Podcast
Shawn Ryan's book list: the books mentioned on The Shawn Ryan Show
Recently mentioned books
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Finding Nemo
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Means of Control
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Dresden Codex
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The Petition of David Stewart, Forester to the Earl of Moray in Glenfinlay
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The Madrid Codex
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Jesus Calling
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Siege
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The Trouble With Testosterone
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The Last Run
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Finding Ultra
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In Defense of Food
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How to Change Your Mind
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The Warrior Princess
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On Having No Head
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Guns up!
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Semper Fidelis
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Gunner's Glory
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Settle for More
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Digitalization of Power Markets and Systems Using Energy Informatics
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Guinness Book of World Records
Most recommended on The Shawn Ryan Show
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Jesus Calling
The daily devotional book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young was frequently discussed and recommended across multiple episodes of The Shawn Ryan Show. Hosts Shawn Ryan and Justin DeLoretto, as well as guest George Christie, recommended the book to guests and listeners as an accessible daily reading that takes only seconds. Additionally, Pete Scobell mentioned on the podcast that Sean Ryan had sent him the book, and it had since become an important part of his daily routine.
Recommended“That is the Jesus calling. So for dummies like me that can't understand the Bible, we have to resort to something [laughter] like that. But what that is, and you could take it, leave it, do whatever you want with it. Take it. But that is a short little couple of sentences every day. It's not a big lift. It's”
Where to get it
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How to Change Your Mind
On The Shawn Ryan Show, guest Kegan Gill recommended Michael Pollan's How to Change Your Mind as a book that shifted his perspective on psychedelic-assisted therapy. Charles Hoskinson also discussed reading the book on the show, noting that it sparked his interest in exploring psychedelics.
Recommended“And the book that really changed it was uh in defense of food or not in defense of food, how to change your mind by Michael Poland, which is now a Netflix documentary on the use of psychedelic assisted therapy”
Where to get it
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Irreducible
On The Shawn Ryan Show, guests Chase Hughes and Charles Hoskinson both referenced Federico Faggin's book Irreducible. Hughes brought up the book while discussing materialism, and Hoskinson recommended it while exploring the art of the possible in consciousness and physics.
Recommended“He wrote a book called Irreducible and it's talking about our obsession with materialism.”
Where to get it
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On The Shawn Ryan Show, Chris Bayless discussed a book recommended by his therapist called Touching the Dragon, written by a female Navy SEAL. He explained that his therapist suggested he read it to help process his ongoing trauma and PTSD.
Recommended“It's called Touching the Dragon. She goes, Written by a Navy Seal.”
Where to get it
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1984
On The Shawn Ryan Show episode "#277 Michael Lester - Are We the Bad Guys?", Michael Lester referenced George Orwell's novel 1984. He brought up the book to discuss hidden control and manipulation, and specifically quoted the line stating that whoever controls the present controls the past to highlight how historical narratives are managed.
Discussed“I go a lot back a lot to like George Orwell's 1984. You don't even see what's happening, right?”
Where to get it
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About face
On an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show released on November 27, 2025, Jocko Willink appeared as a guest in an interview titled #257 Jocko Willink - Commander of SEAL Team-3 Task Unit Bruiser aka The Punisher. During the discussion, Willink named his mentor and hero, Colonel David Hackworth, and mentioned that the Korean and Vietnam War veteran wrote the book About Face.
Discussed“one of my biggest mentors and heroes is a guy named Colonel David Hackworth and Colonel David Hackworth was a wrote the book about face and he was a Korean War veteran and a Vietnam war veteran.”
Where to get it
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Absolutely American
During an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show titled #239 Dan Driscoll - U.S. Secretary of the Army, guest Dan Driscoll spoke about David Lipsky's book Absolutely American. Driscoll shared that the publication was assigned as the summer reading book for incoming students at UNC Chapel Hill, and reading it prior to starting college served as the inspiration that led him to join the army.
Discussed“So, the summer before, so I was going to, um, UNCC Chapel Hill for college. Um, and then the reading the summer reading book from UNCC Chapel Hill was this book, Absolutely American.”
