and March 2025 episodes. He brought up the book while explaining its inclusion in the Freedom Reads prison library collection.
Discussed“yesterday actually I was having lunch with somebody and he said the things they carry and I was like of course we have Tim O'Brien in the collection”
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The undoing project
Steve Levitt discussed Michael Lewis's book The Undoing Project on People I (Mostly) Admire. Levitt brought up the 2016 book to ask Daniel Kahneman about his feelings regarding its intimate and personal portrayal of his collaboration with Amos Tversky.
Discussed“and also to ask Danny how he felt about Michael Lewis's book The undoing project which tells the story of K and T's partnership in a very intimate and personal way”
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The Voltage Effect
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Reginald Dwayne Betts brought up John List's book The Voltage Effect when discussing the logistics of scaling a library project. Steve Levitt and John List himself also discussed the book in relation to List's field experiments and career trajectory.
Discussed“I think one of your colleagues wrote vage effect sure yeah John list”
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Thinking in Bets
Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke was mentioned on People I (Mostly) Admire. Guest Annie Duke referenced her previously published book while discussing her writing process for newer projects, specifically highlighting how she utilized the practice of quitting sections of text along the way during the creation of Thinking in Bets and her subsequent works.
Discussed“But also when I'm thinking about even the book quit or thinking in bats which did get published I did tons and tons of quitting along the way.”
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Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire. Steve Levitt and guest Sarah Hart talked about the sequel to Alice in Wonderland, noting how Lewis Carroll structured the entire narrative around a genuine game of chess.
Discussed“Through the Looking Glass the sequel is based on chess and he actually said you could play that book as a genuine game of chess”
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Turtles All the Way Down
On People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt discussed John Green's bibliography across multiple episodes, including "John Green’s Reluctant Rocket Ship Ride." Levitt highlighted the author's publishing schedule, pointing out that after the success of "The Fault in Our Stars," there was a notable five-year gap before the publication of "Turtles All the Way Down."
Discussed“You've been cranking out books every year, every other year, and then after The Fault in Our Stars, there was a five-year gap before your next book, Turtles All the Way Down.”
Where to get it
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Uncle Tom's Cabin
On People I (Mostly) Admire, guest Abraham Verghese discussed Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Verghese cited the book to illustrate the profound and tangible impact that fiction can have on society, arguing that the novel played a major role in shifting public views to make slavery untenable.
Discussed“We think that Uncle Tom's Cabin is really more responsible for ending slavery than any other thing because the thought of slavery became untenable.”
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Unforgiving Places
Unforgiving Places by Jens Ludwig was featured on People I (Mostly) Admire. Steve Levitt recommended the book to listeners and used it to discuss differing political assumptions about the causes of crime, while Morgan Levy later referenced Ludwig's work on innovative solutions to American gun violence in response to a listener question.
Discussed“We had a recent episode with Yens Ludwig, who runs the crime lab at the University of Chicago, and he wrote a book called Unforgiving Places, which explores some innovative solutions to America's gun problem.”
Where to get it
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What Is It Like to Be an Addict?
Owen Flanagan's book What Is It Like to Be an Addict? was featured on People I (Mostly) Admire in early 2025. Steve Levitt promoted and described the work as a fascinating combination of highly personal memoir and cutting-edge scientific thinking on addiction. Morgan Levy later mentioned the book during a post-interview discussion with Levitt, noting that it was based on research while also functioning as part memoir.
Discussed“in our last new new episode we interviewed psychologist and neurobiologist Owen Flanigan who recently wrote a book on addiction it's based on research but also is part Memoir”
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Why Nations Fail
Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson's Why Nations Fail was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire, where host Steve Levitt recommended the book and interviewed Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu. Levitt highlighted the book's bold scope, its historical examples like William Lee's stocking frame, and how it reframed his understanding of the rarity of property rights and the rule of law.
Discussed“so back in 2012 you and James Robinson published a book called why Nations fail the origins of power prosperity and poverty”
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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt and Reginald Dwayne Betts discussed Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig in August 2023 and March 2025. Steve Levitt brought up the title to inquire whether it was included in the Freedom Reads prison libraries, and Reginald Dwayne Betts confirmed its absence from the collection.
