Here are a few takeaways from the Pasternak-Roth conversation:

1. When people are shouting at you, everything is a tough sell.

2. Courage is mostly just not forgetting what you said you believed in.

3. Institutional leaders get too much blame for the bad stuff and too much credit for the good — so don’t take anything too personally.

4. If you are a healthy person, you will inevitably doubt yourself at some point.

5. There is no one way to look at a work of art.

Both Pasternak and Roth have appeared previously on Freakonomics Radio. I think you will agree that they are even better in person :)

Meanwhile, on this week’s Freakonomics Radio:

“How to Return Stolen Art” (Update)

Museums are purging their collections of looted treasures. Can they also get something in return? And what does it mean to be a museum in the 21st century? (Part 2 of a series originally published in 2023.)

Listen: Apple | Spotify | YouTube

Finally: it has come to my attention that many of you who listen to Freakonomics Radio have never read any of the Freakonomics books, which in a way is awesome. But if you have ever wondered what all the fuss was about, I have good news: we recently published a 20th anniversary edition of Freakonomics, with a new foreword. Let me know what you think! Will be back here next week with more news. Until then, take care of yourself — and, if you can, someone else too.

Better in Person Pre-Screening Watch Party at Moss NYC. 520 5th Ave, New York, NY 10036. Watch the next episode the evening before it airs in a beautiful setting and in the company of other interesting people.

• August 31st, doors at 6pm, screening 6:30-7:30pm. Free with required RSVP. Hint: the guest may be the world’s best bookseller.

And this week, we released new BiP caps inspired by our duo of guests, Anne Pasternak of the Brooklyn Museum and Michael Roth of Wesleyan University.

Other guest-inspired caps now available: Pasta, Buildings, Awe, Jokes, Rock Bands, Thrillers and Novels.

Shop

Better in Person Pre-Screening Watch Party at Moss NYC. 520 5th Ave, New York, NY 10036. Watch the next episode the evening before it airs in a beautiful setting and in the company of other interesting people.

• August 24th, doors at 6pm, screening 6:30-7:30pm. Free with required RSVP. Seats are limited for attendees who are not members of Moss NYC, so we recommend signing up soon. Hint: this episode has two guests, one who leads a university and another who leads a major museum.

• August 31st, doors at 6pm, screening 6:30-7:30pm. Free with required RSVP (link to be included in next week’s email). Hint: the guest may be the world’s best bookseller.

And here are a few images of the event we co-organized last week with Must Love Dogs and Comedy, a stand-up comedy show that raises funds to support dog shelters, and where dogs nearly outnumber people in the audience.

ICYMI, with each episode, we’ve released guest-inspired Better in Person caps. This week:

Other guest-inspired caps now available: Pasta, Buildings, Awe, Jokes and Rock Bands.

Shop Caps

For instance: that Pulitzer Prize she got for A Visit From the Goon Squad? Awards, Egan told me, are often the product of luck, or maybe you are the “compromise choice.”

The reason it may take her 35 drafts before a novel is done? That’s the price to pay, she says, when you’re creating characters that are nothing like yourself.

You can watch the episode here:

And here are some of the principles that guide Egan’s process:

1. When you share unfinished work, reactions are more useful than solutions.

2. If fear is the only reason not to do something, you should still try it.

3. Work against what you’ve just done.

4. Don’t insult yourself in the margins.

5. Open your ears wide: “I trust almost anyone more than myself.”

Egan is the second author to appear on Better in Person. The first was Harlan Coben. As far as I can tell, the two of them have nearly zero in common when it comes to writing process. I like that. We also have an upcoming episode with James Daunt, the English bookseller who started with one small store of his own and is now C.E.O. of both Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. Between Daunt, Coben, and Egan, one might conclude that I quite like books and authors :).

Meanwhile, this week on Freakonomics Radio:

“The Case of the $4 Million Gold Coffin (Update)”

How did a freshly looted Egyptian antiquity end up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Why did it take Kim Kardashian to crack the case? And how much of what you see in any museum is stolen? (This is Part 1 of our series “Stealing Art Is Easy. Giving It Back Is Hard,” first published in 2023 and now updated.)