Where to get it
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All American Christmas
On The Shawn Ryan Show, Sean Duffy criticized a book distributed by NASA, comparing it to comic books funded by government agencies. Duffy argued that the material contained diversity, equity, and inclusion themes rather than focusing directly on historical milestones such as the first woman in space.
Critiqued“So this is this is what they spent a couple million dollars on a number of different comic books. So this is one that is the first woman in space and but no problem with the first woman in space but it's it's a it's a book that is full of DEI engender crap as opposed to saying I I”
Where to get it
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American sniper
On The Shawn Ryan Show, guest AJ Pasciuti referenced American Sniper by Chris Kyle. While recounting his experiences during the Battle of Fallujah, Pasciuti mentioned that Kyle wrote about a specific encounter involving his partner Kevin Lace in the book.
Discussed“So, then what happens is Chris Kyle and his partner, and he actually writes about this in his book, American Sniper, Kevin Lace, I don't I don't know the gentleman's name.”
Where to get it
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Atlas Shrugged
On The Shawn Ryan Show, host Shawn Ryan brought up Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged during a conversation about the erosion of personal agency. Ryan recommended the work, declaring it his favorite book while acknowledging that no book provides a perfect answer and noting that there are aspects of the novel he dislikes.
Recommended“Have you read Atlas Shrugged? No. It's my favorite book. It's no book's a perfect answer and there's a lot about the book I don't like.”
Where to get it
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China Syndrome
On an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show featuring uranium enrichment discussion with Scott Nolan, the guest referenced Karl Taro Greenfeld's book China Syndrome. Nolan mentioned the publication to explain how media representations, specifically the release of a film about a nuclear meltdown following the Three Mile Island accident, drove the United States into a state of public fear regarding nuclear energy that lasted for decades.
Discussed“And I think it happened right after a movie came out called the China syndrome which was about a nuclear meltdown. So this movie came out and right after this accident happened and just drove the US into a state of fear about nuclear that lasted decades.”
Where to get it
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Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
On The Shawn Ryan Show, guest Michael Lester discussed John Perkins's book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. Lester referenced the author, whom he mistakenly referred to as Peterson, and explained how the book details the use of economic leverage, debt, and international maneuvering to convince countries to accept outside intervention.
Recommended“There was a good book um confessions of an economic hitman where he talks about how his job this author I forgot his name Peterson he would go in and convince countries you need to help have us come in and help you”
Where to get it
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Crystallizing public opinion
On The Shawn Ryan Show episode #253 Chase Hughes - Real MKUltra Documents, Alien Deception and Simulation Theor, guest Chase Hughes discussed Edward Bernays and mentioned his best-selling book Crystallizing Public Opinion. Hughes referenced the work while explaining the history of public relations, propaganda, and psychological influence methods.
Discussed“And he his best-selling book that he wrote about all of this is called Crystallizing Public Opinion.”
Where to get it
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Digitalization of Power Markets and Systems Using Energy Informatics
On the June 1, 2026 episode of The Shawn Ryan Show, titled "#309 Megyn Kelly - 'I Now Have to Worry About Getting Shot Because of My Opinion,'" Megyn Kelly discussed the book Good Energy alongside Umit Cali, Murat Kuzlu, Manisa Pipattanasomporn, James Kempf, and Linquan Bai's collaborative technical text Digitalization of Power Markets and Systems Using Energy Informatics. She mentioned the works while talking about the MAHA movement and Cali Means.
Discussed“actually is one of the reasons we have Maha she and her brother Cali who wrote the book Good Energy and started a revolution connected with RFKJ”
Where to get it
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Dreamland
On The Shawn Ryan Show, Timothy Alberino mentioned Bob Lazar's book Dreamland while discussing Lazar's background and his claims regarding reverse engineering. Alberino referenced the book again to illustrate that sharing these experiences brought no positive outcomes for Lazar, serving instead as a gigantic and lifelong personal headache.
Discussed“Bob Lazar uh he wrote a a really good book called Dreamland that where he describes all of this.”
