If Books Could Kill

Three Cups of Tea

In 1993, a desperate man stumbled into a remote village in the foothills of the Karakoram mountains. After the residents nursed him back to health, he placed his hands on the village elder's shoulders and made a sacred promise. "Somehow," he said, "I am going to get some private jet reimbursements out of this."  Warning: Contains spoilers for the 2016 film "Arrival."  Thanks to Ted Callahan for helping us fact-check this episode! Where to find us:  * Our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod] * Our merch! [https://ifbookspod.dashery.com/] * Peter's newsletter [https://stringinamaze.net/] * Peter's other podcast, 5-4 [https://www.fivefourpod.com/] * Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase [https://www.maintenancephase.com/] Sources: * Three Cups of Deceit [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/216104/three-cups-of-deceit-by-jon-krakauer/] * “60 Minutes” expose [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhAb37yZ0o0] * 3000 Cups of Deceit [https://medium.com/galleys/greg-mortenson-disgraced-author-of-three-cups-of-tea-believes-he-will-have-the-last-laugh-760949b1f964] * Books vs Bombs? Humanitarian development and the narrative of terror in Northern Pakistan [https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/destinations/asia/greg-mortenson-speaks/] * Delusional States [https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/delusional-states/6AE972EBD2D6F8B20F80E281DD0DAEC8] * Can't Get There From Here [https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/books-media/cant-get-there-here/] * Nobel Prize Nominee’s Charity Wins No Award for Accountability [https://blog.charitywatch.org/nobel-prize-nominee39s-charity-wins-no-award-for-accountability/] * David Oliver Relin, Adventurous Journalist, Dies at 49 [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/business/media/david-oliver-relin-co-author-of-three-cups-of-tea-dies-at-49.html?_r=0] * What Mortenson Got Wrong [https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/what-mortenson-got-wrong] * Three Cups of Tea: The Pakistan and Afghan side [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-13125953] * 3 Lessons to Learn From Greg Mortenson  [https://undispatch.com/3-lessons-to-learn-from-greg-mortenson-and-laffair-cups-of-tea/] * Mortenson returns to Afghanistan [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/mortenson-returns-to-afghanistan-trying-to-move-past-his-three-cups-of-tea-disgrace/2014/10/12/9774ae90-402f-11e4-b03f-de718edeb92f_story.html] * The naive republic of aid: Grassroots exceptionalism in humanitarian memoir [https://www.manchesterhive.com/display/9781526117304/9781526117304.00012.xml?rskey=Dxi3Lh&print&chapterBody=PDF] * Religious School Enrollment in Pakistan: A Look at the Data [https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/479631468775780542/pdf/wps3521.pdf] * If you build it, will they come? [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220380701384588] * What Really Works to Improve Learning in Developing Countries? [https://link.springer.com/rwe/10.1007/978-3-030-32626-5_50] * The madrassa scapegoat [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1162/wash.2006.29.2.117?casa_token=a1dZ8581NusAAAAA:QkABdQPhfs88zroM618K-Wz98nYUa5ITXPCZH_TBMINK_6V-mCyATzNexPWaRddiVNYrJrEu9ObY] Thanks to Mindseye [https://mindseye-music.bandcamp.com/track/the-place-beyond-the-clouds-2] for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

The Body Keeps The Score

You know that book your friend recommended? The one that rigorously describes the science of trauma, de-stigmatizes abuse and promotes effective treatments? Well here’s the thing: It doesn't actually do that. Thanks to Emi Nietfield [https://www.eminietfeld.com/], Keith Cox [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10497315231206754], Lisa Starr [https://www.sas.rochester.edu/psy/people/faculty/starr_lisa/index.html], Richard McNally, Kevin McGuire and everyone else who helped us research and fact-check this episode!  Where to find us:  * Our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod] * Our merch! [https://ifbookspod.dashery.com/] * Peter's newsletter [https://stringinamaze.net/] * Peter's other podcast, 5-4 [https://www.fivefourpod.com/] * Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase [https://www.maintenancephase.com/] Sources: * What the Most Famous Book About Trauma Gets Wrong [https://www.motherjones.com/media/2024/12/trauma-body-keeps-the-score-van-der-kolk-psychology-therapy-ptsd/] * Trauma: A Genealogy [https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/T/bo3640593.html] * Remembering Trauma [https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674018020] * Advocates of Research-Supported Treatments for PTSD are Losing  [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10497315231206754] * Tell Me Why It Hurts [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trauma-bessel-van-der-kolk-the-body-keeps-the-score-profile.html] * ‘The Body Keeps the Score’ offers uncertain science [https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/08/02/body-keeps-score-grieving-brain-bessel-van-der-kolk-neuroscience-self-help/] * Your Brain Is Not an Onion With a Tiny Reptile Inside [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joseph_Cesario/publication/338154360_Your_Brain_Is_Not_an_Onion_with_a_Tiny_Reptile_Inside/links/5ea83b13458515ca49f2b2ec/Your-Brain-Is-Not-an-Onion-with-a-Tiny-Reptile-Inside.pdf]   * PTSD and complex PTSD: a review of reviews [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12466117/] * What Does It Mean When 38% Forget? [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7860815/] * Multiple Identity Enactments and Multiple Personality Disorder: A Sociocognitive Perspective [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8078970/] * The Brain Is Adaptive Not Triune [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9010774/] Thanks to Mindseye [https://mindseye-music.bandcamp.com/track/the-place-beyond-the-clouds-2] for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

