In our latest Q&A, a reader inquired about some books that influenced how John and I think about the world. In this clip, we each pick two and explain why they had such a profound effect on us.
Glenn’s Picks
Slavery and Social Death: A Comparative Study by Orlando Patterson
Micromotives and Macrobehavior by Thomas Shelling
John’s Picks
The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America by Shelby Steele
The Future Once Happened Here: New York, D.C., L.A., and the Fate of America’s Big Cities by Fred Siegel
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John, I got the Shelby Steele book The Content Of Our Character last year for Christmas because of how you talked about it on Glenn's show. I can understand why it impacted you so much. It's a brilliantly succinct book that is every bit as relevant today as it was 33 years ago when it was first published. Everything he says about black peoples' need to develop *themselves* more and not wait for white people to hand success to them applies as equally to feminists today (and then) and not to depend on Da Patriarchy.
Edward Teller wrote a book, based on a series of lectures he'd given at Pepperdine, that he titled, 'The Pursuit of Simplicity.' That's what he thought scientists should be doing. Here's an example of another physicist who has mastered the practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EsBiC9HjyQ