Where to get it
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Dresden Codex
The "Dresden Codex" by Daniel Castellanos Magaña was discussed on The Shawn Ryan Show on August 31, 2026. Guest Ed Barnhart brought up the codex during a conversation about lost Amazonian civilizations, mentioning that translating the first twenty-three pages constituted his master's degree, and referencing its serpent pages and eclipse predictions.
Discussed“There's these sections called the the serpent pages in the Dresden Codeex.”
Where to get it
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Dune
Scott Nolan brought a replica of the Thumper from the movie adaptation of Dune as a gift for the host on The Shawn Ryan Show, comparing the fictional sandworms and spice mining to real-world uranium enrichment.
Discussed“So, what I brought is a replica of the Thumper from the Dune movie if you've seen it.”
Where to get it
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Extreme Ownership
On The Shawn Ryan Show, guest Nik Seetharaman brought up Jocko Willink and Leif Babin's book Extreme Ownership. Seetharaman discussed how the book's clear leadership concepts helped him take personal responsibility and successfully apply those lessons to civilian work.
Discussed“And one way I I would figure it the Jaco was very helpful like in the early days reading Extreme Ownership like you I was talking about it with Jeremy. Why did Jaco resonate with so many civilians? There's been hundreds of [ __ ] military dudes that have come out of the military and talked about leadership lessons and”
Where to get it
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Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone
On The Shawn Ryan Show, David Rutherford discussed reading Hunter S. Thompson's work in his youth. Specifically, he mentioned reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas while exploring literature, reflecting on the profound impact the book had on him at the time.
Discussed“I mean, I I remember reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It was like I was just like, Oh my, this is it.”
Where to get it
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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
During an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show titled "#228 David Rutherford - Navy SEAL & CIA Contractor" released on August 18, 2025, guest David Rutherford discussed Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. Rutherford recalled reading the book during his youth, describing the profound and lasting impact the literary work had on him when he first encountered it.
Discussed“I mean, I I remember reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It was like I was just like, Oh my, this is it.”
Where to get it
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Finding Nemo
During episode 343 of The Shawn Ryan Show, Jimmy Watson brought up Finding Nemo while recalling how he watched the film with his niece during a very dark period in his life. He mentioned the movie again later in the episode while describing how a line from the story inspired him to keep moving forward despite struggling with his personal challenges at the time.
Discussed“I sat down with her and it was Finding Nemo.”
Where to get it
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Finding Ultra
On the July 30, 2026 episode of The Shawn Ryan Show titled #326 Kegan Gill - F-18 Pilot Survives Two Hours in the Atlantic With a Broken Ne, guest Kegan Gill discussed the book Finding Ultra by Rich Roll. Gill explained that a friend gave him the book about overcoming alcohol struggles, which ultimately served as a source of personal inspiration.
Recommended“It's called Finding Ultra. It was basically his story of being basically struggling with alcohol”
Where to get it
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Guinness Book of World Records
On The Shawn Ryan Show, Ron White recalled browsing a grocery store with his girlfriend, pulling the Guinness Book of World Records off the shelf, and coincidentally opening it to a memory record that changed his life.
Discussed“I was at the grocery store with my my girlfriend at the time and she was shopping and I pulled the Guinness Book of Rules records off the shelf. As fate would have it, I opened it up and when I was flipping, I saw a memory record.”
Where to get it
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Gunner's Glory
On an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show released on June 29, 2026, featuring guest Johnnie Clark, the book Gunner's Glory by Johnnie Clark was mentioned. A friend of Clark brought up the book while searching its pages to locate a specific Bible verse.
Discussed“You know, you the Gunner's Glory book.”
Where to get it
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Guns up!
On The Shawn Ryan Show, host Sean Ryan discussed the book Guns up! by Johnnie M. Clark during the episode featuring Johnnie Clark. Ryan introduced the guest by highlighting his military background, noting that his works, including Guns up!, were suggested reading at the Marine Corps School of Infantry and were included on the commandant reading list.
Discussed“You [snorts] have written nine books. An off Broadway played Guns Up and Guner's Glory are suggested reading at the Marine Corps School of Infantry and Guns Up sits on the command on the commandant reading list.”
Where to get it
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Hogs in the Shadows
On The Shawn Ryan Show episode #305 AJ Pasciuti - Marine Scout Sniper on Hunting Juba, the Deadliest Enemy Snip, aired on May 18, 2026, guest AJ Pasciuti discussed the book Hogs in the Shadows by Milo S. Afong. Pasciuti referenced the book to highlight the stories written by a marine sniper, specifically mentioning how the author detailed the exploits of Memo Sandival in Fallujah.
Discussed“There's another book called Hogs in the Shadows was written by a marine sniper that told other people's stories and um Milo Aong is the author of that. He wrote about that story”
Where to get it
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How to Take Smart Notes
During an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show, guest Charles Hoskinson recommended the book How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens. Hoskinson mentioned the work while explaining personal knowledge management systems and how individuals can effectively capture and organize information.
Recommended“There's a lovely book how to take smart notes that talks about it.”
Where to get it
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Hunters
On the May 18, 2026 episode of The Shawn Ryan Show, guest AJ Pasciuti mentioned the book Hunters by Milo S. Afong. While discussing notable figures, Pasciuti highlighted Jimmy Proudman, describing him as an amazing sniper. Pasciuti noted to the host that Proudman is actually featured on the cover of Afong's book.
Discussed“Jimmy Proudman is an amazing sniper right? And he's actually on the cover of a book called Hunters by Milo Aong, right?”
Where to get it
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Imagine Heaven
On The Shawn Ryan Show episode #233, released on September 4, 2025, Shawn Ryan mentioned the book Imagine Heaven by John Burke. Ryan brought up the book while discussing authors he admires and has featured on his show.
Discussed“The Case for Christ. I mean, him John Burke wrote Imagine Heaven. I mean, I love these guys, you know, and and uh and I think I”
Where to get it
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In Defense of Food
On The Shawn Ryan Show, guest Kegan Gill discussed In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan during episode 326, titled Kegan Gill - F-18 Pilot Survives Two Hours in the Atlantic With a Broken Neck, released on July 30, 2026. Gill mentioned that he began reading books by Michael Pollan, specifically naming In Defense of Food, as a way to open his eyes and learn more about the food system.
Discussed“And so I opened my eyes to uh some books by Michael Poland. There's one called indefensive food and I started reading”
Where to get it
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Influence
On The Shawn Ryan Show in the episode featuring Chase Hughes, the guest brought up Influence by Robert B. Cialdini. Hughes referenced Cialdini's work while discussing research and literature related to human influence, persuasion tactics, and behavioral compliance.
Discussed“And Bob Chaldini, he wrote the book called Influence. And he wrote another book called Persuasion.”
Where to get it
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Influence, New and Expanded: the Psychology of Persuasion
During the November 13, 2025, episode of The Shawn Ryan Show titled "#253 Chase Hughes - Real MKUltra Documents, Alien Deception and Simulation Theor," Chase Hughes discussed Influence, New and Expanded: the Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini. Hughes referenced Cialdini's work while discussing fantastic literature and concepts related to human influence and persuasion.
Discussed“And Bob Chaldini, he wrote the book called Influence. And he wrote another book called Persuasion.”
Where to get it
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Inner Excellence
During an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show on July 24, 2025, titled #221 Joe Pyfer - UFC 17-Sec KO Secrets, Meeting Mike Tyson and Terrifying Childh, guest Joe Pyfer recommended the book Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy. Pyfer told Shawn Ryan that he considered the book a must-read for athletes and shared that his coach, Sam Morpiso, influenced him to read it.
Recommended“I've been reading this book called Inner Excellence. I think for athletes, it's a must readad. Sam Morpiso um is always influencing me to read books.”
Where to get it
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Means of Control
On The Shawn Ryan Show, Shawn Ryan introduced guest Byron Tau by highlighting his book, which focuses on the intersection of corporate data gathering and government surveillance. Ryan further referenced specific contents of the book during their conversation about data broker companies.
Discussed“You're the author of Means of Control, which focused on servicing the intersection of corporate data gathering and government surveillance.”
Where to get it
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Not a Good Day to Die
During the April 23, 2026 episode of The Shawn Ryan Show, Shawn Ryan and guest Jason Magnavice discussed a book written by a member of the Delta unit who was present during Operation Anaconda.
