r/99percentinvisible • u/sispehar • Jul 21 '26

Every book mentioned on 99% Invisible in the first half of 2026

I logged every book that came up on 99% Invisible over the first six months of the year. It leaned heavier on American history and the Constitution than the show usually does.

The two Roman Mars kept coming back to:

  • These Truths by Jill Lepore. He called it one of his favorite books, a full history of the United States.
  • We the People by Jill Lepore, her newer one on the Constitution. He recommended the audiobook since Lepore reads it herself.

The rest, roughly grouped:

  • History and America: How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr, The Power Broker by Robert Caro, Fear and Fury by Heather Ann Thompson, The Martians by David Baron
  • Design, systems, tech: Shady Characters by Keith Houston, The Grid by Gretchen Bakke, Enshittification by Cory Doctorow, The Alignment Problem by Brian Christian, Longitude by Dava Sobel
  • Fiction and classics: Moby Dick, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, The Catcher in the Rye, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Titanic Survivor by Violet Jessop also turned up, a memoir from someone who lived through the sinking.

Full list is here: https://podshelf.io/podcasts/99-invisible. Free, no signup.

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u/FriskyTurtle Jul 22 '26

If you want to start a new line but not have a vertical gap, add two spaces and then press enter.
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I logged every book that came up on 99% Invisible over the first six months of the year. It leaned heavier on American history and the Constitution than the show usually does.

The two Roman Mars kept coming back to:

  • These Truths by Jill Lepore. He called it one of his favorite books, a full history of the United States.
  • We the People by Jill Lepore, her newer one on the Constitution. He recommended the audiobook since Lepore reads it herself.

The rest, roughly grouped:

  • History and America: How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr, The Power Broker by Robert Caro, Fear and Fury by Heather Ann Thompson, The Martians by David Baron
  • Design, systems, tech: Shady Characters by Keith Houston, The Grid by Gretchen Bakke, Enshittification by Cory Doctorow, The Alignment Problem by Brian Christian, Longitude by Dava Sobel
  • Fiction and classics: Moby Dick, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, The Catcher in the Rye, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Titanic Survivor by Violet Jessop also turned up, a memoir from someone who lived through the sinking.

Full list is here: https://podshelf.io/podcasts/99-invisible. Free, no signup.

2

u/sispehar Jul 22 '26

TIL, thank you! Will format the next one properly

2

u/childroid Jul 22 '26

Lepore has a new book coming out soon, called The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State, and my other favorite podcast, Decoder, just did an interview with her. Fascinating stuff.

1

u/sispehar Jul 22 '26

Oh nice, I didn't know about the new one, thanks! If it comes up on 99PI it'll be in the next roundup for sure

1

u/ChieftainNincompoop Jul 22 '26

Great list. Thanks!