Discussed“okay what about Zen In The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance I know that book it is not in the library”
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10 to 25
David Yeager's book 10 to 25 was featured on People I (Mostly) Admire, where host Steve Levitt strongly recommended it. Levitt stated that the book fundamentally transformed how he communicates with young people, influences his parenting, and became mandatory reading for a high school he helped launch, while also questioning the author about the specific age range targeted in the work.
Discussed“So, your book is entitled 10 to 25, the science of motivating young people.”
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A Beginner's Guide to the End
On the podcast People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt discussed A Beginner's Guide to the End by BJ Miller and Shoshana Berger in the episode "Does Death Have to Be a Death Sentence? (Update)". Levitt interviewed co-author BJ Miller and summarized the book by comparing it to a parenting manual, stating that it is like a guide on what to expect when expecting, except focused on dying rather than giving birth. Levitt mentioned the book again toward the end of the episode while reviewing the main themes.
Discussed“you've co-authored a book called A Beginner's Guide to the End. And the best way I can summarize it is that it's like what to expect when you're expecting except for dying instead of giving birth.”
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A General History of the Pyrates
Peter Leeson appeared on the People I (Mostly) Admire podcast on January 23, 2023, in the episode Peter Leeson on Why Trial-by-Fire Wasn’t Barbaric and Why Pirates Were Democratic. During the discussion, he referenced A General History of the Pyrates. Leeson explained that early eighteenth-century pirates published their sophisticated systems of governance in these volumes, which functioned as major bestsellers of their time and could have been read by founding figures like James Madison and Thomas Jefferson.
Discussed“pirate system of governance was laid out in a published series of volumes called a general history of the Pirates in the early 18th century this book was like a bestseller in its time this wasn't some obscure book and so it is totally conceivable that Madison for example or Jefferson both of whom were voracious readers and had enormous”
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A Void
On the podcast People I (Mostly) Admire, guest Sarah Hart discussed the book A Void by Georges Perec during the episode Why Numbers are Music to Our Ears (Update). She talked about the French lipogrammatic novel and its English translation, highlighting both as clever titles created by the author.
Discussed“whereas perex book called Lis barion The Disappearance and in English it's called aoid which both clever titles”
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Africa's turn?
During an episode of People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt spoke with guest Edward Miguel about his 2009 book Africa's Turn?. Levitt brought up the work to revisit Miguel's past optimism regarding economic growth and the future outlook of the African continent.
Discussed“so I do know in 2009 you wrote a book and you were very optimistic about Africa's future and it was called Africa's turn”
Where to get it
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Alcoholics Anonymous
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Owen Flanagan referenced the publication of Alcoholics Anonymous by Alcoholics Anonymous. He shared a personal anecdote about his father working as an accountant for the organization, noting how the 1939 publication unexpectedly became a bestseller for the nonprofit.
Discussed“in 19 39 when Alcoholics Anonymous published the big books of Alcoholics Anonymous they realized oh my God our book is a bestseller and we're a nonprofit”
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Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book
During an episode of People I (Mostly) Admire in February 2025, Owen Flanagan referenced the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book while speaking with host Dan Ariely. Flanagan discussed early historical perspectives on addiction, citing a preface by Dr. Silkworth in the text that characterized addiction as an allergy.
Discussed“for example in the what they call the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous there's a preface by Dr silkworth in which he says that his view is that addiction is an allergy”
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All the King's Men
In the June 2024 episode of People I (Mostly) Admire titled John Green’s Reluctant Rocket Ship Ride, guest John Green brought up Robert Penn Warren's work by quoting a memorable line during the conversation.
Discussed“there's that great Robert pen Warren line the end of man is knowledge”
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An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
Hank Green's An Absolutely Remarkable Thing was mentioned on People I (Mostly) Admire by Steve Levitt. Levitt shared that he picked up the book and became completely enthralled by it, finishing the entire novel in just two days after reading the first twenty pages.