Discussed“Oh, I think he wrote he he was Yeah, he was author. He was part of Did he write a book? He did. Yeah, he did. Yep. He was with the Delta unit that was there before.”
Where to get it
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On Having No Head
On The Shawn Ryan Show episode titled #320 Danny Goler - Apple Vision Pro May Captured Something We Can't Explain released on July 9, 2026, Danny Goler recommended On Having No Head by Douglas Edison Harding and the Buddhist Society of London. Goler mentioned the text during a discussion on turning attention inward, using the book to illustrate an old Buddhist practice that he found particularly well explained within its pages.
Recommended“There’s a- it’s an old Buddhist practice that was illustrated really well in this book called uh on having no head.”
Where to get it
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On Spiritual Warfare
During an appearance on The Shawn Ryan Show on July 3, 2025, guest Jay Cal referenced the book On Killing while discussing military combat. Cal mentioned the text to illustrate how proximity influences combat situations and to explore the different natures and types of killing in warfare.
Discussed“If you've ever read that book on killing, if you ever read it, it's about proximity a lot of it, isn't and the different natures and types.”
Where to get it
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On the Road
On The Shawn Ryan Show episode released on August 18, 2025, guest David Rutherford discussed Jack Kerouac's On the Road. During his appearance, Rutherford explained that reading the seminal work during his college years fundamentally changed his worldview and shaped his impressions of where he wanted to go and what he wanted to become.
Discussed“And the one that really the seminal work that I think really changed my my impression of where I wanted to go or what I wanted to be was Jack Carowaks on the road.”
Where to get it
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Regenesis
During the July 7, 2025 episode of The Shawn Ryan Show titled "#215 Charles Hoskinson - Cardano Founder on the Secret DARPA AI Project That Bec," Charles Hoskinson mentioned the book Regenesis by George M. Church and Edward Regis. Hoskinson brought up the title while discussing synthetic biology pioneers, noting that Church wrote all the books on the subject, including Regenesis, alongside numerous papers.
Discussed“George Church, the guy that started Colossal with him, like was an expert in this area. He he wrote all the books on synthetic biology, like Regenesis was one book and over a thousand papers and these things.”
Where to get it
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Rise and kill first
On the March 19, 2026 episode of The Shawn Ryan Show titled Michael Lester - Is the United States Going to War with Iran For Israel?, guest Michael Lester recommended Ronen Bergman's book Rise and Kill First. Lester brought up the title specifically to illustrate the history and nature of Israeli assassinations.
Recommended“Read the book Rise and Kill First.”
Where to get it
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Rogue Warrior
During an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show titled #298 Jason Magnavice - SEAL Team 6 Red Squadron Operator on April 23, 2026, Jason Magnavice talked about Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko. Magnavice mentioned the book while discussing the 1980s and 1990s period when the public first gained awareness of Navy SEALs, recalling that Marsle wrote the book around 1990 around the time a SEALs movie featuring Charlie Sheen came out.
Discussed“till like 1990 when well when Marsle wrote the book Rogue Warrior or whatever and then in 1990 when the the seals movie came out with Charlie Sheen or whatever that and I thought that was pretty cool like again I was impressed 17 years old and um Yep.”
Where to get it
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Season of the Witch
On an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show released on July 10, 2025, Katherine Boyle mentioned David Talbot's book Season of the Witch. She brought up the work to describe the unique and radical cultural history of San Francisco, noting how the city's spirit has historically attracted movements like the hippie counterculture and various cults.
Recommended“There's great book about San Francisco called Season of the Witch and it talks about how like the spirit of San Francisco has always been sort of this like people joining cults, the hippie movement”
Where to get it
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Semper Fidelis
During the June 29, 2026 episode of The Shawn Ryan Show, host Sean Ryan introduced guest Johnnie Clark by mentioning his military writings, including the book Semper Fidelis. The host noted the author's extensive bibliography and discussed the role of his works within Marine Corps reading lists.