Listen: Apple | Spotify | YouTube

One of the episodes we’re working on for our fall lineup at Freakonomics Radio (a very stout lineup, btw), is about the relationship between fertility and housing. If you want to get a head start on your reading, check out “Did the Modern Mortgage Set the Stage for the Baby Boom?,” a new working paper by Lisa Dettling and Melissa Kearney. They find that New Deal mortgage policies led to an estimated three million additional births from 1935-1957, which would account for roughly 10 percent of the excess births that we have come to know as the baby boom. That’s the thing about kids: you need to have a place to put them!

I hope you and yours are having a great summer.

Meet Interesting People at These Events

Better in Person is co-organizing a series of real-world events, hand-selected by our team. Meet other interesting people over a dog-friendly comedy show or a screening of next week’s Better in Person episode…and more events (including some in other cities) to be announced.

Better in Person Pre-Screening Watch Party at Moss NYC. 520 5th Ave, New York, NY 10036. We’re making pre-screening watch parties a habit, with our next episode (featuring a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist) showing at Moss on Monday.

August 17th, doors, drinks and mixing at 6pm, screening 6:30-7:30pm. Free with required RSVP. Seats are limited for attendees who are not members of Moss NYC, so we recommend signing up soon.

Better in Person and Must Love Dogs and Comedy, at Boris and Horton, 195 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009. The standup show will feature comedians Alison Leiby, Ike Ufomadu, Myq Kaplan, Patricia Dinglasan, Cathy Chao and Jolie Dudley, who have been featured on The Tonight Show, Vulture, and more. Proceeds from ticket sales go to support Badass Animal Rescue, and bringing your own dog is highly recommended.

August 14th, 7-9pm. Buy tickets here.

Part Two of Stephen Dubner’s Better in Person Reading List

For these slow weeks of summer, you may want to pick up a good book. Here are a few new (or forthcoming) books Stephen’s loving now from friends and guests of Freakonomics Radio, all also available to purchase from independent bookstores via Stephen’s reading list on Bookshop.org.

• The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else’s Game, by C. Thi Nguyen. Great insights into what games really mean.

• The Breakup: A Novel, by Kurt Andersen. He does things with words that no one else can. And his plots are intoxicating.

• Situated: Find the People and Places that Bring Out Your Best, by Angela Duckworth. The author of Grit returns with another insightful framework.

• Inside the Owner’s Box: Conversations on Power and Leadership in Sports, by David Rubenstein. One of our most interesting and thoughtful billionaires.

• Co-Existence: The Next Phase of A.I., by Ethan Mollick. With so many people jumping to rash conclusions about A.I., it’s nice to have a thoughtful guide like Mollick asking good questions.

• The Opposite of Happiness: How Bad Feelings Make and Break Us, by George Loewenstein. A welcome antidote to the shouty happiness literature.

And Better in Person Caps

Cast a vote for what you think is better in person. Now available: Therapy, Opinions, Revenge, Horror Movies, Old Friends, A Masterpiece, and Flirting. Plus Better in Person guest-inspired caps added weekly with each episode.

Shop Caps

Before I wrote books and made podcasts, I played music with a band called The Right Profile. That’s how I met Warren Zanes. He was a guitarist with the Del Fuegos, a great Boston band started by Warren’s big brother Dan Zanes. The Fuegos had a good run but eventually ran aground. Warren needed to essentially start life anew. He got a bunch of college degrees and has gone on to write some of the best books about rock-and-roll, including Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, which was recently turned into a film starring Jeremy Allen White. He is also one of the best storytellers you will ever run into, and he is the guest on this week’s episode of Better in Person, our new TV talk show.

You can watch Better in Person on the Freakonomics YouTube channel, here:

Warren’s story is a story of reinvention, over and over. Here are a few of his insights:

1. When a door closes, don’t try to reopen it.

2. To be a good biographer, “You have to be willing to forfeit the relationship with the subject.” At some point, you work for the audience.

3. When the moment is right, it may be better to turn the amp down to zero and just take it all in.

4. If you don’t process your own history, it may come back to do some nasty things to you.

5. Great songwriting is also great writing.

Meanwhile, this week on Freakonomics Radio:

What I’m Reading Right Now:

The Breakup: A Novel, by Kurt Andersen. He does things with words that no one else can. And his plots are intoxicating.

Situated: Find the People and Places that Bring out Your Best, by Angela Duckworth. The author of Grit returns with another insightful framework.

The Opposite of Happiness: How Bad Feelings Make and Break Us, by George Loewenstein. A welcome antidote to the shouty happiness literature.

An Econ Paper I Loved:

“Deadly Stigma” by Manasvini Singh.

This working paper looks at hospital mortality at the cut-off when a patient is labeled “obese” as opposed to “overweight” on the B.M.I. scale. Singh finds a 40 percent increase in mortality rates even though there is no change in underlying health status. And using L.L.M.s to read physicians’ notes, she is able to causally tie this mortality increase to stigma. We interviewed Singh as a part of an upcoming episode.

Thanks to everyone for your astonishing embrace of Better in Person and your continuing support of Freakonomics Radio. I’ll be back next week with more news. Until then, take care of yourself — and, if you can, someone else too.

sjd

When I decided to make a TV talk show in my living room, I hoped we could talk about difficult things without the conversation itself being difficult. This week’s guest, Angela Buchdahl, is a master of exactly this skill. (You can watch Better in Person on the Freakonomics YouTube channel, or here):

Buchdahl is senior rabbi at Central Synagogue in New York City. Her services are streamed globally, and she got a lot of attention after the October 7 attacks in Israel for rejecting a binary way of thinking about the crisis. She has spent her career thinking about how people who disagree can actually talk to each other. Here are a few of her insights:

1. Feeling like a stranger with someone else can be the first point of connection.

2. The best arguments don’t end with one opinion beating another but with a third opinion neither side could reach alone.

3. Don’t lead with the hardest topic.

4. One of Judaism’s best ideas may be the Sabbath. It’s a reminder to reclaim your time to “just be.”

5. “Human beings are the greatest source of awe that we have in the world.”

As someone who’s always on the lookout for awe, I found this conversation … awesome. Hope you feel the same.

Because I live on the Upper West Side, my favorite publication in the world is the hyperlocal West Side Rag. So it was big fun to speak with Gus Saltonstall of the Rag for this feature on Better in Person:

West Side Rag: “Why The Creator of ‘Freakonomics’ Launched a New Show Out of His Upper West Side Living Room”

Meanwhile, this week on Freakonomics Radio:

What I’m Reading Right Now:

Inside the Owner’s Box: Conversations on Power and Leadership in Sports, by David Rubenstein, one of our more thoughtful and interesting billionaires.

A Nice Chart to Look at:

I recently had a conversation with former S.E.C. chair Gary Gensler about the big A.I. bet in our economy, and how this boom is like (or unlike?) earlier ones. We’ll be publishing that episode soon, but in the meantime here’s one of the more interesting charts we came across while researching this episode:

Thanks to everyone for your astonishing embrace of Better in Person and your continuing support of Freakonomics Radio. I’ll be back next week with more news. Until then, take care of yourself — and, if you can, someone else too.

sjd

Sean Penn once said about summer blockbusters, “You can’t help but laugh a little, because you’ve already seen a lot of these movies 482 times.” If you’re seeking something more original than another episode with Peter Parker, here are a few recommendations for movies to watch in the air-conditioned rapture of a movie theater or in the comfort of your home, from the Freakonomics and Better in Person teams.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (2026)

Why: Summer is the season of horror movies. This one startles while still managing to be artful and clever. It’s also one of the only movies about movie-making that doesn’t feel like it’s only made for people in the industry.

Who recommended: Bettina H.

Where: In theaters

The Oldest Person in the World (2026)

Why: Unlike any documentary I’ve seen before. What begins as a portrait of longevity becomes a meditation on the passage of time, the randomness of fate, and the joy and profound human experience of being alive.

Who recommended: Mandi G.

Where: In theaters

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)(2021)

Why: A truly beautiful piece of New York and music history that sat unseen in a basement for 50 years. It’s Questlove’s debut documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, held the same summer as Woodstock, and it’s fun to see him in the interview chair for it!

Who recommended: Ilaria M.

Where: Streaming

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)

Why: Prime Nick Cage playing the role of a cop struggling with chronic pain and drug addiction, and it’s directed by Werner Herzog. How could it possibly get better?

Who recommended: Theo J.

Where: Streaming

A Room with a View (1985)

Why: I recently watched the new limited series adaptation of Amadeus, and while it was not bad, it left me wondering why they needed to remake one of the few perfect movies. There’s another perfect movie from about the same time in the ‘80s, and I think it endures as an ideal summer watch: A Room with a View. It even contains a perfect scene, when George finds Lucy in a Florentine meadow.

Who recommended: Bettina H.

Where: Streaming

And listen to Freakonomics episodes on why Hollywood’s visual-effects industry has vanished, the human artistry behind movie sound effects, and why everyone suddenly started watching documentaries.

Meet Interesting People at These Events

Better in Person is co-organizing a series of real-world events, hand-selected by our team. Meet other interesting people over backgammon, a dog-friendly comedy show, a screening of next week’s Better in Person episode…and more events (including some in other cities) to be announced.

Better in Person Pre-Screening Watch Party at Moss NYC. 520 5th Ave, New York, NY 10036. After a great conversation at last week’s session, we’re making pre-screening watch parties a habit, with our next episode showing at Moss on Monday.

August 10th, doors at 6pm, screening 6:30-7:30pm. Free with required RSVP. Seats are limited for attendees who are not members of Moss NYC, so we recommend signing up soon.

Better in Person and NYC Backgammon Club in NYC, at Blind Barber, 339 E 10th St, New York, NY 10009. Backgammon enthusiasts of all skill levels welcome.

August 12th, 6:30-10:00pm. Buy tickets here.

Better in Person and Must Love Dogs and Comedy, at Boris and Horton, 195 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009. A standup show whose rotation includes writers from The Daily Show and other late night shows, and where bringing your dog isn’t just permitted, it’s recommended.

August 14th, 7-9pm. Buy tickets here.

In Case You Missed It

In this week’s episode of Better in Person, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl shares her approach to creating togetherness in a divisive world. Belief in God not required.

And caps that tell the world what you like better in person:

Shop Caps

Better in Person is co-organizing a series of real-world events, hand-selected by our team. Meet other interesting people over backgammon, a dog-friendly comedy show, a screening of next week’s Better in Person episode, a session at a bathhouse…and more events (including some in other cities) to be announced.

• Better in Person Pre-Screening Watch Party at Moss NYC. 520 5th Ave, New York, NY 10036. Watch the next episode the evening before it airs in a beautiful setting and in the company of other interesting people. An executive producer from Better in Person will also join for a Q&A after the screening.

• August 3rd, doors at 6pm, screening 6:30-7:30pm, followed by Q&A. Free with required RSVP. Seats are limited for attendees who are not members of Moss NYC, so we recommend signing up soon.

• Better in Person and Lore Bathing Club, 676 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. An evening of sauna and socializing, with an optional aufguss ceremony.

• August 5th — all sessions starting between 7 and 7:45pm are a part of this event. Book your session here.
  

• Better in Person and NYC Backgammon Club in NYC, at Blind Barber, 339 E 10th St, New York, NY 10009. Backgammon enthusiasts of all skill levels welcome.

• August 12th, 6:30-10:00pm. Buy tickets here.
  

  

• Better in Person and Must Love Dogs and Comedy, at Boris and Horton, 195 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009. A standup show whose rotation includes writers from The Daily Show and other late night shows, and where bringing your dog isn’t just permitted, it’s recommended.

• August 14th, 7-9pm. Buy tickets here.

  ---

For those of you looking for reading recommendations, we have part one of a reading list by Stephen, with all books also listed here on Bookshop.org. Stay tuned for part two next week.

Stephen Dubner's "Better in Person" Reading List

Is it possible that I went to the trouble of making a TV talk show just to give myself the chance to read a bunch of books that I otherwise wouldn’t have read? Umm … yes. The show is called Better in Person. It can be found on the Freakonomics YouTube channel. Here are some of my favorite books written by guests from the first season of Better in Person.

• Manhattan Beach (2017) and A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010) by Jennifer Egan. She’s a remarkably versatile novelist, brainy but accessible, and deeply humane.
  
  For the Better in Person taping, she brought along her working manuscript for a detective novel set in 1950s San Francisco. I can’t wait until she is done.
  

• Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, by Warren Zanes (2023). Special book by a special writer, turned into a recent film with Jeremy Allen White.
  

• Petty: The Biography (2015). Another book by Warren that I would strongly recommend.
  

• Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi’s Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging (2025), by Angela Buchdahl. This is both a fascinating memoir and a book of wisdom; I enjoyed it immensely and learned a lot.
  

• Six Years (2013) and Tell No One (2001) by Harlan Coben, and Gone Before Goodbye (2025), with Reese Witherspoon. As thriller writers go, Coben is particularly generous: he nearly always heals your nerves after he has shredded them. I am also looking forward to his forthcoming memoir Plot Twist: Life, Craft, and the Messy First Draft.
  

• Safe Enough Spaces: A Pragmatist’s Approach to Inclusion, Free Speech, and Political Correctness on College Campuses (2019), by Michael S. Roth. You have likely encountered Roth, the president of Wesleyan University, on an op-ed page or podcast: he is among the most thoughtful and (outspoken leaders) in higher ed. This book gives great insight into his foundational beliefs.
  

• BIG. Yes Is More: An Archicomic on Architectural Evolution (2009), by Bjarke Ingels Group. The Danish architect Ingels is one of the most dynamic and creative architects in the modern era, and this monograph gives a good look at his wild brain.
  

• AMMAZZA!: Culinary Adventures from New York to Italy and Back Again (2026), by Hillary Sterling. This cookbook-memoir hybrid reveals an inventive chef with an infectious enthusiasm for food and fun.
  

• Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football (2019), by John Urschel and Louisa Thomas. Few of us are world-class at any one thing; Urschel has done it twice — first as an N.F.L. player, now as an M.I.T. math professor. This is an unusual and wonderful memoir, written with New Yorker sportswriter Louisa Thomas (who is also Urschel’s wife); every page sparkles with insight and humanity.
  

• Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the ‘80s (2023), by Gary Gulman. He is one of the most cerebral comedians who ever lived, and this spiky memoir shows how he got there.
  

• Talk Show: Confrontations, Pointed Commentary, and Off-Screen Secrets (2011), by Dick Cavett. The legendary talk-show host Dick Cavett was one of my main inspirations for making Better in Person; in this book he recounts some of his best late-night moments.

Caps for people who know that almost everything is better in person.

Shop Caps

Yes, it is summertime, when most sensible people are relaxing, but for some reason we are making new shows as if it’s peak season.

Our latest episode of Better in Person, which you can watch on the Freakonomics YouTube channel, features the thriller king Harlan Coben:

Coben has sold something like 90 million copies of his books, and he also produces the TV/film versions. He is exceptionally unfussy about his craft, and he has some practical advice for writers of every level:

1. A lot of “research” is just procrastination in disguise.

2. Film adaptations should not be “slavishly devoted” to the text.

3. Impostor syndrome is real, and it affects nearly every writer.

4. A placid suburb can be one of the scariest places on earth.

5. To get the real work of writing done, think more like a plumber than an artistic genius.

I had a nice visit with Pat Kiernan and Jamie Stelter of NY1’s Morning People, to talk about the launch of Better in Person:

And this week, we published two episodes of Freakonomics Radio:

Thanks to everyone for your astonishing embrace of Better in Person and your continuing support of Freakonomics Radio. I’ll be back next week with more news. Until then, take care of yourself — and, if you can, someone else too.

sjd

• SOURCES:

  • Blaise Agüera y Arcas, vice president and fellow at Google, C.T.O. of technology and society.

  • Travis Beals, senior director of product management at Google, Project Suncatcher lead.

  • Will Marshall, co-founder and C.E.O. of Planet Labs.

• RESOURCES:

  • What Is Intelligence?, by Blaise Agüera y Arcas (2025).

  • "Towards a future space-based, highly scalable AI infrastructure system design," by Blaise Agüera y Arcas, Travis Beals, Maria Biggs, Jessica V. Bloom, Thomas Fischbacher, Konstantin Gromov, Urs Köster, Rishiraj Pravahan, and James Manyika (Google, 2025).

  • Reason, by Isaac Asimov (1941).

• EXTRAS: 

  • "Are Our Tools Becoming Part of Us?," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Caps for people who know that almost everything is better in person.

Shop

Meet people, in person…

Better in Person is co-organizing a series of real-world events, hand-selected by our team. Meet other interesting people over backgammon, a dog-friendly comedy show, a session at a bathhouse…and more events (including some in other cities) to be announced.

• Better in Person and Lore Bathing Club, 676 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. An evening of sauna and socializing, with an optional aufguss ceremony.

• August 5th — all sessions starting between 7 and 745pm are a part of this event. Book your session here.
  

• Better in Person and NYC Backgammon Club in NYC, at Blind Barber, 339 E 10th St, New York, NY 10009. Backgammon enthusiasts of all skill levels welcome.

• August 12th, 6:30-10:00pm. Buy tickets here.
  

  

• Better in Person and Must Love Dogs and Comedy, at Boris and Horton, 195 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009. A standup show whose rotation includes writers from The Daily Show and other late night shows, and where bringing your dog isn’t just permitted, it’s recommended.

• August 14th, 7-9pm. Buy tickets here.
  

  
  

Okay, this was a week I won’t forget. Let’s start with the billboard, in Times Square. I am not joking — a billboard, in Times Square.

SiriusXM put it up to celebrate the launch of Better in Person. We all went down to take a picture with it. They used to call Times Square the “Crossroads of the World,” and on this day, during the final week of a great World Cup, it certainly felt that way. It was awesome.

Looking at this picture now (and yes, it’s a frenzied pic, I explain below), I am reminded that all of our families come from all of the places everywhere that people have always come from to try to make it in New York. (Thanks, parents and grandparents.)

For the past year-plus, I have been working with this great team to create what we hope will be a great show. I think of Better in Person as an indie TV talk show. We just launched on the Freakonomics YouTube channel and on Apple Podcasts. Our first two guests were Bjarke Ingels and Hillary Sterling. This week, it’s Gary Gulman. The response so far has been extraordinary, and we are beyond excited (and grateful).

I had a blast going on CBS Mornings to talk about Better in Person with Gayle King, Nate Burleson, and Vladimir Duthiers.

Why such a blast? It was great to see Gayle again. I guested on her show in days past, and I’ve always loved her spirit and energy. If you don’t know Vlad, you need to, and read his backstory. I am a long-time Nate fan (from NFL + GMFB) and after our segment he (upon learning I am a Steelers fan) shared a great Mike Tomlin story with me.

Oh, and I also got to talk about my brand-new talk show on a famous old talk show, so that was fun.

To celebrate all the hard work, we had a launch party at City Winery, a great venue that knows how to throw a great party. We have done live shows there in the past and this reminded me we should do more!