Discussed“it's called an absolutely remarkable thing last week and 20 Pages turned into me getting totally enthrall by it and reading the whole thing in two days”
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An Inconvenient Truth
On the People I (Mostly) Admire episode titled Solar Geoengineering Would Be Radical. It Might Also Be Necessary, broadcast on January 6, 2023, Steve Levitt brought up Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. Levitt referenced the moving documentary and book to discuss how climate change messaging historically placed responsibility squarely on consumers.
Discussed“so if I think about Al Gore's moving Inconvenient Truth a lot of that was pointing at consumers and how consumers needed to do something different”
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Animal species and evolution
In the February 4, 2023 episode of People I (Mostly) Admire titled "Searching for Our Aquatic Ancestors," guest Neil Shubin recalled an encounter with evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr. Shubin described Mayr as a towering figure in the field and an architect of modern evolutionary synthesis. He recounted running into Mayr in a hallway while holding "Animal Species and Evolution," an 800-page tome by Mayr detailing how new species form, which Shubin noted was highly influential in the discipline.
Discussed“and ran into him once in the hallway and I was reading his great Tome animal species and evolution which is an 800 page book on how new species form which was very influential in the field and he looked at me and said hey you like it but you were literally carrying his book”
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Atheism is Winning!
On an episode of People I (Mostly) Admire titled 151. Neurobiologist, Philosopher, and Addict on February 15, 2025, Owen mentioned the 1939 publication of the foundational text of Alcoholics Anonymous, discussing how the organization realized their book had become a bestseller while operating as a nonprofit.
Discussed“in 19 39 when Alcoholics Anonymous published the big books of Alcoholics Anonymous they realized oh my God our book is a bestseller and we're a nonprofit”
Where to get it
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Be Useful
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt spoke with Arnold Schwarzenegger on January 6, 2024, about his book Be Useful. Levitt held the book up, cited rule number two, and read a striking opening line from a chapter to highlight Schwarzenegger's Hollywood career.
Discussed“So rule number two of your new book is 'Never Think Small,' and I'm holding your book and looking at it right now. I love how you start that chapter; it says, 'By the end of 1987, I'd killed 283 people, more than anyone else in Hollywood during that time, by far.'”
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Behave
During an episode of People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt discussed Robert M. Sapolsky's book Behave with the author. Levitt praised the work as the most thorough, thoughtful, and enlightening scientific book he had ever read regarding the complex roots of human violence, highlighting its comprehensive approach to the subject.
Discussed“so he wrote a book called behave and I would say it's the most thorough and thoughtful enlightening scientific book I've ever read about violence”
Where to get it
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Beloved
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Reginald Dwayne Betts recalled overhearing prison inmates passionately discussing Toni Morrison's novel Beloved and expressing their love for books.
Discussed“and they they St talk about how like they love books and somebody mentions belov it”
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Black Holes
On People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt discussed Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw's book Black Holes: The Key to Understanding the Universe. Levitt brought up the recent publication at the beginning of the interview and returned to it toward the conclusion of the episode while talking about black holes.
Discussed“Your most recent book is on black holes. We're talking about black holes.”
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Blue Machine
On People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt discussed Helen Czerski's book Blue Machine with the author in episode 121. Levitt shared his initial skepticism upon hearing that she was writing a book about the physics of the ocean, while also noting her previous work on everyday physics, Storm in a Teacup.
Discussed“So a lot of what we’re talking about is coming from your new book; it's called 'The Blue Machine,' and I have to say, when I heard that you were going to write a book about the physics of the ocean, I was skeptical.”
Where to get it
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Brave New Words
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt recommended Salman Khan's Brave New Words during the episode "133. Pay Attention! (Your Body Will Thank You) | People I (Mostly) Admire" on June 12, 2024. Levitt shared an update about the author's new work detailing how artificial intelligence will revolutionize education and praised it as a fantastic book that profoundly shaped his thinking.
Recommended“we also have an update from s KH of Khan Academy them who's been on the show a few times in the past he has a new book out it's called Brave new words how AI will revolutionize education and why that's a good thing”
Where to get it
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Bright-sided
Barbara Ehrenreich's book Bright-sided came up on People I (Mostly) Admire during a replay episode featuring Suleika Jaouad. Jaouad discussed Ehrenreich's work while talking about toxic positivity and the cultural pressure to remain positive.
