Podcast
The Realignment book list: the books mentioned on the show
The United States is in the midst of a dramatic political realignment with shifting views on national security, economics, technology, and the role of government in our lives. Saagar Enjeti and Marshall Kosloff explore this with thinkers, policymakers, and more.
Books from the latest episodes
Most recommended on The Realignment
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The Unwinding
On The Realignment, George Packer's book The Unwinding was discussed by host Marshall Kosloff and the author himself. Kosloff recommended the 2013 book as an essential text on modern American politics, while Packer referenced it to explain his ethnographic approach to mapping American life and to discuss public figures like Andrew Breitbart and Elizabeth Warren.
Recommended“look you guys need to read the unwinding which to this day is the best book on Modern American politics and I think if you read the unwinding George Packer 2013 the unwinding is basically his way of articulating this idea that for the past dude since start of this Century right it felt like the country is coming apart”
Where to get it
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Dignity
On The Realignment, Chris Arnade's book Dignity was discussed in late 2020. On October 27, host Marshall Kosloff praised the work as a photographic profile of diverse American voters and non-voters, strongly recommending it at the end of the episode. On November 12, Jane Coaston brought up the book to illustrate her point that ordinary people's political views are not rooted in deep political philosophy.
Recommended“i think that that's something that chris arnaid's book dignity did really well and he does a really good job of in general is indicating that most people's politics is not you know you ascribe to this specific political philosophy”
Where to get it
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The Price of Peace
The Price of Peace by Zachary D. Carter was featured on The Realignment. Host Marshall Kosloff recommended listeners purchase the book and welcomed author Zachary Carter onto the show to discuss the paperback release and the future of left- and right-wing populism.
Discussed“we had you on back in august to talk about your book the price of peace”
Where to get it
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Up All Night
On The Realignment ("The Realignment Ep. 80: Lisa Napoli on CNN, Ted Turner, and the Future of Cable ", 2020-12-03), the hosts interviewed author Lisa Napoli about her book, Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News. During the conversation, Napoli explained that a central theme of her work centers on how 24-hour cable news almost failed to materialize because so many things went wrong during CNN's inception. Following an engaging discussion about Turner's impact and the broader future of media, the host praised the interview and encouraged listeners to purchase Napoli's book on Amazon.
Recommended“he wrote a book about the financing of public broadcasting that's really excellent it's 20 years old”
Where to get it
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The Everything Store
On The Realignment, Brad Stone's book The Everything Store came up across multiple episodes in 2021. Host Marshall Kosloff brought up the book on April 29 to discuss Jeff Bezos's mindset when starting Amazon. Later, on May 20, Kosloff welcomed Stone as a guest and expressed his personal appreciation for the book as a revolutionary retail story and a huge influence on his understanding of twenty-first-century business.
Discussed“so he's the senior executive editor for the global technology at bloomberg but he's also for our purposes author of amazon unbound another book called the upstarts about uber and airbnb and the everything store the original biography of jeff bezos and tail of that amazing company”
Where to get it
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How to Be an Antiracist
On The Realignment, hosts and guests including Emily Jashinsky, Joe Lonsdale, and Saagar Enjeti discussed Ibram X. Kendi's "How to Be an Antiracist" while analyzing contemporary political and cultural dynamics. The participants talked about the influence of Kendi's anti-racism framework on modern progressive ideologies and mentioned the book in the context of social standing and political alignment.
Discussed“I would say right now, you could raise her taxes by 25% but as long as she could remain in good social standing in PTA, aka not being aligned with Trump, not being anti-Black Lives Matter, she could go to her book club and talk about white fragility and Ibrahim Kendi's anti-racism books.”
Where to get it
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Eminent Victorians
Eminent Victorians by Lytton Strachey was referenced in two episodes of The Realignment. In April 2021, guest Lisa Napoli mentioned reading the book in a biography class. Previously, in January 2021, host Marshall Kosloff brought up Eminent Victorians as the stylistic model for Helen Andrews' book, noting that both utilized profile styles focused on British figures of the Victorian era.
Discussed“we in this class we read eminent victorians okay so of course yes okay you guys know that”
Where to get it
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History Has Begun
On The Realignment, Marshall Kosloff brought up Bruno Maçães's previous book History Has Begun to discuss the philosophical and historical focus of their past interview. Additionally, Julius Krein brought up the book on the podcast to explain Donald Trump's appeal and the broader American cultural experience as a desire to live out media fantasies.
Discussed“last time we had you on your book history has begun and just come out so that episode was more focused on the philosophical and historical”
Where to get it
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Study Guide
On The Realignment, discussions centered around prominent books on racial bias and anti-racism. In 'The Realignment Ep. 44: Joe Lonsdale, Free Speech is Under Attack,' guest Joe Lonsdale mentioned reading books by Ibram X. Kendi to better understand differing viewpoints on race while sharing his frustration regarding racism. Later, in 'The Realignment Ep. 51: Zaid Jilani, the Left Case Against Defunding the Police,' host Marshall brought up Kendi's works 'Stamped from the Beginning' and 'How to Be an Anti-Racist' alongside Robin DiAngelo's writing, describing them as essential bestsellers featured prominently in bookstores.
Discussed“By the way, just to say, Robin DiAngelo wrote the best-selling book 'White Fragility,' and Ibrahim Kendi wrote 'Stamped from the Beginning' and 'How to Be an Anti-Racist.' So these are the biggest speakers, if you go to Barnes and Noble, if it's open, they’re who you're going to see.”
Where to get it
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The New Class War
Marshall Kosloff brought up Michael Lind's book The New Class War on The Realignment multiple times. In one episode, he noted it had been a year since the author's previous appearance, and in another, he cited it as an important read that had been discussed frequently on the podcast.