Discussed“You [snorts] have written nine books. An off Broadway played Guns Up and Guner's Glory are suggested reading at the Marine Corps School of Infantry and Guns Up sits on the command on the commandant reading list.”
Where to get it
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Settle for More
On June 1, 2026, during an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show featuring guest Megyn Kelly, host Shawn Ryan brought up Kelly's memoir, Settle for More. Ryan mentioned the book during his introduction, noting that it had debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list.
Discussed“Your memoir, Settle for More, debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list.”
Where to get it
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Siege
Guest Scott Payne discussed James Mason's book Siege on The Shawn Ryan Show while explaining the ideology of accelerationism and the origins of the group Atomwaffen. Payne referenced the text as instructing tactical approaches for extremists, noting that it advised against conventional public protests in favor of underground methods.
Discussed“There's a book called Siege by James Mason. He's a long-time white supremacist.”
Where to get it
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Simulacra and Simulation
On an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show released on November 13, 2025, Chase Hughes discussed Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard. Hughes mentioned the French philosopher and his book to explain the philosophy of living in a modern world dominated by symbols without origin.
Discussed“This French philosopher, his name is John Bodriard. He wrote a book called Similacura and Simulation”
Where to get it
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Starship Troopers
During episode 305 of The Shawn Ryan Show, guest AJ Pasciuti brought up Robert A. Heinlein's book Starship Troopers while speaking with the host. Pasciuti shared that the work was one of his favorite books. He used the text to explain and discuss the distinction between a citizen and a civilian, specifically in relation to the concept of public service.
Recommended“One of my favorite books is Starship Troopers. And inside of the book Starship Troopers, they talk about citizen versus civilian.”
Where to get it
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Stuck in Space
On The Shawn Ryan Show, host Sean Ryan welcomed Butch Wilmore for the episode titled #287 Butch Wilmore - He Was Stranded in Space for 286 Days, released on March 12, 2026. During the conversation, the host introduced Wilmore and referenced his newly released book, Stuck in Space, An Astronaut's Hope Through the Unexpected, noting that 286 of the guest's days in space were unexpected and formed the central theme of the publication.
Discussed“286 of those days came unexpectedly and are the subject of your new book, Stuck in Space, An Astronaut's Hope Through the Unexpected.”
Where to get it
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Team of Teams
On The Shawn Ryan Show in the episode titled #261 Tobi Lütke - CEO of Shopify: How Shopify Became a Cheat Code for Entreprene on December 11, 2025, Tobi Lütke recommended Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal, David Silverman, Tantum Collins, and Chris Fussell. Lütke cited the book as the primary military-inspired source behind Shopify's internal asynchronous communication infrastructure.
Recommended“in fact, that was largely inspired by um military actually. um a book called um team of teams by uh General Mcrist um excellent excellent read anyway so we built a internal system that's s of asynchronous distributed”
Where to get it
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The Case for Christ
On The Shawn Ryan Show, Shawn Ryan brought up Lee Strobel's book The Case for Christ to express his appreciation for the author and discuss his positive relationship with him.
Discussed“my good friend Lee Stroble wrote The Case for Christ. I mean, him John Burke wrote Imagine Heaven. I mean, I love these guys, you know,”
Where to get it
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The End of History and the Last Man
Erik Bethel referenced Francis Fukuyama's book The End of History and the Last Man on The Shawn Ryan Show to discuss the flawed post-Cold War assumption that liberal democracy had permanently triumphed globally.
Discussed“the Francis Fukiyama famous the famous famous author who wrote you know the end of what is it the end of civilization we won you know”
Where to get it
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The Guns of August
Michael Lester appeared on The Shawn Ryan Show in March 2026 to discuss geopolitical tensions. During the conversation, he referenced the historical non-fiction book The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman, citing it to illustrate how nations can become trapped in a cycle of military mobilization that ultimately leads to unstoppable conflict.
Discussed“Wrote a book called The Guns of August.”
Where to get it
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The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
On The Shawn Ryan Show, guest Michael Lester recommended The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt during the episode #277 Michael Lester - Are We the Bad Guys?. Lester referenced the extensive research and data in the book to support his arguments regarding foreign influence in American politics.