Discussed“Maybe the most insidious one was stay positive, which is a byproduct of our culture of toxic positivity that Barbara Aaron Reich has written so beautifully about this idea that if you allow any bit of quote unquote negativity in, you'll somehow make your cancer worse.”
Where to get it
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Business Efficiency For Dummies
On People I (Mostly) Admire, in the January 23, 2023 episode featuring Marina Nitze, the guest discussed Business Efficiency For Dummies by Marina Martin. Marina Nitze explained how she came to write the book, recounting that at the time, if someone searched for a business efficiency consultant on Google, she was the sole search result. That visibility directly led to an offer for her to write the book.
Discussed“and at the time if you Google Business efficiency consultant I was like the only search result which led to me being offered to write business efficiency for dummies”
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Capital in the Twenty-First Century
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt mentioned Thomas Piketty's book during an update episode in July 2024. Levitt brought up the work as an example of a difficult trivia question drawn from the world quizzing championship, noting the author's arguments regarding wealth inequality as a feature of capitalism alongside proposed solutions like progressive capital taxes.
Discussed“which French Economist author of Capital in the 21 century claims that increasing wealth inequality is a feature of capitalism and suggests steeply Progressive Capital taxes and a cap on the possible total wealth of a person in order to get the capital distribution back to a normal level”
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Career and Family
On the People I (Mostly) Admire podcast episode featuring Claudia Goldin, host Steve Levitt highlighted her book Career and Family: Women's Century-Long Journey Toward Equity. Levitt framed the book as the culmination of Goldin's extensive research into women's economic equity and encouraged listeners to pick up a copy at the conclusion of the interview.
Recommended“Claudia has pulled this research together into a brand new book entitled "Career and Family: Women's Century-Long Journey Towards Equity."”
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Cent mille milliards de poèmes
Cent mille milliards de poèmes by Raymond Queneau was discussed on People I (Mostly) Admire in the update episode Why Numbers are Music to Our Ears. Guest Sarah Hart mentioned Queneau's combinatorial poetry book to explain mathematical concepts like combinatorial explosion and poetic constraints.
Discussed“but when I talk about sonnets in the book actually the reason I talk about them is because of this French poet raymon Canó who wrote a little book called s the poem which is like a 100,000 billion poems”
Where to get it
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Collapse
On the podcast People I (Mostly) Admire, in the episode Jared Diamond on the Downfall of Civilizations — and His Optimism for Ours | Epi from 2023-01-04, host Steve Levitt discussed Jared M. Diamond's book Collapse. Levitt expressed his fondness for the book, highlighting a specific passage about the Norse settlement in Greenland and noting how remarkable and preposterous the settlers' mistakes were.
Discussed“I think I've read all your books and my single favorite passage is when you write about the Norse Greenland settlement and I found that part of your book it was in collapse so remarkable”
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Contact
On People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt and guest Jill Tarter discussed Carl Sagan's novel Contact. Levitt brought up the book to note that its heroine was modeled after Tarter, and Tarter recalled sharing a scientific report with Sagan prior to the book's publication that inspired her fictional counterpart.
Discussed“so back in the 1970s the famous the son where Carl Sagan wrote a novel called Contact in which the heroine was essentially a fictionalized version of you”
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Cooking for Geeks
On an episode of People I (Mostly) Admire, host Steve Levitt spoke with guest Nathan Myhrvold about his extensive background and culinary projects. Levitt brought up Myhrvold's massive and unconventional cookbook, jokingly confessing his initial struggle with carrying the heavy volume home after it was delivered to his office. The conversation highlighted the sheer scale and uniqueness of the cookbook, framing it as an extraordinary achievement in culinary literature discussed during the interview.
Discussed“Please, I couldn't have a conversation with you without talking about cooking because you've written probably the craziest, in a good way, cookbook of all time. I actually have to make a confession; I picked up your book, and it was delivered to my office, and the only time I've ever hated you, Nathan, was when I decided that I”
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Creative Acts for Curious People
Steve Levitt brought up Sarah Stein Greenberg's book on People I (Mostly) Admire while highlighting its practical exercises designed to boost creativity and problem-solving skills. He recommended the text to listeners interested in developing those capabilities and noted that the book shares the same optimistic attitude found throughout the design school's web page.
