The only way this show could be better is if they let me be on it with them. I have so many thoughts as a social psychologist about a lot of these books. And I constantly want to jump in and add my two cents! I appreciate both of them for not being seduced into the very problem they’re often criticizing - trying to say something about human psychology without knowing anything about human psychology!! They actually know what they’re experts in (and I love when they add those perspectives).

I started listening before I got employed at a used bookstore. Now everyone I sell any of the books this podcast has covered I must tell them to look up the writer for their own sake. My bosses hate me. Help.

Listened to a few episodes, but the political yammering was too much to take.

Is how great the name is. I also had to turn it off in the gym Bc I was laughing so hard I dropped a weight. So yeah.

I was listening to old episodes when I came across Who Moved My Cheese. I believe it to be Michael and Peter’s best work. Come for the info, stay for the cheese puns.

I listened to two episodes, and that was two too many. I went in expecting thoughtful, informed discussions of popular nonfiction books, with some critical analysis and healthy skepticism. Instead, I got one host who seemed barely familiar with what the book was actually about and two hosts who seemed far more interested in making fun of the material than having a meaningful conversation about it. There are plenty of books worth criticizing and plenty of hosts capable of doing it intelligently. Unfortunately, this podcast didn't convince me that it's one of them. I'm out.

writing my review to counter the dummies giving this masterpiece 1 star. imaging not enjoying peak🧠🧠🧠

Michael and Peter do what they do. Over and over and over. At least Peter is actually funny. Michael is completely out of touch with reality and it’s bothersome.

These guys could convince people that Newton’s papers on gravity were flawed.

Michael & Peter are so funny & charming together! I’ve been listening to their podcast for a while, now, and feel weirdly parasocially bonded to them both now. Thank y’all

Absolutely worth it. If I could give extra stars, I would.

This podcast is great. It has helped me understand where a lot of harmful beliefs came from and how they get perpetuated. An episode request: Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman

But this podcast is the exception. Peter’s hilarious. Keep it up.

I eat up the snark & wit like an ice cream sundae. Cannot get enough!

While I obviously am not going to censor books or not purchase them because of this podcast, it definitely influences my curation. I don’t read these kinds of books voluntarily having this thoughtful analysis helps me to better understand how these books can be deceitful, misguided or actively harmful. Consequently, I refrain from incorporating them into displays and actively recommend better quality books.

I’ve been listening for years, but Ezra Klein’s recent interview with Fukuyama sent me over the edge with how ludicrous the book was because I listened to their 2023 episode on the book. That one is a banger, they all are.

Michael & Peter, where have you been all my life? Your profane takedowns have me belly laughing. My new fave podcast.👏🏼

Have we actually ever seen Peter and the hot take guy that always disagrees with women on the subway in the same room? The more I listen to the podcast the more confident I am that they’re the same person.

my whole family are long time listeners and we listen to this pod daily. when a new episode comes out it’s like we js got tickets to a concert! i’ve listened to all the episodes and am a huge fan. when my little brother (who’s trans) came out to our grandparents. my grandparents were skeptical of the whole thing, then we played “the supreme court goes full turf” episode for them and that helped them. they are now supportive and understand it. thank you so much for doing what you do it means a lot to us.

I really enjoy this podcast and look forward to when new ones come out. I don’t know if the hosts read these reviews and it may be two on the Nose and they really don’t do fiction but I think it would be fantastic if they covered the book Steven Segal wrote with Tom Morrissey that is titled The Way Of The Shadow Wolves: The Deep State And The Hijacking Of America. The forward was written by none other than sheriff, Joe Arpaio. The book is unbelievable in ways that are hard to express. Anyway, thanks for the great content.

I am a young trans person and I want to thank you for the care you take with every episode, but specifically the one about the Supreme Court. It’s truly heartbreaking for me and many of my friends the lengths at which people will go to hurt us. However, you did this episode beautifully. You stated the facts, but managed to keep it light enough that it was ok to listen to So thank you for the care you put in to your podcast.

If you aren’t serenading yourself to Who Moved My Cheese on a nightly basis, you aren’t a real fan. Get real.

overall good and fun to listen too, but occasionally one of the hosts will confidently proclaim something factually incorrect or misrepresent something outside of their wheelhouse which really sucks you out of the fun of dunking on a stupid book. there seems to be particular blind spots wrt feminist theory and more radical left wing theory

…

left a review on 5-4 and had to come here and say I love this one too!

As a burnt out employee in the accounting department of a law firm, it hurt my heart to hear that Peter would ignore his firm accounting department when they requested documentation of his uber expenses. Not cool, man. Not cool.

Michael and Peter deliver a masterclass in intellectual dunk fests, blending razor-sharp skepticism with such effortless, high brow wit that you'll feel significantly smarter for having heard them dismantle the world's most popular airport books. Also, Peter casually booing things is maybe the funniest thing ever

These guys are hilarious. I learn something new every episode, and, again— these guys are hilarious. Also wicked smart. My only complaint is that episodes don’t come out often enough, but I know that’s part of the deal.

My favorite podcast of all time! It is halarious and gives this genX lady a new perspective on books my younger self thought were authoritative but turned out to be silly grifts. The who moved my cheese episode gave me 90’s corporate flashbacks!

