Podcast
Rich Roll's book list: the books mentioned on The Rich Roll Podcast
Recently mentioned books
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Finding Ultra
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Healing Back Pain
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Open
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Friday Night Lights
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A million little pieces
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Tropic of Cancer
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Paris Spleen
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On the Road
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Hollywood Wives
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Bright Shiny Morning
Most recommended on The Rich Roll Podcast
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A million little pieces
Discussed“I just want to say at the start that, you know, I read A Million Little Pieces when it came out, 2003.”
Where to get it
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Bright Shiny Morning
On The Rich Roll Podcast, guest James Frey discussed his novel Bright Shiny Morning, which focuses on Los Angeles. Frey mentioned the book while highlighting its unique opening sentence, which explicitly warns readers that nothing within the text should be taken as accurate or reliable.
Discussed“It was Bright Shiny Morning, a book about Los Angeles. The very first sentence of the book says, "Nothing in this book should be considered accurate or reliable."”
Where to get it
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Finding Ultra
On The Rich Roll Podcast, Tommie Runz reflected on the significant role that Rich Roll's book Finding Ultra played at the beginning of his sobriety and his running journey, noting that sitting down on the podcast felt surreal given how much the book and the podcast meant to him.
Discussed“Um, it makes it feel like sitting here feel surreal because I know how much um I know like what role that book and your podcast and the beginning of my sobriety in running.”
Where to get it
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Friday Night Lights
On The Rich Roll Podcast, Rich Roll discussed rewatching the television series Friday Night Lights, which is based on H.G. Bissinger's book Friday Night Lights, noting a narrative arc about a young quarterback with an overbearing father that paralleled the life of guest Todd Marinovich.
Discussed“Like even in I recently rewatched Friday Night Lights like the entire like show like all five seasons of it or whatever and there is a there is an arc I have you watched that show before?”
Where to get it
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Healing Back Pain
On The Rich Roll Podcast, Rich Roll shared how Tobey Maguire recommended Dr. John E. Sarno's book Healing Back Pain to him when Roll was dealing with lower back issues.
Discussed“And he said to me, "Have you read the John Sarno book, Healing Back Pain?"”
Where to get it
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Hollywood Wives
On The Rich Roll Podcast, James Frey recommended Jackie Collins's novel Hollywood Wives. He explained that he originally read the book because a friend was considering adapting it, and he ultimately found it to be great.
Recommended“I had read a Jackie Collins book for a Hollywood guy. He's a buddy. He was thinking about adapting it. I loved it. After that, I Hollywood Wives. Hollywood Wives. It's [ __ ] great.”
Where to get it
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On the Road
Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" was mentioned on The Rich Roll Podcast on August 18, 2025. Guest James Frey brought up the book while discussing his own work, drawing an interesting parallel to the original draft of Kerouac's novel, which contained the real names of characters and sparked a debate over whether to publish it as fiction or nonfiction.
Discussed“There's an interesting parallel with Carowak where the original draft of On the Road had all the characters real names in it and they debated whether to publish it as fiction or non-fiction.”
Where to get it
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Open
On The Rich Roll Podcast, Rich Roll brought up Andre Agassi's memoir Open during an AMA episode. He discussed a specific part of the book where a miserable Andre Agassi, who is losing and hates tennis, brings Brad Gilbert in as his coach to illustrate how letting go of perfectionism can change one's relationship with a difficult career.
Discussed“And then there there's this part in that incredible memoir where Andre Agassi is, you know, losing all the time and he's miserable. He hates tennis. Uh but he brings Brad Gilbert into the equation to become his coach.”
Where to get it
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Paris Spleen
James Frey appeared on The Rich Roll Podcast in an episode published on August 18, 2025, titled Addiction, Celebrity, Public Shaming & Truth: The Performance Art of James Frey. During the conversation, Frey referenced Charles Baudelaire's Paris Spleen while discussing literary traditions and genres. He specifically recommended that listeners read the work, describing it as prose poetry that reads like a collection of short stories.
Recommended“Go read Paris Spleen. It was published as [ __ ] poetry even though it's like a novel of short stories.”
Where to get it
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Tropic of Cancer
On The Rich Roll Podcast, James Frey discussed Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer, explaining that he read the book when he was twenty-one years old. He credited the work with inspiring him to become a writer and stated that finishing the book solidified his belief in pursuing a writing career.
Discussed“I mean the larger story is when I was 21 I read a book called Tropic of Cancer, right? And it it was by Henry Miller.”
Where to get it
Guests who recommended books
Latest mentions
“Um, it makes it feel like sitting here feel surreal because I know how much um I know like what role that book and your podcast and the beginning of my sobriety in running.”
“And he said to me, "Have you read the John Sarno book, Healing Back Pain?"”
“And then there there's this part in that incredible memoir where Andre Agassi is, you know, losing all the time and he's miserable. He hates tennis. Uh but he brings Brad Gilbert into the equation to become his coach.”
“Like even in I recently rewatched Friday Night Lights like the entire like show like all five seasons of it or whatever and there is a there is an arc I have you watched that show before?”
“I just want to say at the start that, you know, I read A Million Little Pieces when it came out, 2003.”
“I mean the larger story is when I was 21 I read a book called Tropic of Cancer, right? And it it was by Henry Miller.”
“Go read Paris Spleen. It was published as [ __ ] poetry even though it's like a novel of short stories.”
“There's an interesting parallel with Carowak where the original draft of On the Road had all the characters real names in it and they debated whether to publish it as fiction or non-fiction.”
“I had read a Jackie Collins book for a Hollywood guy. He's a buddy. He was thinking about adapting it. I loved it. After that, I Hollywood Wives. Hollywood Wives. It's [ __ ] great.”
“It was Bright Shiny Morning, a book about Los Angeles. The very first sentence of the book says, "Nothing in this book should be considered accurate or reliable."”