Discussed“and it's the exact same attitude that pervades the D school's web page and your book creative acts for Curious people”
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Crepúsculo Del Mundo / the Twilight World
During the December 9, 2023 episode of People I (Mostly) Admire titled '120. Werner Herzog Thinks His Films Are a Distraction', host Steve Levitt brought up Werner Herzog's book Crepúsculo Del Mundo / the Twilight World. Levitt used the book to prompt a discussion with Herzog about the story of Hiroo Onoda.
Discussed“it's called the Twilight world and it tells this story of hero onada could you talk a bit about his story”
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Cribsheet
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt brought up Emily Oster's second child-rearing book, Cribsheet. Levitt noted that while the book shared the same spirit as her previous work, Expecting Better, it was harder to write because the data surrounding child-rearing are not as extensive or conclusive as the data on pregnancy.
Discussed“so creep cheat which is your second book about child ring is very much in the same Spirit as expecting better but in many ways I think harder to write because the data are not nearly as extensive or as conclusive on child during as they are on pregnancy”
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Cuckoo
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Richard Dawkins strongly recommended Nick Davies's book Cuckoo while discussing the behavior and evolution of cuckoo birds.
Recommended“by the way I'm deriving this mostly from the work of Nick Davis of Cambridge University whose book called cucko I strongly recommend it”
Where to get it
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Cutting for Stone
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt mentioned Abraham Verghese's novel Cutting for Stone during a conversation with the author. Levitt highlighted the book's tremendous success, noting its impressive two-year run on the New York Times bestseller list.
Discussed“your third book and your first novel. It was called Cutting for Stone. Two years on the New York Times bestseller list.”
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Dao de Jing
On the August 23, 2025 update episode of People I (Mostly) Admire titled "Rick Rubin on How to Make Something Great (Update)," guest Rick Rubin brought up Laozi's classic text. Rubin mentioned the Dao de Jing as an ancient wisdom text that serves as the foundation for the way of code.
Discussed“The way of code is based on Lasu's Dao Di Jing, a 30,000-year-old wisdom text.”
Where to get it
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Daring Young Men
On the People I (Mostly) Admire podcast episode titled 143. Why Are Boys and Men in Trouble?, released on October 26, 2024, Steve Levitt and Richard Reeves discussed Reeves's book Daring Young Men. The conversation touched upon the book being selected by President Barack Obama for his summer reading list.
Discussed“so your book of boys and men was chosen by President Obama to be on his summer reading list always was that Lake well the honest answer is I was thought where were you last last year President Obama um because the book came out in 2022 but it made it to his list in 2024”
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De ansatte
On an episode of People I (Mostly) Admire titled What It Takes to Know Everything, released on January 10, 2023, the host discussed Olga Ravn and her novel The Employees. During the episode, the conversation touched upon Ravn being recognized as a finalist for the International Booker Prize for her work. The mention highlighted the Danish author and her acclaimed novel within the context of the podcast's broader discussion.
Discussed“Oh okay, there was a group of people, mostly people who finished in the top 10 to 20, who did a little crowdsourced spreadsheet to see who got which of all the questions on the test, and for that sample I think a majority of the questions had 10 or 11 of us getting it correct, but the two that”
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Dead aid
On People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt brought up Dambisa Moyo's book Dead Aid, discussing the negative reaction it received from Bill Gates, while Dambisa Moyo herself mentioned the 2009 release when explaining her views on foreign aid.
Discussed“Bill Gates vehemently disagreed when her book Dead Aid came out laying out her arguments on the topic. Gates described the book as promoting evil”
Where to get it
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Disappearing Earth
On People I (Mostly) Admire, guest Suzanne Gluck discussed her work as a literary agent and her clients who were nominated for National Book Awards. Gluck mentioned Julia Phillips and her fiction work, 'Disappearing Earth,' sharing her excitement about having her client recognized alongside other nominated authors at the event.