Got into this podcast a few months ago and really enjoyed their take downs of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” “The Secret,” and “The Let Them Theory.” They do a great job of showing how the self-help world takes little kernels of truth and turns them into profit-driven slop, often propped up by pseudoscience. Unfortunately, their episode on “The Body Keeps the Score” shows how glaring their own blind spots are. While there is definitely a LOT of things to criticize in that book, their search for the ultimate coup de grace ends up making them sound kind of stupid. As an LCSW who practices Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), even I found the episode to be wildly out of touch. I know people would LOVE for the therapy world to be as black and white as these guys (or Reddit threads) try to make it, but they actually cause more harm than good by lumping all somatic therapies, equine therapy, etc, into the realm of MAHA and pseudoscience. A quick google search about evidence supported treatments (ESTs) vs. evidence based practice (EBP) in the therapy office would have cleared up a lot for these guys. When you have clients coming to your office saying things like “I heard that body based therapies are COMPLETELY bs,” you start seeing how these types of hipster podcasts demonstrate their own kind of malpractice.

The ignorance is astounding. Constantly misrepresenting what the author says.

I’ve never heard it, but my dad listens to it and I think that he likes it But he says it’s inappropriate or something

There are a handful of good points, but mostly it’s just an air of “I’m better/smarter than you.” They are NOT subject matter experts or even close, though they love to act like it.

They just feed off the vibe. Its a fun listen!! mono opinion between the two and very much not about books anymore which is disappointing to me

Witty, smart, and sardonic. I get giddy every time I see a new episode. I think I have a little pod crush on Peter- but who doesn’t! Both hosts are fantastic.

i like these guys’ takes. as someone stuck in an increasingly disturbing leftwing radicalization algorithm, ya know, bc instagram etc wants more than anything to turn me into a conspiracy theorist, i look to podcasts for a more grounded approach to lefty thinking. and while this isn’t a policial podcast, their social critique is generally productive. they’re both smart, and one of them does their research super thoroughly (😉) naw they both do.

Their observations for “Men Are From Mars…” were so insightful (and evidenced-based)! I wish I could take them to all my book clubs so I’m not the only one pointing out the flaws in these bloated self-help books with writers who think their symptoms of sociopathy are either due to biology-based gender differences or some secret to their “success.” I’d even listen if they gave a book glowing praise since they might find evidence for it that I’m unfamiliar with.

I liked Michael well enough before this, and I love Peter’s other pod (5-4), so I immediately subscribed to this one when it came out. The episodes that debunked grifty books about relationships and making money were good listens, but they overestimate their ability to handle more serious material. Their jokes about what works or doesn’t for trauma survivors therapeutically was downright ignorant and frankly disgusting. Honestly, the way they mocked modalities that can and do help some people recover from deeply traumatic experiences made me feel sick to my stomach.

Love when a new ep drops to get me through the work day. Equally fun and thought provoking whether the book they’re covering is a disaster or had some redeeming qualities. The love languages had some surprising twists!! It’s like audio cliffs notes for all those books in the zeitgeist that you can’t be bothered to sit down and read.

THANK YOU for covering van der Kolk. The Body Keeps the Score is worse than I even realized. PTSD treatment is already the wild west, and books like his make it even harder for people to figure out what effective treatment looks like.

This is in response to The Body Keeps the Score episode. As a survivor of child sexual abuse at the hands of my biological father for 6 years, the merciless take down of BVK’s work is based on incomplete research and assumptions from two men who do not profess to have experienced trauma (this episode is a lot of mansplaining). This episode perpetuates stereotypes and misinformation about trauma. BVK isn’t perfect nor is the Body Keeps the score, but this episode distorts the reality of how BVK’s work is helpful and, in many cases, correct. EMDR and body-based therapies saved me from suicide (not talk therapy). If you are a survivor who likes this podcast, be sure to skip this episode.

The entire premise of the show is to reveal how shortsighted, incorrect or inadequate authors are with respect to the information contained in their books. However, in The Body Keeps the Score episode, the hosts can’t even get the author’s credentials right. It says MD right on the book cover. The hosts repeatedly refer to the author as a psychologist and psychotherapist. They mock the Rorschach test and extol their own lofty uninformed opinions. Disrespectful, amateurish, badly researched work.

Love these dorks. Annoyed when they take down something I have positive feelings about but even then, they’re not wrong.

Except these: Thank you for reading these gross books so we don’t have to. Your show has made me a more careful reader and a better editor.

Thank you for your episode on The Body Keeps the Score. When I read it years ago, I felt like I was being traumatized rather than learning how trauma impacts people physically. This hilarious contextualization/reframe was actually… healing? Though I’m humbled that I fell for it hook line and sinker. I’ll be checking sources more in the future!

I really enjoy episodes typically, however they don’t get it all right. And with this recent episode they really miss the mark: Psychology Today released an article 4-14-26 about how Polyvagal Therapy has NOT been debunked. Please don’t believe these guys and read the article yourself.

Jesus guys. Maybe talk to some actual people who have been through what you all consider "ridiculous" trauma treatments before, at once, saying you don't want to denigrate them but then mercilessly mocking treatments that actually help people NOT WANT TO DIE.

Love this podcast! But, their breakdown of The Body Keeps the Score was off. I’ve experienced talk therapy, CBT, and Brainspotting (akin to EMDR) and far and away the latter was the most effective. I didn’t speak (so it wasn’t just talk therapy repackaged) and I didn’t have to repeat sessions over and over. One session of Brainspotting did more than 3 years of therapy. Michael’s analysis is usually amazing but on this one he should listen to experts and first hand accounts. I invite him to try it!

this is my emotional support podcast - peter and michael really provide insightful debunking and critical analysis into the ideas that passively enter our cultural bloodstream. michael's insight into previous blind spots has especially helped me to address my own biases and better navigate this current political moment. as someone who read the body keeps the score and was disappointed by the gap between what others got out of it versus the text itself, i was so excited to hear the hosts take this one on with their trademark nuance, compassion, and humor.

my favorite podcast maybe ever. thank u peter and michael 🙏