Recommended“Mirshimer and Waltz wrote a book called the Apac Lobby where they went in depth and looked at this. And again, the data is there.”
Where to get it
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The Jungle
Ethan Thornton appeared on The Shawn Ryan Show in an episode released on March 9, 2026, and brought up Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Thornton cited the book as a prime example of literature highlighting historical technological changes and corporate growth during the era of Teddy Roosevelt.
Recommended“Like if you go and read like the the jungle is like probably the best book that highlights this. But you go and read humanity discovered these new technologies.”
Where to get it
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The Last Run
On the July 30, 2026 episode of The Shawn Ryan Show titled 326 Kegan Gill F-18 Pilot Survives Two Hours in the Atlantic With a Broken Ne, guest Kegan Gill discussed the book The Last Run by Norbert Gal. Gill mentioned that he had read the book when he was looking into the Coast Guard, as it details the rescue missions conducted by personnel in Alaska.
Discussed“I had read this book called The Last Run, and it's all about the rescue missions those guys are doing up in Alaska.”
Where to get it
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The Madrid Codex
On The Shawn Ryan Show episode #335 on August 31, 2026, Ed Barnhart discussed the Madrid Codex. Barnhart noted that the codex, currently housed in Madrid, contains specific pages detailing historical hunting practices, including ten pages dedicated to deer hunting.
Discussed“In those particular ones, the the Madrid Codeex, the one that's that's in Madrid now, it shows it's got like 10 pages full of deer hunting.”
Where to get it
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The Next Hundred Years . . . Then and Now
On The Shawn Ryan Show in the episode #277 Michael Lester - Are We the Bad Guys?, released on February 5, 2026, Michael Lester recommended and discussed The Next Hundred Years . . . Then and Now by Robert H. Cartmill. Lester noted that the book, published around 2008, featured long-term projections and predictions regarding population growth over the ensuing century.
Recommended“There's a really interesting book called the next hundred years. It's written back in uh I think 2008 or so around then and the guy predicted here's what's going to happen over the next hundred years.”
Where to get it
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The Petition of David Stewart, Forester to the Earl of Moray in Glenfinlay
On The Shawn Ryan Show episode #335 Ed Barnhart - The Amazon Rainforest is Hiding a Lost Civilization? released on August 31, 2026, Ed Barnhart discussed a book by his colleague David Stewart. Barnhart mentioned that the book illustrates how Maya elites engaged in continuous intermarriage.
Recommended“There's a new book out by a great colleague of mine, David Stewart, who shows more and more how the Maya elites were intermaring nonstop.”
Where to get it
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The Rational Optimist
On The Shawn Ryan Show, Tobi Lütke appeared on episode 261 to discuss his work as the CEO of Shopify. During the conversation, Lütke referenced The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley. He mentioned that Ridley wrote the book and used it to support his overarching perspective on how optimism has shaped history and human progress over time.
Discussed“Matt Ridley, I wrote great book called Rational Optimist. And um he uh like he sort of made a study”
Where to get it
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The Right Stuff
On The Shawn Ryan Show, guest Augustus Doricko brought up Tom Wolfe's book The Right Stuff during a conversation with host Shawn Ryan. Doricko mentioned the book while discussing the criteria for the Thiel Fellowship, describing how it follows the initial test pilots who became the first astronauts on Gemini and Apollo missions.
Discussed“you ever read the book The Right Stuff? No. Um, it's by Tom Wolf. It's about the initial test pilots that became the first astronauts on the Gemini and Apollo missions.”
Where to get it
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The Scofield Bible Correspondence Course
During the March 19, 2026 episode of The Shawn Ryan Show, guest Michael Lester discussed The Scofield Bible Correspondence Course by Cyrus Ingersoll Scofield. While examining historical and geopolitical themes concerning the United States and Iran, Lester brought up the Scofield Bible as a major factor in shaping religious and political thought. He explained its historical role and how the publication ultimately influenced the development of Christian Zionism within the religious and political landscape.
Discussed“And the big answer to that is something called the Scofield Bible.”
