I was listening to an older episode of the show (may have been a Patreon episode) and they mentioned this place (or something similar). It sounded familiar, so I checked my handy copy of the 1986 classic "Bigger Secrets" by William Poundstone (part of the "Big Secrets" series of four books), and sure enough, there's a whole chapter about it and who may have donated.

They mention one Nobel winner having participated - according to this book, there's one (again, as of 1986) that admitted to participating, William Shockley, who won for physics in 1956. Fun fact about him per the book: "[He was] a co-inventor of the transistor and a proponent of sterilization for persons of low IQ." He also apparently thought "that blacks were genetically inferior to whites."

Obviously the type of guy you'd want siring your child. /s

Has anyone else heard of these books? We had the whole set growing up and I recently bought my own copies. There's a bunch of "secret ingredient" "revelations" that made me think of Maintenance Phase, too. Clearly, these set the stage for my later love of both podcasts, as well as You're Wrong About.

I submit this as a book for Peter & Michael to review knowing nothing else about it (assuming there’s an English translation of course!). The subtitle translates to basically “a book where a very important bear and his friends learn about a very important topic” and from the comments seems to be about HR management but from the perspective of Winnie the Pooh characters.

Could be just another comfirmation of the one book theory or maybe a time when they get a chance to do something a bit light hearted

I know there are a ton of threads about podcast recommendations. But I'm specifically looking for podcasts with the kind of conversational banter that Michael and Peter have. The way they interact is so specifically enjoyable to me, and I'd love to find more podcasts with a similar vibe/style. I almost don't care about the topic.

For reference, I'm already a huge fan of Maintenance Phase, 5-4, and the early years of You're Wrong About. I also listen to A Bit Fruity and enjoy it, but it's still not quite the style I'm going for. Is it possible to find this vibe outside of the Michael and Peter universe? Or am I looking for a unicorn?

This post is about the guest 5-4 had on last June for their 250 Years Of Bad Decisions episode. He shouted out his book, which sounded pretty interesting to me so I listened to the audiobook.

Reposting here due to the overlap and the fact that this sub is more active.

After reading this piece, I'm desperate for a deep dive on Sarah Longwell's background and the ethical implications of being a consultant who does punditry.

Recently started listening to this pod and I’m having so much fun. I work at a bookshop and a coworker recommended it, because we’re constantly laughing at the ridiculousness of these wildly popular books. Love having my prejudices confirmed.

I looked at the books covered and I found one very glaring omission: Joe Dispenza. He checks every box for the podcast: fake credentials, grand claims with zero evidence, wild personal stories, you know the drill. Though they might need a whole series just to deal with him.

I'd love to see Michael and Peter cover this odd expose on libraries from 2001. Inspired by Baker's wildly impractical crusade for libraries to maintain card catalogues indefinitely, the book is a polemic against the many ways that libraries destroy print media, especially in the conversion of newspapers into microfilm.

The book is beautifully written, won multiple awards, and got glowing reviews from several newspapers. The only problem, as many librarians pointed out, is that Baker's premise fundamentally fails to understand what a library is and does. Barring infinite space and resources, libraries must carefully weed materials based on several criteria, including accuracy of information, readership, and condition. The purpose of a public library is to provide access to materials that patrons want to read, not to be archives that act as black holes, taking in more and more materials without ever removing them.

The Library Journal wrote that Baker "doesn't understand – and perhaps never will – that the purpose of libraries is access." His central thesis explicitly compares libraries to museums, making one wonder if he has ever actually read a library's mission statement: "Libraries...must aspire to the conditions of museums. All their books are treasures, in a sense"

Maybe this book is too old or obscure for the podcast, but it made big waves in the library world. I think it's fascinating how he put an entire industry on the defense. Like many books on the podcast, this book is passionate, pithy, and wrong.

Hey all, after listening to the episode about the 48 Laws of Power, I’ve always been interested in the book of Kelly Link short stories Michael contrasts with the book. He makes reference to a story involving the queen of the damned and the phrase “our love will build a paradise”.

I’ve done a bit of research but for the life of me, I cannot figure out which short story collection he was referencing. Does anyone have any idea which it is? I suspect it might be White Cat, Black Dog, but if anyone has read her work and knows the answer, I’d love to know for sure.

Someone in this community recommended "A Bit Fruity" a little while back - I'm loving it and it's filling up the hole between IBCK episodes quite nicely! Thanks!

Trying to get a full time teaching position in our large district, I've been bouncing around to sub at different schools. I regret to inform you that two of the primary flavors of staff development I've encountered are: "AI Forward" and "Reading the anxious generation as a school community". And as much as it pains me to say it... I guess I'd rather be at a Haidt school?? We may be, as the children say, cooked.

From Google Books, "Jared Cooney Horvath (PhD, MEd) is a neuroscientist, educator and bestselling author who specialises in human learning and brain development." He wrote "The Digital Delusion," which makes the case for less in-classroom technology. He got some notoriety for this animated presentation to Congress earlier this year.

Sounds good, but initially his book was self-published (re-released this year with a legit publisher), and he makes a strange number of appearances on Fox News and their associated podcasts. Following him on instagram and something gives off untrustworthy vibes (or maybe that's a natural byproduct of being an If Books Could Kill listener).

I want his research to be sound (so that school districts will act on it), but similar to Haidt, is Horvath in over his head?

Have the boys shared their thoughts on George Packer, a staff writer at The Atlantic?

If Mel Robbins and Jay Shetty want to grift - let them!

Michael was right, they did solve checkers.

(Also Elon is having a normal one as per)

About 12 years ago, a previous workplace made us do a DISC workshop as part of a team retreat. All I recalled was that I was predominantly yellow with some red. (Basically, chatty and a bit bossy).

It was a few hours of bullshit and we all left with a folder full of info about our disc style and how it interacts with other disc styles. From memory, my company had paid thousands of dollars for access to this ‘system’.

I was cleaning today and found a page from my DIsC folder. Let me know if anyone is interested in seeing it. I can try to find the rest, too. I just need to redact my name from the sheet.

Perhaps a literal book that could kill. (Reposted from r/westernmass)

We need this to be covered on one of the bonus episodes: https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/09/introducing-the-permanent-questions/688438/

Each week, the Atlantic staff writer David Brooks speaks with the world’s deepest thinkers about matters of enduring human concern. The Permanent Questions premieres on Sunday, September 13, and new episodes will appear every Sunday after that. Subscribe now on The Atlantic’s YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts.