Starting Point

Books and Podcasts to start your Bitcoin journey

You’re going to learn about Bitcoin eventually. Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a guide? I’ll share more about myself another time though some of you already know me from what I do in the fiat world. Regardless, thank you for finding your way here.

First thing you should do before buying any amount of bitcoin is study.

If you know why you’re buying bitcoin, you won’t make the mistake of selling for endless fiat from the government money printer. It’s that simple.

(Note: Pretty much all the books below can be found on Audible, or if you have Spotify Premium you may find it there. Spotify’s list of audible books is expanding every week. Listen while you drive, walk, cook, etc. No excuse for not making time to understand money. You work for it. Devote time to understanding what is money or you will forever be on the fiat Matrix.)

Books

1. The Price of Tomorrow (I’ve read it twice and own it on Audible with 2 listens as well. This is not a book about Bitcoin. My wife listened to a Jeff Booth interview on a car ride and had her Eureka moment. Jeff Booth, folks. No one better in my opinion to help you bridge the gap in how deflation and inflation actually works.)

2. The Bitcoin Standard/The Fiat Standard or Broken Money (Read the reviews and take your pick: Saifedean Ammous or Lyn Alden. You only go wrong if you skip both authors.)

3. Check Your Financial Priviledge (Think Bitcoin has no use case? Bitcoin is already being used as insurance against fiat collapse around the world.)

4. Gradually Then Suddenly (A collection of essays by Parker Lewis in the author’s preferred order of reading. Absolutely worth having in hardcover but you can find all individual essays for free on the web. Parker debunks all the FUD.)

5. The Dollar Endgame (Completely underrated book in the bitcoin space. Extremely readable, doesn’t require a Ph.D in economics to understand. Make some popcorn and read.)

6. Everything Divided by 21 Million (Now that you have a better understanding of bitcoin, you start to see “everything…”)

7. 21 Lessons (A Bitcoin classic by Der Gigi. Each short chapter gives a glimpse of his Alice in Wonderland like rabbit hole journey into how Bitcoin helped Der Gigi better appreciate philosophy, economics, and technology. Also, look for his individual essays on the web.)

8. The Internet of Money (Could easily be #2 if you want the “easy button” version of understanding Bitcoin. This is the first Bitcoin book I gave my son.)

9. The Bitcoin Handbook (A book of one pagers that will fill your knowledge gap in a hurry covering key concepts in economics, technology, and even psychology. Nerd alert! Finish this book and you’ll have a better understanding of money than everyone in your circle of friends. Downside: you’ll need new Bitcoin friends. BTW, there’s an app for that…you’ll find me there. We are everywhere…)

10. Fiat Food (Might be an odd pick but once you learn how fiat money has led to cheaper ingredients, shrinkflation, and declining health you’ll understand the importance of fixing the money. More importantly, you’ll make better food decisions. Food is medicine.)

For a deeper dive into history, economics, and finance:

1. The Creature From Jekyll Island (How was the Federal Reserve, our 3rd central bank in U.S. history, created? Answer: in secret on Jekyll Island before WWI. As Ron Paul noted, ““It is no coincidence that the century of total war coincided with the century of central banking.” Reads like a spy novel. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way we could defund war by choosing a free market money that politicians and bankers couldn’t print to finance wars?)

2. The Price of Time (Fantastic journey back in time to learn about the history of interest rates and money.)

3. Lords of Easy Money (We just lived through unprecedented time of 0% interest rates after the Great Financial Crisis of 2007-09 and the damage has yet to be realized. Read The Price of Time before delving into this gem.)

4. Principles of Economics (I didn’t think it possible but I actually enjoyed reading about real economics, not the fluff Keynesian psuedoeconomics we’re gaslighted with all our adult lives from college and beyond. Looking at you legacy mainstream media, the White House, and the Fed.)

5. End The Fed (The CIA has more oversight than the Federal Reserve, an unelected banking cabal put in charge by Congress to slowly destroy the value of the dollar. Did you know the Fed has never been audited? There is no civil liberty without economic liberty. Fix the money, fix the world. We can start by ending the 3rd central bank in our country’s history. Short of that, thank god for Bitcoin.)

Honorable Mention

1. Atlas Shrugged (My 16 year read it and immediately grasped the importance of this epic novel and how it relates to everything happening today. More than anything else, his interest in Bitcoin took off after reading this book.)

