Books like They Call Me Supermensch: 100 fan favorites

By Shep Gordon,

Here are 100 books that They Call Me Supermensch fans have personally recommended if you like They Call Me Supermensch. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator

Michael F. Schein Author Of The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World's Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers

From my list on get people to do what you want.

Why am I passionate about this?

After years of struggling to start my own business, I had a revelation that changed everything for me. The best marketers werenā€™t marketersā€”they were resourceful punks, propagandists, cult leaders, and other assorted riff-raff. I began to adopt their tactics, and I started having some successā€”first as a freelance copywriter and then as a marketing agency owner. Ever since, Iā€™ve been obsessed by the weird psychology we fall into when weā€™re with other humans and how people can hack that psychology to make others do what they want. 

Michael's book list on get people to do what you want

Michael F. Schein Why did Michael love this book?

This was the book that kicked off my obsession with mind control, social psychology, and media hacking. Ryan Holiday is one of the modern era's best marketers, and he's a pretty great writer as well. When he ran the marketing at American Apparel (at twenty-something), he took hype to new heights.

A small list of some of his stunts: Hiring a porn star to pose in nothing but socks in an ad for a clothing company, secretly defacing his own clients' billboards to generate publicity, and provoking a famous Internet media startup legend to threaten to punch him in the face in order to drive up book sales.

In this book, he reveals all his tricks while delivering a scathing critique of the broken system that let him do what he did.

By Ryan Holiday,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Trust Me, I'm Lying as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

You've seen it all before. A malicious online rumor costs a company millions. A political sideshow derails the national news cycle and destroys a candidate. Some product or celebrity zooms from total obscurity to viral sensation. What you don't know is that someone is responsible for all this. Usually, someone like me.

I'm a media manipulator. In a world where blogs control and distort the news, my job is to control blogs-as much as any one person can.

IN TODAY'S CULTURE... Blogs like Gawker, BuzzFeed, and The Huffington Post drive the media agenda. Bloggers are slaves to money, technology, andā€¦


Book cover of The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind

Michael F. Schein Author Of The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World's Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers

From my list on get people to do what you want.

Why am I passionate about this?

After years of struggling to start my own business, I had a revelation that changed everything for me. The best marketers werenā€™t marketersā€”they were resourceful punks, propagandists, cult leaders, and other assorted riff-raff. I began to adopt their tactics, and I started having some successā€”first as a freelance copywriter and then as a marketing agency owner. Ever since, Iā€™ve been obsessed by the weird psychology we fall into when weā€™re with other humans and how people can hack that psychology to make others do what they want. 

Michael's book list on get people to do what you want

Michael F. Schein Why did Michael love this book?

It was during the earliest days of the first Trump campaign, and I was reading this one-hundred-plus-year-old book with one of the first debates playing in the background. It felt like he had used this book as his operating manual (although I'm almost positive he never read it). When I got home, I started telling my friends, "I think this guy could win." They thought I was crazy. The rest was history.

This book is the definition of timeless. Le Bon was remarkably perceptive about what makes groups of people react in certain ways and how leaders can get them to do their bidding. 

By Gustave Le Bon,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Crowd as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the most influential works of social psychology in history, The Crowd was highly instrumental in creating this field of study by analyzing, in detail, mass behavior. The book had a profound impact not only on Freud but also on such twentieth-century masters of crowd control as Hitler and Mussolini ā€” both of whom may have used its observations as a guide to stirring up popular passions. In the author's words, "The masses have never thirsted after the truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim."ā€¦


Book cover of The Art of Seduction

Michael F. Schein Author Of The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World's Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers

From my list on get people to do what you want.

Why am I passionate about this?

After years of struggling to start my own business, I had a revelation that changed everything for me. The best marketers werenā€™t marketersā€”they were resourceful punks, propagandists, cult leaders, and other assorted riff-raff. I began to adopt their tactics, and I started having some successā€”first as a freelance copywriter and then as a marketing agency owner. Ever since, Iā€™ve been obsessed by the weird psychology we fall into when weā€™re with other humans and how people can hack that psychology to make others do what they want. 

Michael's book list on get people to do what you want

Michael F. Schein Why did Michael love this book?

I have to admit it: Iā€™m pretty sure I bought this book in my early twenties with less-than-pure intentions. It didnā€™t end up doing much for my romantic life, but it changed the way I think forever after.

In writing about how to get attractive people to fall into your arms (and into your bed), Robert Greene makes no distinction between seducing an individual and seducing an audience of millions. Itā€™s one of those books that makes you feel like you want to take a shower. Then again, most of my favorite books make me feel that way.

