If Books Could Kill

Michael Hobbes & Peter Shamshiri
If Books Could Kill
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The airport bestsellers that captured our hearts and ruined our minds

  1. JUL 1

    The Supreme Court Goes Full TERF [TEASER]

    This is most of the episode but if you want to hear the last 20 minutes, support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

    1h 2m

  2. JUN 30 · BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    The Supreme Court Goes Full TERF

    Michael and Peter discuss how a moral panic about trans people manifested in United States v. Skrmetti, a Supreme Court case upholding bans on gender affirming care for minors.

    1h 21m

  3. JUN 19

    "In Covid's Wake" Part 2: Wrong About The Right

    Last episode we met two Princeton political scientists who are bad at virology. Today we learn that they are also bad at political science. Where to find us:  Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Lawrence Wright’s “The Plague Year”Jonathan Howard’s “We Want Them Infected”How the Pandemic Defeated AmericaCOVID-19: examining the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventionsUS State Restrictions and Excess COVID-19 Pandemic DeathsImpact of non-pharmaceutical interventionsPolicy Interventions, Social Distancing, and SARS-CoV-2 TransmissionThe Impact of Vaccines and Behavior on US Cumulative DeathsPro-Trump counties now have far higher COVID death ratesReport for the Scottish COVID-19 InquiryThe Effectiveness Of Government Masking Mandates School closures during COVID-19COVID-19–Related School ClosuresThe Effects of School Closures on COVID‑19Higher COVID-19 Deaths with Later School Closure in the United StatesReopening America’s SchoolsReading literacy decline in EuropeDeSantis vs. NewsomRed States Have Seen Less Learning LossPolitical partisanship and mobility restriction Republicans Aren’t New To The Anti-Vaxx MovementKFF poll on anti-vaxx beliefsThanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

    1h 10m

  4. JUN 17

    "In Covid's Wake" Part 1: Lying About Lockdowns

    Two political scientists look back at a deadly pandemic and ask, "could we have done even less?" Where to find us:  Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Lawrence Wright’s “The Plague Year”The 2019 WHO report                30‐day mortality following COVID‐19COVID-19: examining the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventionsPolicy Interventions, Social Distancing, and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in the United StatesWhat we can learn from SwedenA review of the Swedish policy response to COVID-19How Sweden approached the COVID‐19 pandemicThe first eight months of Sweden’s COVID‐19 strategyThe Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a DisasterExcess mortality in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic Comparing drivers of pandemic economic decline 2020How Sweden approached the COVID-19 pandemicComparisons of all-cause mortality between European countries and regionsJonathan Howard’s “We Want Them Infected.”Deaths: Leading Causes for 2021Stay-at-home orders associate with subsequent decreases in COVID-19 cases and fatalities in the United States Did the Timing of State Mandated Lockdown Affect the Spread of COVID-19? US State Restrictions and Excess COVID-19 Pandemic DeathsThanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

    58 min

  5. JUN 5

    Bonus: The Lab Leak Goes Mainstream

    By popular demand we are releasing last month's Patreon bonus episode on the main feed! We chart the transformation of the lab leak from an unfounded theory promoted by right-wing cranks to an unfounded theory promoted by liberal journalists. Where to find us:  Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

    1h 21m

  6. MAY 30 · BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    The Lab Leak Goes Mainstream

    Michael and Peter discuss how the lab leak theory, despite a serious lack of good evidence, has captured the imagination of both liberal journalists and the American public.

    1h 22m

  7. APR 28 · BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    The Free Speech Warriors' Guide to Fascism

    For years, a loose alliance of pundits has been stoking a panic about the threat to free speech coming from the left. Now that an anti-speech right wing is in power, will they admit that they got conned?

    1h 17m

  8. APR 23

    The Let Them Theory

    Peter and Michael discuss The Let Them Theory, a self-help guide to seeking bliss through unmitigated complacency. Where to find us:  Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: How to stop screwing yourself overMel Robbins and PlagiarismLet her? Army wife claims Mel Robbins stole her idea for blockbuster self-help book Mel Robbins’s “Let Them” theory: really that simple?Breathing Practices for Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Conceptual Framework of Implementation Guidelines Based on a Systematic Review of the Published Literature Polarization in AmericaThe 5 Resets Impact of health warning labels on selection and consumption of food and alcohol products: systematic review with meta-analysisThanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

    54 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.6
out of 5
8,525 Ratings

About

The airport bestsellers that captured our hearts and ruined our minds

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Hobbes & Peter Shamshiri
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    95
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 If Books Could Kill
  • Show Website
    If Books Could Kill
  • Provider
    One Word LLC

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