Ep 028 – Nonfiction. Why aren't ordinary Russians more outraged by Putin's invasion of Ukraine? Jade McGlynn joins me to discuss why & to talk about her fascinating new book, "Memory Makers: The Politics of the Past in Putin's Russia." Support local bookstores & buy Jade's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9781350280762 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@warbookspodcast Apple: https://apple.co/3FP4ULb Spotify:...

Ep 027 – Nonfiction. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, when considering history, shouldn't have been such a surprise. Harvard Professor of Ukrainian History, Serhii Plokhy, joins me to discuss his new book, "The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History." Support local bookstores & buy Serhii's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9781324051190 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@warbookspodcast Apple: https://apple.co/3FP4ULb Spotify:...

Ep 026 – Fiction. In wartime Berlin, intelligence & spying was anything if not complicated— both morally and in practice. Peter Mann's excellent new novel, "The Torqued Man," explores the contorted lives of two German spies in the final years of World War II. Support local bookstores & buy Peter's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9780063072114 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@warbookspodcast Apple:...

Ep 025 – Nonfiction. Before the outbreak of World War II, the U.S. military was about the same size as Bulgaria's-- far too small to take on Hitler's Germany. Craig Nelson discusses how FDR set out to change this in his new book, "V Is For Victory: Franklin Roosevelt's American Revolution & the Triumph of World War II." Support local bookstores & buy Craig's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9781982122911 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube:...

Ep 024 – Fiction. In 2003, a postcard arrived at Anne's home with 4 names written on it, all of them family members who died at Auschwitz. In a fascinating English-language interview, acclaimed French author Anne Berest discusses her new World War II autobiographical novel, "The Postcard." Support local bookstores & buy Anne's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9781609458386 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@warbookspodcast Apple:...

Ep 023 – Nonfiction. Is there a uniquely German way of war? Oxford historian Peter H. Wilson joins me to challenge this notion & discuss 500 years of German military history in his new book, "Iron and Blood: A Military History of the German-Speaking Peoples since 1500." Support local bookstores & buy Peter's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9780674987623 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@warbookspodcast Apple:...

Ep 022 - Nonfiction. "If we understand the violence of reconstruction, we can understand the violence of today." Kidada E. Williams joins me to discuss her illuminating new book, 'I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War Against Reconstruction.' Support local bookstores & buy Kidada's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9781635576634 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@warbookspodcast Apple:...

Ep 021 - Nonfiction. No engines, no guns, and no second chances. For our U.S. Memorial Day episode, Scott McGaugh joins me to talk about the American glider pilots of World War II & his terrific new book, "Brotherhood of the Flying Coffin: The Glider Pilots of World War II." Support local bookstores & buy Scott's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9781472852946 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@warbookspodcast Apple:...

Ep 020 - Nonfiction. 20 years later, the Iraq War still lingers. "All the civil wars in Iraq & Syria had the spark from that chaos." Ghaith Abdul-Ahad joins me to discuss his fantastic new book, 'A Stranger in Your Own City: Travels in the Middle East's Long War.' Support local bookstores & buy Ghaith's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9780593536889 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@warbookspodcast Apple:...

Ep 019 - Nonfiction. How dangerous are things right now? In a first for the War Books Podcast, we discuss the future of war. Andrew Hoehn and Thom Shanker join me to chat about their terrific new book, "Age of Danger: Keeping America Safe in an Era of New Superpowers, New Weapons, and New Threats." Support local bookstores & buy Andrew and Thom's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9780306829109 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube:...

Ep 018 - Fiction. What can World War One, one of the world's most destructive conflicts, teach us about language, love, & same-sex partnerships? Aleksandar Hemon joins me to discuss his incredible new novel, "The World and All That It Holds." Support local bookstores & buy Aleksandar's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9780374287702 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@warbookspodcast Apple: https://apple.co/3FP4ULb Spotify:...

Ep 017 - Nonfiction. "Ukraine is very different from all the other wars... it's one in which Putin involves himself much more personally." Mark Galeotti demystifies Russia's wars since the 1990s & discusses his incredible new book, "Putin's Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine." Support local bookstores & buy Mark's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9781472847546 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@warbookspodcast Apple:...

Ep 016 - Nonfiction. The Bangladesh Liberation War is sometimes called the world's first climate war. How did a mild cyclone lead to a violent genocide? Scott Carney talks about his book, co-written with Jason Miklian, "The Vortex: A True Story of History's Deadliest Storm, an Unspeakable War, and Liberation." Support local bookstores & buy Scott and Jason's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9780062985415 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube:...

Ep 015 - Nonfiction. An incredible story of Vietnam, Agent Orange, & the post-war experience for veterans. My interview with George Black on his fantastic new book, "The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam." Support local bookstores & buy George's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9780593534106 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@warbookspodcast Apple: https://apple.co/3FP4ULb Spotify:...

Ep 014 - Nonfiction. In 1776, rumors abounded that George Washington would rather burn New York City than let it fall. The British invaded. Then, the city burned. My chat with Prof. Benjamin Carp about his captivating new book, "The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution." Support local bookstores & buy Benjamin's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9780300246957 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube:...

Ep 013 - Nonfiction. Glowing foxes, bat bombs, explosive baking flour, and more. My fascinating interview with John Lisle on his new book, "The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the OSS, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare." We dive deep into the creative ways American intelligence sought to win World War II. Support local bookstores & buy John's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9781250280244 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube:...

Ep 012 - Nonfiction. Jeff's latest book, "The Mercenary: A Story of Brotherhood and Terror in the Afghanistan War," is a nonfiction novel about his time in Afghanistan as a war correspondent & the friendship he forms with his Afghani driver. This book is a page-turner, and Jeff does a terrific job exploring what it means to be a reporter, but also a human being, in a war zone. Support local bookstores & buy Jeff's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9781541702455 Subscribe to...

Ep 011 - Nonfiction. "He might've been of the youngest generation in that war." At the age of 13, Heidi Langbein-Allen's father was forced from his home to become a child soldier in Hitler's army. A fascinating discussion from her extraordinary new book, "Save the Last Bullet: Memoir of a Boy Soldier in Hitler's Army." Support local bookstores & buy Heidi's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9781399072397 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube:...

The War Books Podcast is about interviewing today's best authors writing about war-related topics. Follow me on YoutTube, Twitter, FaceBook, and Instagram @warbookspodcast Thanks for listening!

Ep 010 - Nonfiction. In September 1942, one of the fiercest battles of WW2 began: Stalingrad. The battle is one of the most written-about of WW2, and I was so glad to pick up Iain MacGregor's new book, "The Lighthouse of Stalingrad," which adds a new layer to the history & chronicles an event crucial to the defeat of the Nazis. In Iain's words, "I wanted to write a very human story." What a great interview. Support local bookstores & buy Iain's book...

Ep 009 - Nonfiction. In 1861, the Confederacy sent a devious Southern agent abroad to build a Navy. The Union sent an agent to stop him. My interview with Alexander Rose on his thrilling new book, "The Lion And The Fox: Two Rival Spies and the Secret Plot to Build a Confederate Navy."    Support local bookstores & buy Alexander's book here: https://bookshop.org/a/92235/9780358393252 Subscribe to the War Books podcast here: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@warbookspodcast Apple:...

Ep 008 - Nonfiction. My fascinating conversation about the Vietnam War with Prof. Carolyn Woods Eisenberg, author of the new book "Fire and Rain: Nixon, Kissinger, and the Wars in Southeast Asia." Prof. Eisenberg's book is a re-examination of Nixon and Kissinger during the Vietnam War. Our conversation touched on the origins of the war, Nixon's shrew political maneuvering, and how the U.S. made major concession to both the Soviet Union and China. Support local bookstores & buy Carolyn's...

Ep 007 - Nonfiction. My interview with Karen Baum Gordon on her new book, "The Last Letter: A Father's Struggle, a Daughter's Quest, and the Long Shadow of the Holocaust." Karen's book is the first of memoir-style work featured on the show, and man was I glad to talk to her. Karen's story is an incredible chronicle of her father's life—from his time growing up in a German-Jewish family, to emigrating to America, to returning to Germany to fight as an American soldier against Hitler. Karen's...

Ep 006 - Fiction. My first fiction author on the War Books Podcast! The incredibly talented author David Wright Faladé joined me to discuss his new book, "Black Cloud Rising." Black Cloud Rising takes place in 1863, at a time when former slaves joined the newly formed African Brigade to hunt down rebel guerillas & fight against their former owners. I found the novel to be both exciting & complex, and David was a phenomenal guest. Topics included Civil War leadership, the true-life...

Ep 005 - Nonfiction. My discussion with Woody Holton about his book, "Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution."    Wow, did you know there was an 'emancipation proclamation' issued long before Lincoln? I didn't, and I learned so much. Woody was fascinating to talk to, and his research of the 'overlooked people' of the revolution was incredible.    You can buy Woody's book here: https://bit.ly/3lgH7g2...