By Robert Greene,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Art of Seduction as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A fascinating inside look at the nature of seduction uses a vast array of sources, from Freud and Nietzsche to Cleopatra and Josephine Bonaparte, to uncover the truth about this important feature of the human animal.


Book cover of Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam

Michael F. Schein Author Of The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World's Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers

From my list on get people to do what you want.

Why am I passionate about this?

After years of struggling to start my own business, I had a revelation that changed everything for me. The best marketers werenā€™t marketersā€”they were resourceful punks, propagandists, cult leaders, and other assorted riff-raff. I began to adopt their tactics, and I started having some successā€”first as a freelance copywriter and then as a marketing agency owner. Ever since, Iā€™ve been obsessed by the weird psychology we fall into when weā€™re with other humans and how people can hack that psychology to make others do what they want. 

Michael's book list on get people to do what you want

Michael F. Schein Why did Michael love this book?

This one is a pure a page turner. Itā€™s about a man named ā€œDr.ā€ John R. Brinkley who became one of the richest people in the country by selling a procedure in which he transplanted goat testicles into healthy adult males. He was responsible for the deaths of nearly fifty people, came a few votes shy of becoming governor of Arkansas, and more or less invented modern marketing. Whatā€™s not to like?

By Pope Brock,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Charlatan as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Innocents and Others

J.M. Donellan Author Of Rumors of Her Death

From my list on a list for liars and people who deal with them.

Why am I passionate about this?

I first started lying as a child and was fascinated to discover that the art of deception could turn into full-time employment as either a politician or an author (I choose the one with moderately better hours and substantially worse pay). As someone who crafts elaborate lies for the purposes of entertainment, I remain fascinated by people who lie for nefarious ends, something I swear Iā€™d never do. (Except for the time I snuck into a music festival by pretending to be one of the catering staff, earning me the dubious distinction of being one of very few people to ever appear in a Metallica moshpit wearing a waiterā€™s uniform.) 

J.M.'s book list on a list for liars and people who deal with them

J.M. Donellan Why did J.M. love this book?

In an age of constant digital deception, it was utterly fascinating to read the story of someone who manipulates people through the simple use of a phone call.

The plot follows two filmmakers, Carrie and Meadow, the latter of whom makes a documentary about ā€œNicoleā€, a woman who seduced an array of Hollywood heavy hitters armed with nothing more than a telephone. The novel unfolds through multiple perspectives and timeframes that begin as disparate but are slowly woven together by Spiottaā€™s expert hand.

The plot itself is fascinating, but Spiottaā€™s stylistic and thematic mastery are a wonder to behold. Sidenote: Nicole is loosely based on the true story of Whitney Walton, on whom Jen Silverman also did a brilliant take in her audiobook The Miranda Obsession (performed by Rachel Brosnahan).

By Dana Spiotta,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Innocents and Others as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Spiotta is a wonder.' - George Saunders, author of Lincoln in the Bardo

Meadow Mori and Carrie Wexler grew up together in Los Angeles, and both became film-makers.

Meadow makes challenging documentaries; Carrie makes successful feature films with a feminist slant. The two friends have everything in common - except their views on sex, power, movie-making and morality. And yet their loyalty trumps their different approaches to film and to life.

Until, one day, a mysterious woman with a unique ability to cold-call and seduce powerful men over the phone - not through sex, but through listening - becomes theā€¦


Book cover of Postcards from the Edge

Devorah Blachor Author Of The Feminist's Guide to Raising a Little Princess: How to Raise a Girl Who's Authentic, Joyful, and Fearless--Even If She Refuses to Wear Anything but a Pink Tutu

From my list on satire that makes you laugh and cry.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a writer, journalist, satirist, and novelist. Iā€™ve written humor and satire for McSweeneyā€™s, The New Yorkerā€™s Daily Shouts, The Belladonna, and other publications, often about subjects that make me angry, sad, or both. Sometimes I write as a way to process, to vent, and to make fun of myself. I wrote a humor piece called "Turn Your Princess Toddler Into a Feminist in 8 Easy Steps." The New York Times published it, and it went viral. There was so much interest in the piece it prompted me to start researching the topic of princess obsessed girls. That research became my nonfiction book ā€“ The Feministā€™s Guide to Raising a Little Princess

Devorah's book list on satire that makes you laugh and cry

Devorah Blachor Why did Devorah love this book?