2. The Mandibles (Another work of fiction but the author might be prescient in her story telling. Think the dollar will be the world’s reserve currency forever? If yes, this is what will happen to your savings if you’re wrong. A cautionary tale against being financially ignorant while also mixing some good moments of humor. Not a bitcoin story. In fact, bitcoin gets one mention as a throw-in and is dismissed. Published in 2017. I think of it as a newer modern classic and Must Read in the realm where 1984 by George Orwell resides. My 16 year old read this one, too.)

Podcasts

(Bitcoiner tip: Download the Fountain App on your phone to earn bitcoin while you listen and learn!)

1. Bitcoin for Millenials with Bram Kanstein: Quality and engaging interviews geared towards, you guessed it, Millenials. Truth, however, is universal so it doesn’t matter your age. Just listen. Bram does an outstanding job. So much so that I’ve moved him to #1 as of January 2025.

2. Professor St. Onge: Daily videos released on X/Twitter or subscribe to receive all the videos together weekly on the Fountain app. Learn what the gaslighting clowns in DC are doing to us in plain English and you’ll find yourself returning for his wry sense of humor.

3. Bitcoin Audible: The catalog produced by Guy Swann is deep! My journey down the bitcoin rabbit hole happened during the Covid lockdowns. Don’t have time to read all the best Bitcoin work ever written??? No problem, Guy does the reading for you. No excuses! Listen while you cook, walk, drive, or exercise. For newcomers to bitcoin, I recommend starting where I did.

   -Masters and Slaves of Money by Robert Breedlove August 24, 2020

   -Then: Read 433 - Bitcoin is One for All - Part 1 August 28, 2020 thru Read 639 What is Money Anyway? Part 3 (Lyn Alden)

4. Coin Stories with Natalie Brunell: Insightful interviews by a professional journalist (and it shows).

5. Blue Collar Bitcoin: Josh and Dan give it to you whole hog. While they are definitely crass, don’t let these two firefighters fool you. They might be blue collar but they are brilliant, funny, and real. Great interviews and you won’t find another show with as many laughs. Sadly it looks like this show is no more but you can and should still listen.

6. What Bitcoin Did with Peter McCormack: Consistency in quality of interviews is important. I rate this show higher than #6 but this is a Starting Point list for people new to Bitcoin. FYI Danny Knowles has now taken over for Peter.

Other shows in my Fountain feed:

The “What is Money?” Show, The Bitcoin Matrix, Freedom Footprint, TFTC, Once Bitten, Rabbit Hole Recap, The Bitcoin Layer, The Breakdown, Swan Signal, Simply Bitcoin, The Stephan Livera Podcast, The Last Trade.

Life is never dull when the ability to learn is endless and since money is downstream of everything, I make learning about money a priority. It also satisfies my curiousity about how the world really works.

I got tired of the lies a long time ago when I realized it’s impossible for the price of everything to go up forever. (Seriously, in 30 years we’ll have $75 hamburgers and the average home price could be $5m+. A college education can already run over $350,000.)

A quick reminder for those who believe the current system will last forever: no one foresaw the fall of the Soviet Union… especially those living there!

Everything lasts forever until it doesn’t.

Our future depends on our ability to discern truth (sound money) from fiction (fiat). I recommend you make it a priority in your life to learn the truth about money.

If you’re curious how I can listen to so many shows and read so many books. I made it a priority. I also walk about 2 hours a day, workout 3x a week, cook 90% of meals at home. Add up all personal time and I probably listen and learn anywhere from 4-6 hours everyday. I realize that’s not possible for everyone, but if you can find 30 minutes a day to walk, exercise, or prepare a meal, take those moments to realize what’s important to you and commit to a better financial future. Be a sponge and soak up the knowledge.

Let me know if any of the recommendations become your favorites in the comments or on X/Twitter or Nostr.

2/13/25 - If you like the curated lists above, check out Starting Point II. Currently reading The Bushido of Bitcoin. Also, I’m going to start using AI to proofread my posts. I’m a horrible proofreader so please pardon the grammatical errors. No matter how many times I proofread, I can’t catch everything. It’s true, perfection is the enemy of good. Not saying I’ll post more, just hopefully you won’t catch all the mestakes when I do. ;)

Cheers,

John Montoya aka BTC_Loki

P.S.

Find me on Nostr using the Primal app:

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And one more thing since you’ve made it this far. Watch this video below if you chose the red pill.