Where to get it
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The Sleepwalkers
On The Shawn Ryan Show, guest Michael Lester discussed Christopher Clark's book The Sleepwalkers during episode 289, which aired on March 19, 2026. Lester referenced the book to explain how nations can unintentionally stumble into major conflicts and wars.
Discussed“Christian Clark who wrote a book called The Sleepwalkers.”
Where to get it
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The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
During an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show featuring Jon Delaney, the book came up when Shawn Ryan asked Delaney about the only book he had ever read in his entire life. Delaney mentioned The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson in response.
Discussed“What was it? The The Art of Not Giving a [ __ ] Well, now you're reading the Bible.”
Where to get it
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The Trouble With Testosterone
On The Shawn Ryan Show episode titled #330 Dr. Craig Koniver - The Godfather of Peptides, released on August 13, 2026, guest Dr. Craig Koniver brought up Robert M. Sapolsky's book The Trouble With Testosterone. Koniver referenced the Stanford researcher's studies on wild baboons to explain sociological concepts surrounding stress, hormone levels, and behavior, while also noting the author's other book, Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers.
Discussed“But I think there's an interesting book. It's called The Trouble with Testosterone, and it was written by this guy, he's a sociologist at Stanford called & uh his name's Robert Seapolski, and he and he studies baboons in the wild. He also wrote another book & called Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers.”
Where to get it
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The Warrior Princess
On an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show titled 325 Sean Strickland - The Most Controversial Fighter in the UFC Opens Up Like N on July 27, 2026, Shawn Ryan discussed the book The Warrior Princess by D. L. Murphy. The host talked about the circumstances surrounding the book's creation and how the author signed the rights over.
Discussed“And and had him write the book, The Warrior Princess, and while he was baked out on Coke and all the other drugs, had him sign the rights to the book over to her.”
Where to get it
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The wisdom of psychopaths
On The Shawn Ryan Show episode featuring Nathan Apffel, Apffel brought up Kevin Dutton's book The Wisdom of Psychopaths. He referenced the text to explain psychopathic tendencies as specific character types and discussed how these psychological traits often manifest in certain professions, including within the leadership of megachurches.
Discussed“So there's a book called um the wisdom of psychopaths and it talks about psychopathic tendencies and it's a character type.”
Where to get it
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Treasury's War
Charles Hoskinson appeared on The Shawn Ryan Show in July 2025 and referenced "Treasury's War" by Juan Zarate. Hoskinson used the book to illustrate how modern conflict is not just fought on physical battlefields, but also by accountants and through financial warfare.
Discussed“There's this wonderful book from Ron Sarat called Treasuries War, and it says, 'Hey, the Giwa wasn't just fought on a battlefield. It was fought by accountants.'”
Where to get it
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Unrestricted warfare
On an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show titled #209 Erik Prince & Erik Bethel - The China / Taiwan Conflict, Erik Prince brought up the book Unrestricted Warfare by Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui. Prince discussed the work to explain how Chinese military thinkers approach conflict through unconventional and all-encompassing strategies.
Discussed“There was a couple of Chinese colonels, PLA colonels, that wrote a book called Unrestricted Warfare.”
Where to get it
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War Is a Racket
On The Shawn Ryan Show, AJ Pasciuti brought up War Is a Racket by Smedley Butler. While discussing Butler's background and historical views on military engagements, Pasciuti described the text as a relatively obscure, small pamphlet written by Butler.
Discussed“And so he also wrote a book that nobody really talks about and it's called War is a Racket and it's a very small pamphlet”
Where to get it
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Zero to One
On The Shawn Ryan Show, Katherine Boyle brought up Peter Thiel and Blake Masters's book Zero to One during a conversation about her career in defense tech. Boyle explained how she first discovered the book on a library shelf and subsequently connected with Founders Fund.
Discussed“walked into the library one day and there's this new book called Zero to One. um and it's on the on the shelf and it's by this guy named Peter Teal.”
Where to get it
Guests who recommended books
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“But I think there's an interesting book. It's called The Trouble with Testosterone, and it was written by this guy, he's a sociologist at Stanford called & uh his name's Robert Seapolski, and he and he studies baboons in the wild. He also wrote another book & called Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers.”
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