Carrie Fischer became an icon after playing Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, but thereā€™s a whole subpopulation of women who idolize Carrie and still mourn her death for an entirely different reason. We love her writing, and also who she was ā€“ honest, vulnerable, subversive, and hilarious. In my 20s, I read three Carrie Fischer novels in a row. Sometimes you have that youthful moment when you connect with the voice of a writer so strongly, that you become forever devoted to them. For me, this author was Carrie Fischer. The novel is about an actress who goes to rehab, so, like the others mentioned here, thereā€™s an autobiographical thread running through it. I love Carrieā€™s honest writing, her wicked insights into the human condition, and her heroic sense of humor in the face of being a woman in Hollywood and on the planet. 

By Carrie Fisher,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Postcards from the Edge as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

** THE NEW YORK TIMES-BESTSELLING CULT CLASSIC NOVEL **
** In a new edition introduced by Stephen Fry **

'I don't think you can even call this a drug. This is just a response to the conditions we live in.'

Suzanne Vale, formerly acclaimed actress, is in rehab, feeling like 'something on the bottom of someone's shoe, and not even someone interesting'. Immersed in the sometimes harrowing, often hilarious goings-on of the drug hospital and wondering how she'll cope - and find work - back on the outside, she meets new patient Alex. Ambitious, good-looking in a Heathcliffish way andā€¦


Book cover of The Collaboration: Hollywood's Pact with Hitler

Yehuda Moraly Author Of Revolution in Paradise: Veiled Representations of Jewish Characters in the Cinema of Occupied France

From my list on French theater and film during German occupation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am teaching Theater studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Among my courses, ā€œThe World of Theater in the Reflection of Cinema" was a notable one. My favorite film was Children of Paradise. However, I was taken aback when a friend questioned the film's alleged anti-Semitic elements. I scrutinized the character of the Old-Clothes Man, JosuĆ©, noticing his stereotypical Jewish traits. As my research went further, I discovered the original 1942 script, where JosuĆ© played a more significant role as an overt Jewish traitor, ultimately slain by the film's hero, Deburau. This revelation prompted extensive research in Paris and Jerusalem, uncovering veiled Jewish portrayals in other French films made during the German occupation.

Yehuda's book list on French theater and film during German occupation

Yehuda Moraly Why did Yehuda love this book?

This book is not directly linked with my research, but it shows how financial interests can influence artistic works. It especially shows the critical role of the producer in the messages brought by a film.

The Collaboration reveals a hidden chapter of Hollywood's past. Ben Urwand shows the complex relationship between Hollywood and Nazi Germany during a time when cinema was at its zenith. The book discovers a very disturbing reality. Major Hollywood studios, despite many of them being led by Jewish executives, made secret agreements with Nazi authorities to avoid depicting Germany unfavorably or addressing the persecution of Jews.

Urwand's diligent research, backed by letters, memos, and historical accounts, paints a picture of compromise on the part of Hollywood producers during that period of history, which preferred their financial interests over their moral duties.

By Ben Urwand,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Collaboration as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

To continue doing business in Germany after Hitler's ascent to power, Hollywood studios agreed not to make films that attacked the Nazis or condemned Germany's persecution of Jews. Ben Urwand reveals this bargain for the first time-a "collaboration" (Zusammenarbeit) that drew in a cast of characters ranging from notorious German political leaders such as Goebbels to Hollywood icons such as Louis B. Mayer.

At the center of Urwand's story is Hitler himself, who was obsessed with movies and recognized their power to shape public opinion. In December 1930, his Party rioted against the Berlin screening of All Quiet on theā€¦


Book cover of Oil!

Leif Wenar Author Of Blood Oil: Tyrants, Violence, and the Rules that Run the World

From my list on why oil is a curse.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a Stanford professor who became fascinated with oil and everything it does to for us and to us. For years I traveled the world talking to the people who know petroleum: executives in the big oil companies, politicians and activists, militants and victims, spies and tribal chiefs. Blood Oil explains what I learned and how we can make our oil-cursed world better for all of us. 

Leif's book list on why oil is a curse

Leif Wenar Why did Leif love this book?

You may have seen There Will Be Blood, which won Daniel Day Lewis an Academy Award.

Sinclairā€™s novel (which inspired the film) satirizes the petroleum-fueled tycoons and preachers of Southern California a century ago. For an extra treat, follow this novel with Darren Dochukā€™s Anointed with Oil: How Christianity and Crude Made Modern America, which weaves together the stories of American oil, American religion, and the great schism within todayā€™s Republican Party.

