Book Explained

Born a Crime is one of the funniest and most moving memoirs of the decade. Hailey gives her spoiler-free review, fact-checks the apartheid history in Trevor Noah's book, recommends seven memoirs to read next, and then, after a spoiler warning, talks through the unforgettable final chapter.

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Books mentioned in this episode
Educated by Tara Westover
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:22 Welcome
0:55 The Review
6:24 The Real Story
12:12 What To Read Next
15:28 Spoiler Warning
15:54 The Ending Explained
21:18 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Black AF History promises the un-whitewashed story of America, told like a stand-up set. Hailey gives her honest review, summarizes the book's big ideas, fact-checks eight of its wildest stories, and recommends six books to read next.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith
Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen
The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Four Hundred Souls by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:21 Welcome
0:50 The Review
5:02 The Summary
10:10 The Real Story
15:23 What To Read Next
18:13 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

The Body Keeps the Score changed how millions of people think about trauma, but some researchers have pushed back hard on its science. Hailey gives her honest review, summarizes the book's big ideas, checks its biggest claims against the evidence, and recommends seven books to read next, including a skeptical counterpoint. This episode discusses trauma; please look after yourself.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman
What Happened to You? by Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey
The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté
Complex PTSD by Pete Walker
My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem
Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine
The Trouble with Trauma by Michael Scheeringa

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:18 Welcome
0:57 The Review
5:40 The Summary
11:33 The Science
17:09 What To Read Next
20:46 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

How did Eleven Madison Park become the best restaurant in the world? Hailey reviews Will Guidara's Unreasonable Hospitality, summarizes its big ideas, turns them into seven lessons you can use in any job, and recommends six books to read next.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
Setting the Table by Danny Meyer
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle
Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
Radical Candor by Kim Scott

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:26 Welcome
0:57 The Review
5:22 The Summary
10:44 Putting It To Work
14:51 What To Read Next
17:31 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Two words, eight million copies, and a lot of tattoos. Hailey gives her honest review of Mel Robbins' The Let Them Theory, summarizes Let Them and Let Me, turns the book into seven practical lessons you can use this week, and recommends six books that go deeper.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins
The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
Platonic by Marisa G. Franco
The Good Life by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:20 Welcome
0:47 The Review
4:08 The Summary
7:49 Putting It To Work
10:59 What To Read Next
13:33 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Is Atomic Habits worth the hype, or a blog post stretched into a book? Hailey gives her honest review, summarizes the whole book and its Four Laws, turns it into a practical thirty-day plan, and recommends seven books to read next.

Get the book
Audiobook
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg
Hooked by Nir Eyal
Deep Work by Cal Newport
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
Mindset by Carol Dweck
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:24 Welcome
0:54 The Review
7:38 The Summary
15:31 Putting It To Work
20:47 What To Read Next
24:25 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0