Discussed“we spoke about your book the new class war a month before lockdown's coronavirus”
Where to get it
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The Scientist and the Spy
On The Realignment, host Marshall Kosloff recommended Mara Hvistendahl's book The Scientist and the Spy, praising it as one of his favorite reads on industrial espionage and U.S.-China tensions. Hvistendahl appeared on the show to discuss the reporting process, the background of seed cases under the Obama administration, and specific scenes detailed in her book involving Xi Jinping.
Recommended“so last year your book the scientists the spy a true story of china the fbi and industrial espionage was actually one of our favorite reads i got it on audible literally right before lockdowns happened”
Where to get it
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New Cold Wars
On The Realignment episode '474 | David E. Sanger: New Cold Wars - China & Russia Against America the West', host Marshall Kosloff recommended and discussed David E. Sanger's book New Cold Wars. Kosloff praised it as one of the best books on contemporary geopolitics and used its unique framing of multiple new cold wars to question the guest about U.S. foreign policy dynamics, China strategy, and anecdotes involving the Chinese ambassador to the United States.
Discussed“We are following up Tuesday's episode with demito perovich that covered the possibility of an invasion of Taiwan with an episode with the New York times's David E Sanger to discuss his new book new cold Wars new cold Wars is the best book I've read in the past few years on this broad subject”
Where to get it
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Post Corona
On The Realignment, host Marshall Kosloff brought up Scott Galloway's book Post Corona during episode 77 in November 2020. Kosloff mentioned that he had read and thoroughly enjoyed the book prior to the recording and used its themes to pivot the conversation toward winners of the coronavirus crisis. Later in the episode, both Kosloff and Galloway encouraged listeners to check out the book.
Discussed“good to be scott here before we get into your book post corona from crisis to opportunity which i really enjoyed”
Where to get it
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The Decadent Society
On The Realignment on November 10, 2020, host Marshall Kosloff welcomed guest Ross Douthat and discussed his book The Decadent Society, praising it as an incredible work that diagnoses societal problems. At the conclusion of the episode, Kosloff recommended the book to listeners, alongside Douthat's podcast The Argument.
Discussed“yeah ross the last time we had you on it was to discuss your book um it was i mean obviously the deccan society it's an incredible book”
Where to get it
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The Tyranny of Big Tech
Josh Hawley's book The Tyranny of Big Tech was discussed on The Realignment in May 2021. Marshall Kosloff brought up the book to introduce a conversation regarding antitrust enforcement and the problems associated with major technology companies. Josh Hawley referenced his own work to explain historical political attitudes toward monopoly power, drawing comparisons to Theodore Roosevelt's trust-busting era, and cited moments of candor from Mark Zuckerberg featured in the text.
Discussed“and first of all the book is about the tyranny of big tech which begs the question what is the problem”
Where to get it
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Last Best Hope
On The Realignment episode 139 on July 6, 2021, guest George Packer discussed writing his book Last Best Hope in response to public sentiment. Host Marshall Kosloff recommended that listeners buy the book, providing a link to it in the show notes.
Recommended“you can purchase george's book with a link to our bookshop which is down in the show notes”
Where to get it
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The Founders
On The Realignment episode "204 | Jimmy Soni: PayPal and the Origins of Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffma" (2022-03-01), Marshall Kosloff encouraged listeners to buy Jimmy Soni's book "The Founders," describing it as the story of PayPal and the entrepreneurs who shaped Silicon Valley. Saagar Enjeti also expressed his enthusiasm for discussing the book with Soni during the interview.
Discussed“that's part of the reason i really love talking to jimmy about this book”
Where to get it
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The Madness of Crowds
On The Realignment on October 22, 2020, host Marshall Kosloff discussed Douglas Murray's book The Madness of Crowds. Kosloff referenced the text to connect post-modern thought with modern ideological trends, and at the end of the episode, he recommended that listeners purchase and read the book.
Discussed“this is where i want to connect it actually to a little bit in your book in the rise and the construction of post-modern thought”
Where to get it
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Billion Dollar Loser
On The Realignment on October 30, 2020, host Marshall Kosloff interviewed Reeves Wiedeman about his book Billion Dollar Loser, which details the rise and fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork. Kosloff discussed his co-host's reading of the book and advised listeners to purchase the narrative text to read through its anecdotes.
Discussed“So Reeves, you've just authored 'Billion Dollar Loser', the epic rise and spectacular fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork.”
Where to get it
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Amazon Unbound
On The Realignment episode 126 on May 20, 2021, host Marshall Kosloff introduced guest Brad Stone and discussed his book Amazon Unbound. Kosloff noted that Stone had written the two defining books on Amazon, and he also brought up Stone's previous work, The Upstarts, during their conversation about the tech industry.
Discussed“so he's the senior executive editor for the global technology at bloomberg but he's also for our purposes author of amazon unbound another book called the upstarts about uber and airbnb and the everything store the original biography of jeff bezos and tail of that amazing company”
Where to get it
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Digital Minimalism
On The Realignment episode 104 on March 2, 2021, host Marshall Kosloff and Saagar Enjeti discussed Cal Newport's book Digital Minimalism alongside Deep Work. Kosloff stated that he and Enjeti loved Newport's books, while Enjeti brought up Digital Minimalism to discuss the cultural and political shift toward opting out of constant communication overload and the movement that Newport had long advocated.
Discussed“um okay so as soccer and i were just talking with you at the start of this we really love your books digital minimalism deep work”
Where to get it
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The Raging 2020s
On The Realignment, Alec Ross discussed his book The Raging 2020s. Ross explained the premise of the book, emphasizing that it outlined a series of choices rather than predicting the future. He also referenced topics covered in the text, including the global tax system and government progress.
Discussed“and so the raging 2020s does not say what's going to happen but rather it lays out a series of choices in front of us”
Where to get it
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Why Flying Is Miserable
Why Flying Is Miserable by Ganesh Sitaraman was featured on The Realignment in November 2023. Host Marshall Kosloff praised the book for resonating with the everyday travel experiences of listeners. Kosloff and Sitaraman discussed the critical infrastructure challenges and the unsustainable status quo of the modern airline industry as detailed in the policy book.
Discussed“this is a really fascinating book that more than most policy books and this is obviously by Design is going to resonate with the lived experiences of everyone who's checking out this podcast”
Where to get it
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American Comics
Jeremy Dauber's book 'American Comics' came up on The Realignment. Host Marshall Kosloff mentioned how a publicist reached out regarding the Columbia professor's work on the history of comics, and Kosloff recommended the book to listeners at the end of the episode.
Discussed“right around the same time a publicist reached out to talk about american comics a history um this is with columbia professor jeremy dalbert”
Where to get it
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Chaos under Heaven
On an episode of The Realignment, Josh Rogin discussed his book Chaos under Heaven while outlining his arguments regarding U.S.-China relations, expressing his hope that the audience would read it. Marshall Kosloff also brought up the book on the podcast, praising it as one of his favorite current affairs books of the entire Trump era.
Discussed“this is one of my favorite current affairs books i think of the entire trump era”
Where to get it
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Evicted
On The Realignment episode 54 on September 15, 2020, Matt Yglesias brought up Matthew Desmond's book Evicted. Yglesias noted that while many readers believed the book was simply about bad landlords in Milwaukee, it actually explored broader urban decline and how specific local circumstances incentivized landlord behavior.
Recommended“so a lot of people who i know read matthew desmond's book evicted which is basically about shitty landlords in milwaukee um and it's a great book”
Where to get it
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Securing Democracy
Marshall Kosloff discussed Securing Democracy by Glenn Greenwald on The Realignment. Kosloff promoted the book to listeners and referenced an early chapter in which Greenwald discussed a conversation with Carl Bernstein about the significance of the Snowden reporting.
Discussed“at the start of the book you talk about how you had a conversation with carl bernstein who is famous for obviously uncovering watergate with bob woodward and he told you specifically the snowden story that reporting was probably going to be the biggest story you covered in your career”
Where to get it
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The Strange Death of Europe
On The Realignment episode 65 on October 22, 2020, host Marshall Kosloff brought up Douglas Murray's 2017 book The Strange Death of Europe. Kosloff mentioned the book while introducing guest Douglas Murray to highlight his past work tracking immigration and social trends.
Discussed“he's wrote the strange death of europe back in 2017 about immigration”
Where to get it
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This Town
On The Realignment, Marshall Kosloff brought up Mark Leibovich's 2013 book This Town, explaining how foundational it was for how he and his co-host thought about Washington before the Trump era. Kosloff later discussed the book directly with Leibovich while interviewing him about his access to politicians.
Recommended“he'd also written a book back in 2013 that was really foundational how sauger and i thought about dc in washington it was called this town and it was this really interesting portrait of what dc looked like right before the trump era”
Where to get it
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2034
On The Realignment, Marshall Kosloff asked Elliot Ackerman about his motivations for writing the speculative fiction work 2034. Kosloff also discussed the book with the author, highlighting its strong sales on their bookshop and describing it as an organic viral hit among their audience.
Discussed“what interested you in the work of speculative fiction that 2034 is”
Where to get it
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Deep Work
On The Realignment episode 104 on March 2, 2021, guest Cal Newport discussed his work with hosts Marshall Kosloff and Saagar Enjeti. Kosloff stated that he and Enjeti loved Newport's books, including Deep Work, and Enjeti mentioned that Deep Work was one of the things Newport was best known for.
Discussed“um okay so as soccer and i were just talking with you at the start of this we really love your books digital minimalism deep work”
Where to get it
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Sick
On The Realignment, Marshall Kosloff brought up Jonathan Cohn's earlier book, Sick: The Untold Story of America's Health Care Crisis and the People Who Pay the Price. Kosloff asked Cohn to expand on the research and findings detailed in the book to help analyze the state of the American healthcare system prior to the start of the Obama presidency.
Discussed“so right before the start of the obama presidency you wrote a book called sick the untold story of america's healthcare crisis and the people who pay the price”
Where to get it
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The Churchill Complex
The Churchill Complex by Ian Buruma was featured on The Realignment in March 2022. Marshall Kosloff brought up the book to introduce guest Ian Buruma, explaining how Winston Churchill's leadership model and responses to the post-Munich period shaped Western perspectives on conflict. Kosloff also referenced the book alongside Buruma's previous work when setting up the discussion topics.
Discussed“ian has written a book it's called the churchill complex and it's basically about how winston churchill and his model of leadership and how his response to the post-munich period really shaped the way we in the west but especially the us and great britain think about conflicts”
Where to get it
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The Revolt of the Elites
Christopher Lasch's book The Revolt of the Elites was discussed on The Realignment by Marshall Kosloff and Anna Khachiyan. Kosloff mentioned reading the book after being introduced to Lasch's work by Ross Douthat, while Khachiyan referenced the 1994 text to analyze how modern elites rationalize and deflect their own power.
Discussed“i kind of was one of those people like i got ross pilled um ross put out that and then i was like oh and then you know if someone was like you gotta read christopher so i read revolt and i remember being like how did he write this in the 1990s”
Where to get it
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The Upstarts
On an episode of The Realignment, host Marshall Kosloff mentioned Brad Stone's book The Upstarts while introducing the guest. Kosloff referenced the text, which covers Uber and Airbnb, while discussing venture-backed disruption and the author's other works.
Discussed“so he's the senior executive editor for the global technology at bloomberg but he's also for our purposes author of amazon unbound another book called the upstarts about uber and airbnb and the everything store the original biography of jeff bezos and tail of that amazing company”
Where to get it
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The wise men: Six friends and the world they made
On The Realignment episode 81 on December 8, 2020, Joe Scarborough brought up the book The Wise Men by Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas. Scarborough referenced the book to illustrate how President Harry Truman collaborated across party lines, specifically describing how Truman would brief Senator Arthur Vandenberg at the end of each day to build consensus.