Think And Grow Rich

Peter and Michael discuss "Think And Grow Rich," the 1937 classic written by a lifelong fraudster who finds his final mark: You. Where to find us:  * Our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod] * Our merch! [https://ifbookspod.dashery.com/] * Peter's newsletter [https://stringinamaze.net/] * Peter's other podcast, 5-4 [https://www.fivefourpod.com/] * Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase [https://www.maintenancephase.com/] Sources: * The Untold Story of Napoleon Hill, the Greatest Self-Help Scammer of All Time [https://gizmodo.com/the-untold-story-of-napoleon-hill-the-greatest-self-he-1789385645] * A Lifetime of Riches [https://www.naphill.org/shop/books/paperback/a-lifetime-of-riches/] * How to Lose Friends and Alienate Peopl [https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/13/books/how-to-lose-friends-and-alienate-people.html]e * How a Different America Responded to the Great Depression [https://www.pewresearch.org/2010/12/14/how-a-different-america-responded-to-the-great-depression/] * The Psychic Scandal [https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,944971,00.html] * How Trump Turned The Power of Positive Thinking Into Delusion [https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/trump-power-positive-thinking] Thanks to Mindseye [https://mindseye-music.bandcamp.com/track/the-place-beyond-the-clouds-2] for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

Grit

In 2013, education reformers tried to help poor students the using the best tool at their disposal: The 16th most popular Ted Talk. Special thanks to Marcus Credé!  Where to find us:  * Our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod] * Our merch! [https://ifbookspod.dashery.com/] * Peter's newsletter [https://stringinamaze.net/] * Peter's other podcast, 5-4 [https://www.fivefourpod.com/] * Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase [https://www.maintenancephase.com/] Sources: * Much Ado About Grit [https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-29674-001?doi=1] * What Shall We Do About Grit? [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3102/0013189X18801322] * Grit under attack [https://hechingerreport.org/grit-under-attack/] * Teaching “Grit” [https://janresseger.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/teaching-grit-blaming-the-poor-and-undermining-the-public-will-to-address-poverty/] * The Problem With Grit [https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-the-problem-with-grit/2015/04] * The Limits of “Grit” [https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-limits-of-grit] * Grit: The power of passion and perseverance [https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance] * Is 'Grit' Doomed To Be The New Self-Esteem? [https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/03/03/468870056/is-grit-doomed-to-be-the-new-self-esteem?ref=quillette.com] * Measurement Matters [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4849415/] * Using Psychological Science to Help Children Thrive [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6391729/] * Self-Control and Academic Achievement [https://www.annualreviews.org/docserver/fulltext/psych/70/1/annurev-psych-010418-103230.pdf?expires=1774973481&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=0EF7D86C0A967144FC703857E7482429] * Cognitive and noncognitive predictors of success [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31685624/] * Should non-cognitive skills be included in school accountability systems? [https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/EvidenceSpeaksWest031716.pdf] * Measuring Students’ Non-Cognitive Skills and the Impact of Schooling [https://www.columbia.edu/~rem2178/assets/pubs/west-2015.pdf] * Grit: A Short History of a Useful Concept [https://mabel.wwu.edu/do/94a7219b-a1cc-435d-a3f2-be68710d4a4a] * Teaching Kids 'Grit' is All the Rage. [https://newrepublic.com/article/117615/problem-grit-kipp-and-character-based-education] * "Grit" Revisited [https://mikerosebooks.blogspot.com/2016/06/grit-revisited-reflections-on-our.html] * Character Education: A Cautionary Note [https://www.brookings.edu/articles/character-education-a-cautionary-note/] * What if the Secret to Success Is Failure? [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/magazine/what-if-the-secret-to-success-is-failure.html] * The Effects of the EITC on Child Achievement [https://web.archive.org/web/20140207132630/http:/econ.msu.edu/seminars/docs/20131114%20Maxfield%20EITC%20Child%20Education.pdf] * Academic Performance And Food Stamps [https://www.npr.org/2017/09/21/552530614/researchers-examine-links-between-academic-performance-and-food-stamps] Thanks to Mindseye [https://mindseye-music.bandcamp.com/track/the-place-beyond-the-clouds-2] for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

CROSSOVER EVENT: Tim Ferriss’s "The 4-Hour Body"

Peter went on Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase, to revisit a biohacking diet book for the boys. Where to find us:  * Our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod] * Our merch! [https://ifbookspod.dashery.com/] * Peter's newsletter [https://stringinamaze.net/] * Peter's other podcast, 5-4 [https://www.fivefourpod.com/] * Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase [https://www.maintenancephase.com/] Sources: * The 4-Hour Body [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-4-hour-body-an-uncommon-guide-to-rapid-fat-loss-incredible-sex-and-becoming-superhuman-timothy-ferriss/0c03ff08c7bd9cf6?ean=9780307463630&next=t] * Does Glycemic Index Matter for Weight Loss? An Examination of the Evidence [https://www.academia.edu/110932489/Perspective_Does_Glycemic_Index_Matter_for_Weight_Loss_and_Obesity_Prevention_Examination_of_the_Evidence_on_Fast_Compared_with_Slow_Carbs]  * New! Improved! Shape Up Your Life! [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/books/07book.html]  * The 4-Hour Body: The Real App You Are Working On Is An App Called Yourself [https://techcrunch.com/2011/01/15/4-hour-body-review/] Thanks to Mindseye [https://mindseye-music.bandcamp.com/track/the-place-beyond-the-clouds-2] for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod