Episodes

Join Michael in his conversation with Richard North Patterson about his new book Tripwires, 15 Twenty-First-Century Events That Undermined American Democracy—And How to Reclaim It which identifies a series of self-inflicted wounds and destabilizing societal trends that have led America to the precipice of Autocracy and lays out a program for reversing the harm. Richard North Patterson is the author of twenty-three novels, sixteen of which have been New York Times bestsellers, as well as a nonfic...

Join Michael in his conversation with Colin Asher about his new book The Midnight Special, The Secret Prison History of American Music which explores the rich tradition of music behind bars and shows how policing and prisons have shaped our musical culture from blues to hip-hop. After spending a decade as a bicycle messenger among other things, Colin received a Bachelors of Science degree from Northeastern University, and a Master of Arts from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalis...

Join Michael Zeldin as he speaks with Princeton historian Julian Zelizer about his book, Abraham Joshua Heschel, A Life of Radical Amazement. In his lifetime, Rabbi Heschel helped to carve out space for progressive religious voices on the national and international stage in the civil rights, anti-war, and religious freedom movements. Coretta Scott King, called Heschel “one of the great men of our times.” Julian Zelizer is the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Publ...

Join Michael in his conversation with best–selling author Eric Jay Dolin about his latest book The Wreck of the Mentor which tells the story of the American whaling ship Mentor, wrecked in 1832 on a remote reef in the western Pacific. With supplies dwindling, the eleven surviving crewmen face not only the miseries of shipwreck in unfamiliar territory but also the profound uncertainty of contact with the Indigenous people of the Micronesian archipelago of Palau, who within days approach the deser...

Join Michael in his conversation Lois Romano about her new book An Inconvenient Widow, The Torment, Trial and Triumph of Mary Todd Lincoln a revelatory new biography of one of the most misunderstood and vilified First Ladies in American history: Mary Todd Lincoln. Book Notes Mary Lincoln was at the center of politics at a time when society’s expectations for women were rigid and circumscribed. The product of Southern aristocracy, she grew up among an influential clan of politicians and elites w...

Join Michael in his conversation with Andrew Graham-Dixon about his new book Vermeer, A Life Lost and Found which is a groundbreaking study of the seventeenth century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. Andrew is a British art historian, art critic, author and broadcaster and one of the leading art critics and presenters of arts television in the English-speaking world. He has presented numerous landmark series on art for the BBC and in the course of his storied career, has won numerous awards for wr...

Join Michael in his conversation with Stanley Andrisse about his book Breaking Chains, Building Futures, Pathways to Redemption, Education, and Excellence which Chronicles his personal journey from incarceration to earning a doctorate as an endocrinologist scientist recording at the Gaithersburg Book Festival. Watch the event here Stanley is an American endocrinologist, scientist and writer. He is a tenured associate professor at Howard University College of Medicine and Georgetown Medical Cent...

Join Michael in his conversation with Irvin Ungar about his new book Reviving the Artist Who Fought Hitler, My Life with Arthur Szyk which tells the story of his journey from pulpit rabbi to the world’s foremost authority of the artist who became America’s leading anti-Nazi artist. Irvin has devoted the past three decades to scholarship on Arthur Szyk. He is the author of Justice Illuminated: The Art of Arthur Szyk and the National Jewish Book Award–winning Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art; and he i...

Join Michael in his conversation with Nancy Hays about her new young reader’s book Riding for America, The Story of Isaac Murphy, Sports Icon of the 19th Century which tells the story of the most storied and yet forgotten African American jockey of all time. Nancy received her bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois in Urbana and master’s degree from Northwestern University. She founded Nancy Hays Entertainment, Inc. in 1993. She is a professional singer, dancer, actor, and author. Ridin...

Join Michael in his conversation with Anne Sebba about her new book The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, A Story of Survival which tells the story of a group of almost fifty women and girls from eleven nations who were drafted into band to entertain their Nazi guards and further torture their fellow inmates. Anne Sebba is a prizewinning biographer, lecturer, and former Reuters foreign correspondent. She is a member of the Council of Britain’s Society of Authors and is also a Senior Research Fell...

Join Michael in his conversation with Lynne Olson about her new book The Sisterhood of Ravensbrück, How an Intrepid Band of Frenchwomen Resisted the Nazis in Hitler’s All-Female Concentration Camp which tells the remarkable story of these women who joined forces to defy their German captures and keep one another alive. Lynne Olson is a New York Times bestselling author of ten books focusing on unsung heroes—people of courage and conscience who helped change their country and the world but who, f...

Join Michael in his conversation with Nina Willner about her new book, The Boys in the Light, An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival, Faith, and Brotherhood which tells the parallel stories of the American soldiers of Company D and their march across Europe and that of her Jewish family caught in the horrors of Nazi German. Nina Willner is an American nonfiction author, a former US Army intelligence officer in Berlin during the Cold War. Following her career in intelligence she worked a...

Join Michael in his conversation with Graydon Carter about his memoir When the Going was Good, An Editor’s Adventures During the Last Golden Age of Magazines which documents his life and storied journalism career including his twenty-five years as the award-winning editor of Vanity Fair. Graydon Carter is the founder of Air Mail. Before this, he was a staff writer for both Time and Life. He cocreated Spy, edited The New York Observer, and for twenty-five years was the award-winning editor of Va...

Join Michael in his conversation with Elliot Williams about his new book Five Bullets, The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York’s Explosive ’80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial that Divided the Nation which explores the riveting events surrounding the shooting of four Black teenagers by a white man on a NY subway car. Elliot Williams was a Deputy Assistant Attorney General for legislative affairs at the U.S. Department of Justice from 2013-2017. Prior to that, he served as Assistant Director for con...

Join Michael in his conversation with David Margolick about his new book When Caesar Was King, How Sid Ceasar Reinvented American Comedy which chronicles the life and times of Sid Caesar who, essentially, invented sketch comedy for television with his shows Your Show of Shows and the Caesar Hour in the 1950s. As Mel Brooks said “without Sid Caesar there would be no Mel Brooks.” David Margolick is a longtime contributing editor at Vanity Fair, where he writes about culture, the media, and politic...

Join Michael’s conversation with Stephen Rea about his new book Ozzy and Me, Life Lesson, Wild Stories and Unexpected Epiphanies from Forty Years of Friendship with the Prince of Darkness which chronicles his more than 40-year friendship with Ozzy Osbourne. Stephen Rea is a former United Kingdom newspaper journalist and the author of the memoir Finn McCool’s Football Club. Originally from Northern Ireland, he lives and teaches writing in New Orleans. Joining us as a special guest and co-host i...

Join Michael in his conversation with Jonathan Freedland about his new non-fiction book The Traitors Circle, The True Story of a Secret Resistance Network in Nazi Germany—and the Spy Who Betrayed Them which tells the story of a circle of unlikely rebels, drawn from the German elite who shared loathing of the Nazis, a refusal to bow to Hitler and the courage to perform perilous acts of resistance. Jonathan is a British journalist who writes a weekly column for The Guardian and presents the BBC Ra...

On today's show we'll be speaking with Congressman Jim Clyburn about his new book, The First Eight, a personal history of the pioneering black congressmen who shaped a nation, which tells the story of those black congressmen from South Carolina who were elected in the aftermath of the Civil War while revealing why it took nearly a century before the ninth. The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/br...

On today's show, we are speaking with Andrew Porwancher about his new book, “American Maccabee, Theodore Roosevelt and the Jews.” This episode was taped before a live stream audience in conjunction with Adas Israel Synagogue and Temple Beth El. Most Americans underestimate how deeply Theodore Roosevelt's relationship with Jewish communities shaped both his policies and his legacy. Discover how Roosevelt’s personalized diplomacy, daring public stands, and private actions set a new standard for m...

On this week’s show we will be speaking with Chris Matthews about his new book Lessons from Bobby, Ten Reasons Robert F. Kennedy Still Matters which offers important lessons for public and private sector leaders alike. Chris Matthews hosted Hardball with Chris Matthews for a generation on MSNBC and now can be found exclusively on Substack. Chris is the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit among many others. Chris was presidential speechwriter for Jimmy Ca...

Join Michael in his conversation with Jeffrey Rosen about his new book, The Pursuit of Liberty. How Jefferson versus Hamilton ignited the lasting battle over power in America. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Join Michael in his conversation Dr. Sanjay Gupta about his book It Doesn’t Have to Hurt, Your Smart Guide to a Pain-Free Life which explores the neuroscience of chronic pain and offers a seven-step process for addressing it. Dr. Gupta is an Associate Professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and CNN’s Emmy Award-winning chief medical correspondent. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https...

Join Michael in his previously recorded special presentation in conjunction with Adas Israel Congregation of Washington, DC and Congregation Beth El in Montgomery County, Maryland with Rachel Cockerell about her new book Melting Point: Family, Memory, and the Search for a Promised Land. Rachel Cockerell is a writer and historian, born and raised in London. The book is an “experimental” history about her family’s search for a promised land. It centers around Theodor Herzl and the early Zionist ca...

Join Michael in his conversation with Jane Leavy about her new book, Make Me Commissioner, I Know What’s Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It which is a behind the scenes road trip through the far corners of the baseball world as she sets out to uncover how the game broke, and to find the people and the ideas that just might bring it back. Jane Leavy is an award-winning former sportswriter and feature writer for the Washington Post, known for diving into a subject and emerging with work that i...