Discussed“and not only did he talk to him during the day but walter isaacson described in the wise men described how at the end of every day truman would make his staff get in the car and drive over to vandenberg's townhouse and brief him on everything they had done all day”
Where to get it
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Why We're Polarized
On The Realignment episode 84 on December 17, 2020, host Marshall Kosloff and guest Richard Hanania discussed Ezra Klein's book Why We're Polarized. Hanania brought up the book during a conversation about political polarization to emphasize his point that actors within the political system behave rationally.
Discussed“um so like – ezra klein's book i don't know if you've seen what why would polarized you might have read it”
Where to get it
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Year Zero
On The Realignment, Marshall Kosloff brought up Ian Buruma's book Year Zero while interviewing the author. Kosloff mentioned starting to read the 2013 book, which covers the global situation immediately following 1945, and discussed how the themes tie directly into Buruma's personal biography.
Discussed“we're going to hit this with a couple of different ways everything from germany and japan post world war ii to year zero which is your book about the word after 1945 to your most recent book the churchill complex”
Where to get it
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Coming of Age on Zoloft
On an episode of The Realignment released on January 7, 2021, guest Helen Andrews discussed Coming of Age on Zoloft by Katherine Sharpe. While talking about topics such as over-medication and antidepressants, Andrews recommended the book, sharing that she loved reading it for her research.
Recommended“a book that i read for this book that i i love is called coming of age on zoloft by a millennial journalist named catherine sharp”
Where to get it
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Days of rage
On an episode of The Realignment released on January 7, 2021, guest Helen Andrews joined the podcast to discuss the legacy of the baby boomer generation. While talking about the Vietnam era, Andrews recommended Bryan Burrough's book Days of Rage, pointing to it as a particularly strong resource for understanding the realities of the anti-war movement.
Recommended“now if you look at the actual anti-war movement um brian burroughs book days of rage is really really good on this”
Where to get it
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Destined for War
On an episode of The Realignment released on March 25, 2021, Admiral James Stavridis discussed potential geopolitical conflicts with China. During the conversation, he mentioned Graham T. Allison's book Destined for War, referencing the Thucydides trap to describe the structural pressures that can lead rising and ruling powers into conflict.
Recommended“one is uh graham allison's uh the thucydides trap right can america and china avoid the thucydides trap the actual title i think is destined for war”
Where to get it
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Dr. Strangelove
On an episode of The Realignment released on March 25, 2021, Admiral James Stavridis appeared as a guest to discuss what a world war with China might look like. During the conversation, he brought up Dr. Strangelove by Peter George, citing it as an example of a cautionary tale that imagines future conflicts in order to help society avoid them.
Recommended“it's a cautionary tale much like uh dr strangelove or failsafe or the bedford incident or the third world war by sir john hackett”
Where to get it
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Eleanor
During an episode of The Realignment released on April 13, 2021, guest Lisa Napoli joined the podcast to discuss the evolution of media. In the conversation, Napoli recommended Eleanor by David Michaelis, noting that she had heard very positive things about the new biography of Eleanor Roosevelt even though she had not yet read it herself.
Recommended“It is the new eleanor roosevelt biography by david michaelis oh i haven't read it i heard good things”
Where to get it
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Fail-safe
Recommended“it's a cautionary tale much like uh dr strangelove or failsafe or the bedford incident or the third world war by sir john hackett”
Where to get it
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First Principles
On an episode of The Realignment titled The Realignment Ep. 81: Joe Scarborough on Saving Freedom After WWII & Grappling, released on December 8, 2020, Joe Scarborough mentioned Thomas E. Ricks's book First Principles. Scarborough brought up the text to explain that institutional frustration in Washington is an intentional constitutional design created by James Madison, describing the work as a great book about the first four presidents and their education.
Recommended“it's as as as tom rick said in first principles which is a great book about the first four presidents in their education”
Where to get it
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From Third World to First
During an episode of The Realignment titled Ep. 98: Balaji Srinivasan, the Coming Decentralization of Everything, published on 2021-02-09, guest Balaji Srinivasan recommended From Third World to First by Lee Kuan Yew. Srinivasan cited the publication to illustrate how Singapore evolved from a third-world country in 1965 into a highly developed modern nation.
Recommended“singapore actually you know in 1965 was a third world country you know if you go and read lee kuan yew's book from third world first”
Where to get it
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Henry V
In an episode of The Realignment released on April 15, 2021, Elliot Ackerman appeared on the program to discuss potential military conflicts with China. While reflecting on historical warfare, Ackerman recommended the film version of William Shakespeare's Henry V, specifically highlighting its climactic battle scene depicting the Battle of Agincourt.
Recommended“i would recommend the kenneth branagh version of henry v great movie uh which has a pretty a pretty amazing climactic battle scene that shows the battle of azure core”
Where to get it
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On China
On The Realignment podcast, host Marshall Kosloff brought up Henry Kissinger's book On China during episode 111 in March 2021. He asked guest Admiral James Stavridis to provide a summary explaining why he selected the book for discussion.
Recommended“and then on china by uh secretary kissinger can you just offer a quick summation of why you chose those two books”
Where to get it
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On War
During episode 249 of The Realignment, released on May 31, 2022, Marshall Kosloff brought up Carl von Clausewitz's book On War. Kosloff referenced the text to explain the strategic concept of attacking an enemy's center of gravity.
Recommended“And this is from on war by klaus wits so you're going to get some my graduate school”
Where to get it
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Stalin's War
In episode 249 of The Realignment, released on May 31, 2022, Saagar Enjeti mentioned Sean McMeekin's book Stalin's War during a segment dedicated to book recommendations. Enjeti noted that he had finally acquired the work, which focuses on World War II.
Recommended“i finally got stalin's war it's about um world war ii”
Where to get it
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Steve Jobs
On The Realignment, guest Lisa Napoli recommended Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs, describing the book as amazing and expressing her hope that the audience had read it.
Recommended“you know I hope you've read the walter isaacson biography of steve jobs of course of course that book is amazing”
Where to get it
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The Bedford Incident
During episode 111 of The Realignment, released on March 25, 2021, Admiral James Stavridis recommended The Bedford Incident by Mark Rascovich. While discussing what a potential world war with China could look like, Stavridis cited the book as a notable cautionary tale, comparing it to other classic works of speculative and political fiction such as Dr. Strangelove, Fail-Safe, and Sir John Hackett's The Third World War.
Recommended“it's a cautionary tale much like uh dr strangelove or failsafe or the bedford incident or the third world war by sir john hackett”
Where to get it
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The Deficit Myth
On The Realignment, Marshall Kosloff recommended Stephanie Kelton's book The Deficit Myth while discussing modern monetary theory, noting that it was a very good book that people should read.
Recommended“stephanie kelton who's actually going to be on the podcast soon um she kind of popularized this idea in a book called the deficit myth and it's a very good book by the way people should read it”
Where to get it
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The Guns of August
On March 25, 2021, during episode 111 of The Realignment, Admiral James Stavridis recommended Barbara Tuchman's book The Guns of August. Stavridis highlighted the title as essential reading for any World War One aficionado, praising the author as possibly the best pure writer on the subject.
Recommended“if you're a world war one affectionato would be of course the guns of august by barbara tuchman possibly the best pure writer”
Where to get it
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The March of Folly
On The Realignment podcast on March 25, 2021, Admiral James Stavridis recommended Barbara W. Tuchman's book The March of Folly. He brought up the lesser-known work to illustrate how nations, specifically the United States in the case of Vietnam, can inadvertently stumble into major conflicts.
Recommended“she followed up with a lesser known book also by barbara tuchman the march of folly about how the united states managed to stumble into vietnam”
Where to get it
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The Sum of Us
In an episode of The Realignment released on December 2, 2021, guest Kyle Strickland joined the podcast to discuss racial liberalism. During the interview, Strickland recommended Heather McGhee's book The Sum of Us, utilizing its arguments to support his own claims regarding the deep connection between race and the economy.
Recommended“that's why i think heather mcgee with her phenomenal book some of us talks about the connection between race and the economy and how our fates are linked”
Where to get it
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The Third World War
During episode 111 of The Realignment, released on March 25, 2021, Admiral James Stavridis recommended The Third World War by Sir John Hackett. While discussing the potential shape of a future global conflict involving China, Stavridis cited the book as a prime example of a cautionary tale, grouping it alongside other notable cautionary narratives such as Dr. Strangelove, Fail-Safe, and The Bedford Incident.
Recommended“it's a cautionary tale much like uh dr strangelove or failsafe or the bedford incident or the third world war by sir john hackett”
Where to get it
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The Three-Body Problem
On March 25, 2021, during episode 111 of The Realignment featuring Admiral James Stavridis, host Marshall Kosloff referenced Cixin Liu's science fiction novel The Three-Body Problem. Kosloff brought up the work as one of the specific books recommended by Admiral Stavridis during the conversation.
Recommended“two of which we picked out were the three body problem i have it right behind me here”
Where to get it
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The Truth Machine
Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey's book The Truth Machine was discussed on The Realignment podcast on August 4, 2020. Guest Balaji Srinivasan recommended the book while explaining how blockchain technology operates as a decentralized system for achieving truth, noting that it provides a unique angle on bitcoin for readers outside the cryptocurrency space.
Recommended“one way of thinking about it is um there's a good book called the truth machine okay it's actually by paul vigna and michael casey former wall street journal journalist actually vignesh still at the wall street journal and it gives an angle on bitcoin that i don't think most people outside the space really think about too much”
Where to get it
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Think Again
During an episode of The Realignment on March 30, 2021, guest Josh Rogin joined the podcast to discuss domestic politics and foreign policy. In the conversation, Rogin mentioned the book Think Again by Adam Grant. He brought up the title to illustrate the importance of rethinking past assumptions, emphasizing that being right or wrong matters less than remaining intellectually flexible.
Recommended“there's a adam grant book it's called think again it means you know it doesn't matter if you were right or wrong”
Where to get it
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V Is for Victory
On The Realignment, Marshall Kosloff recommended V Is for Victory by Craig Nelson at the conclusion of an episode featuring the author. Kosloff praised the work, which details Franklin Roosevelt's American Revolution and the triumph of World War II.
Recommended“I really enjoyed the book the book is V for victory Franklin Roosevelt's American Revolution and the Triumph of World War II”
Where to get it
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A World Without Email
On The Realignment, Marshall Kosloff brought up Cal Newport's book A World Without Email to discuss the themes of reimagining work in an age of communications overload.
Discussed“so let's talk about then specifically the book you know world without email”
Where to get it
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Aeneis
On The Realignment in November 2020, Saagar discussed Michael Lind's 'New Class War' alongside Marshall as a vital text that they frequently referenced on the podcast, highlighting its importance to their discussions on political realignment.
Discussed“Yeah, I think that's one that I absolutely is important, and this kind of brings us to our final section here, which is that one of the most important books I think for Marshall and I was Michael Lind's 'New Class War,' which we've talked a lot about here on the podcast, and he makes a point you know, in”
Where to get it
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Bad Blood
During an episode of The Realignment, Jimmy Soni referenced John Carreyrou's Bad Blood while discussing investigative reporting, highlighting the crucial role that enterprising reporters play in keeping the worst excesses and faults of the tech industry in check.
Discussed“there has to be room in the world for walter isaacson's code breaker and for bad blood right we've got to be able to keep the worst of the worst excesses and faults in check and that's the role of the fourth estate and of enterprising reporters like john who did bad blood right”
Where to get it
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Charlie Wilson's War
On January 13, 2023, during episode 329 of The Realignment, Marshall Kosloff brought up George Crile's book Charlie Wilson's War. Kosloff used the work to illustrate how granular congressional oversight and committee work historically generated a massive impact.