By Upton Sinclair,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Oil! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In Oil! Upton Sinclair fashioned a novel out of the oil scandals of the Harding administration, providing in the process a detailed picture of the development of the oil industry in Southern California. Bribery of public officials, class warfare, and international rivalry over oil production are the context for Sinclair's story of a genial independent oil developer and his son, whose sympathy with the oilfield workers and socialist organizers fuels a running debate with his father. Senators, small investors, oil magnates, a Hollywood film star, and a crusading evangelist people the pages of this lively novel.


Book cover of Valley of the Dolls

Stephen Rebello Author Of Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: Deep Inside Valley of the Dolls, the Most Beloved Bad Book and Movie of All Time

From my list on the down-and-dirtiest showbusiness Romans Ć  clef.

Why am I passionate about this?

A Southern California-based author and screenwriter whose adventures in and around the film business have led to hundreds of feature stories for such magazines as Vibe, Playboy, Entertainment Weekly, American Film, Smithsonian, and Movieline. My books include three dedicated to Disney animated classics and a volume on the art of American movie posters. The lovingly satirical book Bad Movies We Love, co-written with Edward Margulies, inspired a Turner Network movie marathon series. My next non-fiction book will be published in 2024.

Stephen's book list on the down-and-dirtiest showbusiness Romans Ć  clef

Stephen Rebello Why did Stephen love this book?

Newbie novelist Jacqueline Susann created an iconic all-time bestseller with her tale of three young glamazons who vault to the show business heights, only to tumble into a pit of addictions, poor choices in men, and delightfully overripe dialogue. Susann made her sweeping, sexy soap opera shenanigans even more irresistible by patterning her characters on such 20th-century headline-makers as Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Grace Kelly, Ethel Merman, and the Kennedys. Said publicity-savvy Susann, ā€œThey can keep calling it that ā€˜roman Ć  clef'. Itā€™ll only make my books sell.ā€ They did. It did. Although the sanitized and critically bashed 1967 movie version toned down the Ć  clef elements, it became a box-office smash that has gone on to become enshrined as a kitsch classic.

By Jacqueline Susann,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Valley of the Dolls as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Before Jackie Collins, Candace Bushnell and Lena Dunham, Jacqueline Susann held the world rapt with her tales of the private passions of Hollywood starlets, high-powered industrialists and the jet-set.

Valley of the Dolls took the world by storm when it was first published, fifty years ago. Never had a book been so frank about sex, drugs and show business. It is often sited as the bestselling novel of all time.

Dolls - red or black; capsules or tablets; washed down with vodka or swallowed straight. For Anne, Neely and Jennifer, it doesn't matter, as long as the pill bottle isā€¦


Book cover of Play It as It Lays

Ava Barry Author Of Double Exposure

From my list on cool, culty Los Angeles.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always been drawn to stories of miserable rich people, especially tales of how old money contorts lineage into something rotten. I grew up in Northern California, and while my family was comfortable, we werenā€™t part of the tennis club and yachting elite. During my childhood, we spent a lot of time exploring abandoned properties. It was a passion that I kept when I moved to Los Angeles as an adult and started to explore forgotten parts of Hollywoodā€™s past. Los Angeles has always fascinated me because it embodies extreme wealth and extreme poverty: like the American dream itself, it straddles both extremes and promises everything while guaranteeing nothing.

Ava's book list on cool, culty Los Angeles

Ava Barry Why did Ava love this book?

I read this book for the first time when I was in high school, and it made me realize that main characters arenā€™t always good people. Maria Wyeth is a selfish, broken actress who stumbles through a series of bad decisions. She cares about nothing, not even herself, but the language is so beautiful and evocative of a 1960s Los Angeles that you canā€™t help wondering what happens.

If nothing else, pick it up for the laissez-faire attitude of the extremely wealthy and beautiful before the age of social media.

By Joan Didion,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Play It as It Lays as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A profoundly disturbing novel that ruthlessly dissects American life in the late 1960s, from the author of The White Album and The Year of Magical Thinking.

Benny called for a round of Cuba Libres and I gave him some chips to play for me and went to the ladies' room and never came back.

Somewhere out beyond Hollywood, hollowed-out actress Maria Wyeth's life plays out in a numbing routine of perpetual freeway driving. In her early thirties, divorced from her husband, dislocated from friends, anesthetized to pain and please, Wheth is a woman who has run out of both desiresā€¦


Book cover of Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator
Book cover of The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind
Book cover of The Art of Seduction

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