Discussed“as was my other client Julia Phillips who wrote disappearing Earth which she was up for fiction”
Where to get it
Guests who recommended books
- Reginald Dwayne Betts (29)
- John Green (19)
- Sarah Hart (8)
- Peter Singer (8)
- Abraham Verghese (7)
- Sendhil Mullainathan (5)
- Richard Prum (5)
- Carl Hart (5)
- Seth Stephens-Davidowitz (5)
- Suleika Jaouad (4)
- Bill McGowan (4)
- Annie Duke (4)
- Owen Flanagan (4)
- Richard Dawkins (4)
- Suzanne Gluck (4)
- Sy Montgomery (4)
- John List (4)
- Ken Burns (4)
- Yul Kwon (3)
- Joshua Jay (3)
- Michael Lewis (3)
- Brian Cox (2)
- Rick Rubin (2)
- Tom Holland (2)
- Jane Goodall (2)
- Richard Reeves (2)
- Ken Ono (2)
- Victoria Groce (2)
- Daniel Kahneman (2)
- Werner Herzog (2)
- Rick Doblin (2)
- Thomas Curran (2)
- Neil Shubin (2)
- Edward Glaeser (2)
- Tim Harford (2)
- Amaryllis Fox (2)
- Jens Ludwig (1)
- Ken Goldberg (1)
- Jack Szostak (1)
- Jonathan Levin (1)
Latest mentions
“But in this week's episode, I pick up in the middle of our conversation with me telling Sendil about my first reaction to hearing that he had written a book entitled Scarcity.”
“And so what was interesting as I read his amazing book, Sapiens, there is not a character in the entire book. So he violates your first rule of storytelling, like how can this book sell millions of copies when it doesn't have anything that people like?”
“Conorman talked about his book noise which is the variability in human judgment. And I took Conorman's concept of a noise audit which is measuring the aggregate variability in a group and use this to evaluate how school police officers assess threats of violence at K through2 schools.”
“Maybe the most insidious one was stay positive, which is a byproduct of our culture of toxic positivity that Barbara Aaron Reich has written so beautifully about this idea that if you allow any bit of quote unquote negativity in, you'll somehow make your cancer worse.”
“I'm not generally an emotional or an empathetic person, but I cried over and over reading your book between two kingdoms.”
“Have you read The Fault in Our Stars? It's John Green's book about two young people, I think, with cancer who are dying, who fall in love. It's one of my favorite books. I love John Green. I had him on the show. He was amazing.”
“And the very famous quote from Finnegan's Wake called three quarks for muster mark or something like that. It was because he thought there were three of them at the time and that explained the pattern we saw in the particles we were producing at particle accelerators.”
“Your most recent book is on black holes. We're talking about black holes.”
“I think like many people my first real introduction to black holes was Stephen Hawkings book a brief history of time and I think that book must have come out in the 1980s and it sold millions and millions of copies probably one of the bestselling science books of all time.”
“So we made the album, an album called Out of the Silence, which I still like by the way. I think it's a really good late 80s kind of soft rock album.”
“If you'd like to learn more about the ark story, Irving's book is called The Ark Before Noah: Decoding the Story of the Flood.”
“Five years ago, we talked a lot about his book entitled Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.”
“So, you got a new book out and it's called When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows.”
“My guest today, Charles Doohig, is a pulp surprisewinning journalist and the author of blockbuster bestsellers, including The Power of Habit.”
“He's got a new book out entitled Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection.”
“It's called Smarter, Faster, Better. It tackles productivity and it uses great storytelling to make its point.”
“His new book is entitled The Creative Act, A Way of Being. And it's not at all the book you might expect from a big wig in the music industry. It's a book about I honestly can't even explain what the book is about, even though I loved it.”
“When I read that, I immediately thought about when Steven Dubner and I began writing Freconomics. We spent a few months mapping out the book together, abiding by all sorts of unconscious rules. we had about what a non-fiction book should look like.”
“The way of code is based on Lasu's Dao Di Jing, a 30,000-year-old wisdom text.”
“So, you were Secretary of Education under Barack Obama, and after you left that job, you wrote a memoir entitled How Schools Work.”