Discussed“I'm reading you remember Charlie Wilson's War yeah so I actually have the book”
Where to get it
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Common Sense
In episode 375 of The Realignment, released on June 1, 2023, Craig Nelson talked about Thomas Paine's Common Sense. Nelson referenced the publication during a broader discussion about the American Revolution, noting that the transformative shift in the revolution happened because of Common Sense, which helped convince Americans to stop viewing themselves as Britons.
Discussed“the change in the civil war came because of Uncle Tom's Cabin the change in the American Revolution came because of Common Sense”
Where to get it
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Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides' Trap?
During the March 30, 2021 episode of The Realignment, guest Josh Rogin spoke with the hosts about foreign policy and international relations. In the course of the conversation, Rogin discussed Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides' Trap? by Graham Allison. He noted that the work originated as an article written by Allison for The Atlantic before it was later expanded and published as a book.
Discussed“so you know so graham allison wrote this article and the atlantic later turned into a book”
Where to get it
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Freedom from fear
On an episode of The Realignment released on January 21, 2025, host Marshall Kosloff discussed the political landscape alongside guest Saagar Enjeti. During the program, Kosloff mentioned David M. Kennedy's historical work Freedom from Fear as an example of the large Oxford histories of the United States that shaped his own long-term historical perspective.
Discussed“because you know I like the big Oxford history is the United States like Freedom From Fear”
Where to get it
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Getting Things Done
On The Realignment, Cal Newport mentioned David Allen's book Getting Things Done while discussing the history of pushback against communication overload in the early 2000s.
Discussed“by the early 2000s you're starting to see the pushback by getting things done”
Where to get it
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Ghost Fleet
On The Realignment episode 117, released on April 15, 2021, Marshall Kosloff discussed Ghost Fleet by P. W. Singer and August Cole. Kosloff brought up the 2015 book to compare its themes with modern military fiction, noting that he and others really enjoyed how it featured F-35s getting hacked.
Discussed“ghost fleet which was a book in 2015 by pw singer and august cole that we really enjoyed in this genre also features something similar with f35s also getting hacked”
Where to get it
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How Democracies Die
On The Realignment, Jason Willick brought up the book How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt to discuss various arguments regarding threats to democracy.
Discussed“an influential book on this on this front was by levitsky and ziblat why democracies die”
Where to get it
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How to Be a High School Superstar
On The Realignment, co-host Saagar Enjeti mentioned Cal Newport's book How to Be a High School Superstar during episode 104 in March 2021. He shared that he first encountered the author's work through this title while discussing higher education and student demographics.
Discussed“so for our last section here we want to talk a little bit about higher education which we cover a lot and i think we are right in your age demographic for your books in the sense that i first came across you when i read how to be a high school superstar then you had how to win at”
Where to get it
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How to Win at College
On The Realignment, Saagar Enjeti discussed higher education with Cal Newport. Enjeti mentioned that he first came across Newport's work after reading How to Be a High School Superstar and subsequently encountered his other books.
Discussed“so for our last section here we want to talk a little bit about higher education which we cover a lot and i think we are right in your age demographic for your books in the sense that i first came across you when i read how to be a high school superstar then you had how to win at”
Where to get it
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Jewish Comedy
During an episode of The Realignment titled 179 | Thanksgiving Special: Jeremy Dauber on the History of Comics, Debates Over, host Marshall Kosloff brought up Jeremy Dauber's earlier work. Kosloff mentioned the book Jewish Comedy to discuss Dauber's previous writing on the history of comedy before including a link in the podcast show notes.
Discussed“is your previous book which we'll also put in the show notes about the state of comedy um where we're at your previous one was jewish comedy a serious history”
Where to get it
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Lords of Finance
On an episode of The Realignment titled '119 | Zachary Carter: How to Reimagine Capitalism' released on April 22, 2021, Marshall Kosloff brought up the book Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed. Kosloff mentioned to his guest that he was currently reading the text, noting that it had been very popular approximately a decade prior.
Discussed“you know it's interesting i one of the things i appreciate about your book i'm reading another book right now called lords of finance which was very hot like 10 years ago”
Where to get it
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Parade's End
In an episode of The Realignment from April 2021, Elliot Ackerman discussed his current reading list. He mentioned that he had recently finished Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End, describing the title as a classic novel depicting the First World War.
Discussed“i just recently finished parades and by ford maddox four which is sort of like a classic novel of the first world war”
Where to get it
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So Good They Can't Ignore You
On The Realignment, Saagar Enjeti mentioned that he read Cal Newport's book So Good They Can't Ignore You back in college and found it to be very helpful.
Discussed“um i read so good they can't ignore you back in college and this was all really helpful for me”
Where to get it
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Team of Rivals
During episode 116 of The Realignment, released on April 13, 2021, Lisa Napoli discussed reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals. Napoli mentioned that it was the first book by Goodwin that she had read, describing it as another large volume.
Discussed“I just read my first doris currents goodwin which one oh which one group of rivals oh yeah another big fat one”
Where to get it
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Thank You for Smoking
On The Realignment, Marshall Kosloff discussed both the book and the movie Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley. He used the work to examine how the political lobbying system in Washington, D.C. functions.
Discussed“so this is and i'm glad we you mentioned thank you for smoking for a second because it's not just as if you're producing a movie thank you for smoking the book and the movie is actually a funny satiric but serious examination of how the political system in washington dc works”
Where to get it
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The 4-Hour Workweek
During episode 104 of The Realignment, released on March 2, 2021, Cal Newport referenced Timothy Ferriss's book The 4-Hour Workweek. Newport brought up the publication while discussing the historical evolution of lifestyle design, automated businesses, and efforts to reduce reliance on email.