Among the Season One guests in attendance were Hillary Sterling, Anne Pasternak, and Harlan Coben. Thanks for coming, good people. Here’s Harlan with our exec producer Ellen Frankman:

We celebrated with many great collaborators and friends, and also with my favorite family in the world:

Meanwhile, this week on Freakonomics Radio:

Thanks to everyone for all the good cheer and encouragement on Better in Person. Please do give it a watch on the Freakonomics YouTube channel. Be back here soon. Until then, take care of yourself — and, if you can, someone else too.

• SOURCES:

  • Kimberly Blumenthal, allergist-immunologist and researcher at the Mayo Clinic.

  • Theresa MacPhail, associate professor of science and technology studies at Stevens Institute of Technology.

  • Thomas Platts-Mills, professor of medicine at the University of Virginia.

  • Elena Resnick, allergist and immunologist at Mount Sinai Hospital.

• RESOURCES:

  • Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World, by Theresa MacPhail (2023).

  • "Evaluation and Management of Penicillin Allergy: A Review," by Erica S. Shenoy, Eric Macy, and Theresa Rowe (JAMA, 2019).

  • "The Allergy Epidemics: 1870–2010," by Thomas Platts-Mills (The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2016).

  • "Randomized Trial of Peanut Consumption in Infants at Risk for Peanut Allergy," by George Du Toit, Graham Roberts, et al. (The New England Journal of Medicine, 2015).

• EXTRAS:

  • "The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better," series by Freakonomics Radio (2026).

  • "Doctors Know They Prescribe Too Many Antibiotics. Why Don’t They Stop?" by Freakonomics, M.D. (2022).

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On Better in Person, Dubner invites remarkable people into his home for a kind of conversation that’s hard to find: curious, free-wheeling, even profound. They talk, play, eat and drink, argue and laugh. The result? Less interview, more shared discovery.

This is how a conversation works.

Here’s the pitch: If Freakonomics explains how things work, Better in Person is about how people work. In each episode, we invite a remarkable person into my living room for an unscripted conversation. We also take field trips into their world.

Who are the guests in Season One?

Starchitect Bjarke Ingels … thriller king Harlan Coben … live-fire chef Hillary Sterling … N.F.L.-turned-M.I.T. math professor John Urschel … unlikely rabbi Angela Buchdahl … Wesleyan president Michael Roth … Brooklyn Museum director Anne Pasternak … rocker, writer, and Springsteen whisperer Warren Zanes … Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jennifer Egan … Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt … and comedian/basketball junkie Gary Gulman …

Where can I watch?

You can find the first two episodes live right now on the Freakonomics YouTube channel. Please watch, subscribe to our channel (it’s free), and recommend to everyone you know! You can also watch the show on Apple Podcasts.

What else should I know?

It is a beautiful-looking show — six cameras, graphics by Pentagram, set design by Charlap Hyman & Herrero. So if you’re choosing between watching on your phone or a real screen, watch on the real screen. Also, the theme music is by Michael Kiwanuka, so turn it up!

What can I do to help?

With your help, we will make many more seasons of Better in Person. But first, we need to build an audience. This is an indie startup, self-funded and made by hand. We wanted to make a real human show, not one that’s driven by algorithms or market research. So remember: watch and subscribe on YouTube, and tell a friend. To keep up with new stuff (live shows, merch, etc.), expect updates here on Substack every week and follow Freakonomics and on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, etc.

And on this week’s episode of Freakonomics Radio, I pay a visit to Dick Cavett, the man who accidentally inspired Better in Person:

Will be back soon with more news. Let me know what you think! In the meantime, take care of yourself — and, if you can, someone else too.

sjd

• SOURCES:

  • Dick Cavett, writer, former talk show host.

• RESOURCES:

  • Eye on Cavett, by Dick Cavett and Christopher Porterfield (1983).

  • Cavett, by Dick Cavett and Christopher Porterfield (1974).

  • "The Dick Cavett Show" YouTube Channel.

  • "Better in Person" Trailer.

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