Discussed“in 2007 we get tim ferriss's the four-hour work week which now we think of in terms of lifestyle design and these automated businesses”
Where to get it
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The Captured Economy
On The Realignment in the episode Ep. 94: Steven Teles, America’s Factional Future, Elites in Revolt, and What’s N, released on 2021-01-28, host Marshall Kosloff brought up The Captured Economy by Brink Lindsey and Steven Michael Teles. Kosloff used the book to connect its economic arguments regarding how the powerful enrich themselves and slow down growth to the ongoing conversation about industrial policy and neoliberalism.
Discussed“uh that is if your watch if you're listening the captured economy how the powerful enrich themselves slow down growth and increase inequality in the name of the worst pivot of all time how does the idea of a captured economy relate to everything we've been discussing for the past 55 minutes”
Where to get it
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The Code Breaker
During an episode of The Realignment on March 1, 2022, Jimmy Soni referenced Walter Isaacson's book The Code Breaker while discussing the balance and variety of literature focused on technology.
Discussed“there has to be room in the world for walter isaacson's code breaker and for bad blood right”
Where to get it
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The Culture of Narcissism
On The Realignment, the host discussed The Culture of Narcissism by Christopher Lasch in an episode from November 2020. During the segment, guest Anna Khachiyan referenced Lasch while analyzing the concept of narcissism in political discourse, noting how a liberal political orientation aligns with the specific psychological type described by the author.
Discussed“The political denomination or orientation is liberal, the psychological type as Lash talks about, it is narcissist.”
Where to get it
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The Dictator's Handbook
During an episode of The Realignment released on February 9, 2021, guest Balaji Srinivasan discussed the decentralization of systems. While explaining how leaders, generals, and CEOs maintain reciprocal authority with subordinates, Srinivasan referenced The Dictator's Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith.
Discussed“there's a funny kind of thing on this which uh i think it's called like the dictator's handbook or something”
Where to get it
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The Face of Battle
On the April 15, 2021 episode of The Realignment titled 117 | Elliot Ackerman, Part II: What Would a War with China Look Like?, guest Elliot Ackerman mentioned that he had recently reread John Keegan's book The Face of Battle.
Discussed“and you know and i recently reread uh john kegan's the face of battle”
Where to get it
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The Globalization Myth
During an episode of The Realignment, Marshall Kosloff introduced Shannon K. O'Neil at the beginning of the interview. He mentioned her book, The Globalization Myth: Why Regions Matter, while discussing regionalization as a key economic trend for the coming decade.
Discussed“I'm speaking with Shannon K O'Neill she's the author of The globalization myth why regions matter and how we can think of regionalization as the most important economic Trend over the next decade”
Where to get it
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The industries of the future
On an episode of The Realignment released on September 23, 2021, host Marshall Kosloff interviewed Alec Ross about the state of technology and global trends. During their conversation about national narratives, Kosloff brought up Ross's previous book, The Industries of the Future, as a point of reference.
Discussed“especially given the context of your previous book to industry the future”
Where to get it
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The Myth of the Rational Voter
On The Realignment episode 121, published on April 29, 2021, guest Julia Galef discussed The Myth of the Rational Voter by Bryan Caplan. While explaining the economic concept of rational irrationality, Galef noted that the phrase itself was coined by an economist she admired, Bryan Caplan, who wrote a couple of papers and discussed the concept in one of his books.
Discussed“i think the phrase itself rationally irrational was coined by an economist i really like named brian kaplan how many wrote a couple papers uh and discussed this in one of his books”
Where to get it
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The Ones We've Been Waiting For
During an episode of The Realignment released on June 10, 2021, host Marshall Kosloff interviewed Charlotte Alter about her work. At the beginning of the interview, Kosloff introduced Alter's book, The Ones We've Been Waiting For, noting its paperback release and its focus on how a new generation of leaders would transform America.
Discussed“so the first part is you wrote a book last year if it is now out in paperback it's titled the ones you've been waiting for how a new generation of leaders would transform america”
Where to get it
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The Sayings of Lao Tzü
On The Realignment in October 2020, the host discussed Laozi's 'The Sayings of Lao Tzü' indirectly by noting that the ideas presented by guest Michael Lind in his own book were directly pertinent to their conversation concerning the limitations and shortcomings of populism.
Discussed“I think a lot of what Michael Lind discusses in his book speaks to this.”
Where to get it
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The Sovereign Individual
During episode 90 of The Realignment, released on January 14, 2021, Erik Torenberg brought up the book The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg. Torenberg discussed the publication to illustrate its core thesis, explaining that technology makes individuals increasingly mobile and independent from government control.
Discussed“what biology is most influenced by is is the sovereign individual which is this sort of idea it's a book and the main thesis is that...”
Where to get it
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The war on normal people
On The Realignment, during the episode Ep. 50: The Realignment x Andrew Yang Crossover on September 1, 2020, host Sagar spoke with Andrew Yang about his book The War on Normal People. The host asked Yang about how the book, written before his candidacy, anticipated the impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and related to his political views.
Discussed“you wrote your book before obviously you ran for your candidacy but how many years before that did you kind of see that you know the fourth industrial revolution kind of happening before your eyes”
Where to get it
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Thinking Fast
On an episode of The Realignment released on April 29, 2021, Marshall Kosloff brought up Daniel Kahneman's work while talking with guest Julia Galef. Kosloff referenced the mid-2000s trend surrounding human irrationality and the popular perception that human minds are naturally doomed.
Discussed“something i appreciated about your book julia is that you opened it by talking about this trend in the mid-2000s of just being like our minds are doomed like thinking fast and slow like they're you know like the human beings naturally irrational”
Where to get it
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Uncle Tom's Cabin
During an appearance on The Realignment in episode 375, published on June 1, 2023, Craig Nelson discussed Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. Nelson referenced the book while exploring his theory of how major literary works can drive historical change, stating that the fundamental shift in the Civil War came about because of Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Discussed“the change in the civil war came because of Uncle Tom's Cabin the change in the American Revolution came because of Common Sense”
Where to get it
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Where good ideas come from
In an episode of The Realignment released on January 14, 2021, guest Erik Torenberg joined the podcast to discuss shifts in tech, media, and education. Torenberg brought up Steven Johnson's book Where Good Ideas Come From, summarizing its core message as the idea that innovation arises from a marketplace of ideas and collaborative hunches.
Discussed“when stephen johnson in his book where good ideas come from i mean the tldr of that book is it comes from a marketplace of ideas”
Where to get it
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Why England slept
During the March 18, 2022 episode of The Realignment, Ian Buruma mentioned John F. Kennedy's book When England Slept. Buruma brought up the work to discuss the pre-war years and the role of JFK's father as an appeaser.
Discussed“but he he wrote a book about called i think when england slept which was very much about those uh years”
Where to get it
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Why Liberalism Failed
During an episode of The Realignment titled Ep. 90: Erik Torenberg on Realignments in Tech, Media, and Education, which aired on January 14, 2021, Erik Torenberg discussed Patrick J. Deneen's book Why Liberalism Failed. Torenberg cited Deneen's arguments to explore how liberalism ultimately became a victim of its own success by transforming citizens into isolated consumers.
Discussed“what i'm more sympathetic to is this idea that patrick dineen's argument of why liberalism fails which is basically that it becomes a victim of its own success”
Where to get it
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Winners Take All
On January 19, 2021, during episode 91 of The Realignment, Marshall Kosloff brought up Anand Giridharadas's book Winners Take All. Kosloff introduced the text to examine its central thesis regarding the outsourcing of public problems to the private sector.
Discussed“have you all read anand gi regards his book winners take all”
Where to get it
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Woke Racism
On The Realignment, Marshall Kosloff brought up John McWhorter's book Woke Racism to contrast its pushback against modern social justice civil rights discourse with the viewpoint of that episode's guest.
Discussed“author of woke racism which is basically pushing back on modern social justice civil rights discourse on the left and in the democratic party”
Where to get it
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Zero to One
On The Realignment, Dr. Eric Weinstein discussed Peter Thiel's ideas, which stem from works like Zero to One, co-authored with Blake Masters. Weinstein expressed inspiration from Thiel's perspective on innovation, specifically the perceived imbalance between advancements in the digital world of bits and the physical world of atoms.
Discussed“I've been inspired by Peter Thiel's vision that we have too much innovation in the world of bits but not enough in the world of atoms, in 'rust out' that refers to this age of decadence. It seems that one of the reasons many boomers and others struggle to think critically about today’s politics is that we haven't lived in”
Where to get it
Guests who recommended books
- Admiral James Stavridis (7)
- Mara Hvistendahl (6)
- Lisa Napoli (5)
- George Packer (4)
- Alec Ross (3)
- Josh Hawley (3)
- Elliot Ackerman (3)
- Josh Rogin (3)
- Balaji Srinivasan (3)
- Erik Torenberg (3)
- Joe Scarborough (3)
- Craig Nelson (2)
- Jimmy Soni (2)
- Cal Newport (2)
- Helen Andrews (2)
- Anna Khachiyan (2)
- Matt Yglesias (2)
- Joe Lonsdale (2)
- Jason Willick (1)
- Ian Buruma (1)
- Kyle Strickland (1)
- Julia Galef (1)
- Richard Hanania (1)
- Jane Coaston (1)
- Julius Krein (1)
- Emily Jashinsky (1)
Latest mentions
“look you guys need to read the unwinding which to this day is the best book on Modern American politics and I think if you read the unwinding George Packer 2013 the unwinding is basically his way of articulating this idea that for the past dude since start of this Century right it felt like the country is coming apart”
“because you know I like the big Oxford history is the United States like Freedom From Fear”
“We are following up Tuesday's episode with demito perovich that covered the possibility of an invasion of Taiwan with an episode with the New York times's David E Sanger to discuss his new book new cold Wars new cold Wars is the best book I've read in the past few years on this broad subject”
“this is a really fascinating book that more than most policy books and this is obviously by Design is going to resonate with the lived experiences of everyone who's checking out this podcast”
“the change in the civil war came because of Uncle Tom's Cabin the change in the American Revolution came because of Common Sense”
“the change in the civil war came because of Uncle Tom's Cabin the change in the American Revolution came because of Common Sense”
“I really enjoyed the book the book is V for victory Franklin Roosevelt's American Revolution and the Triumph of World War II”
“I'm reading you remember Charlie Wilson's War yeah so I actually have the book”
“I'm speaking with Shannon K O'Neill she's the author of The globalization myth why regions matter and how we can think of regionalization as the most important economic Trend over the next decade”
“an influential book on this on this front was by levitsky and ziblat why democracies die”
“he'd also written a book back in 2013 that was really foundational how sauger and i thought about dc in washington it was called this town and it was this really interesting portrait of what dc looked like right before the trump era”
“And this is from on war by klaus wits so you're going to get some my graduate school”
“i finally got stalin's war it's about um world war ii”
“ian has written a book it's called the churchill complex and it's basically about how winston churchill and his model of leadership and how his response to the post-munich period really shaped the way we in the west but especially the us and great britain think about conflicts”
“we're going to hit this with a couple of different ways everything from germany and japan post world war ii to year zero which is your book about the word after 1945 to your most recent book the churchill complex”
“but he he wrote a book about called i think when england slept which was very much about those uh years”
“that's part of the reason i really love talking to jimmy about this book”
“there has to be room in the world for walter isaacson's code breaker and for bad blood right”
“there has to be room in the world for walter isaacson's code breaker and for bad blood right we've got to be able to keep the worst of the worst excesses and faults in check and that's the role of the fourth estate and of enterprising reporters like john who did bad blood right”
“author of woke racism which is basically pushing back on modern social justice civil rights discourse on the left and in the democratic party”
Episodes
Link to this list from your show notes
Host or produce The Realignment? 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.
