Savage-City_T-J-English_w288

The Savage City: Race, Murder, and a Generation on the Edge tells the story of race in NYC through the eyes and events of three very different men. One is a poor, semi-literate black teenager framed for a gruesome double murder, one is a crooked cop and the third is a founding member of the New York Black Panther Party.

I was so glad to hear that TJ enjoys coming on the show and doing these longer style interviews that really dig into the book. It is such a thrill to get to devour these books and then have the opportunity to talk to the author in great detail about their work. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did,

Leviathan

Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America

It was a pleasure to speak with author and Marblehead native Eric Jay Dolin about Leviathan. Eric does an amazing job bringing together natural history with American history. The result is a fascinating book about the history that is all around us here in Massachusetts.

omar_

Omar Bradley: General at War

This is a great biography, full of details about some of the most iconic battles of WW2. Gen. Bradley always played second fiddle to braggards like Macarthur and showmen like Patton. In fact, he was trusted and respected all the way up to Ike and even FDR. One of the great stories in the book, that I had never heard before, involved FDR calling Bradley to the White House to brief him on the Italian operations. During that meeting, FDR let Bradley know about the development of the Atom bomb, a secret even VP Truman did not know about. The book was written by NY Times bestselling author Jim DeFelice. Jim was a really good guy except for one thing that was, well, disappointing. Thankfully, the book is great!

lemay

LeMay: The Life And Wars Of General Curtis LeMay.

This book is a great history book and biography of a pivotal figure of WW2. It also serves as a mini case study in management techniques because Lemay was masterful in building large organizations, fostering open dialog and earning the trust of those he commanded. I highly recommend this book.

Founding-Rivals-DeRose-Chris-9781596981928

Founding Rivals: Madison vs. Monroe, The Bill of Rights, and The Election that Saved a Nation

Chris DeRose has written a terrific book about a little understood period of American history, those years between the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the first session of Congress under the Constitution in 1789.

It was remarkable how relevant this book is today. At it’s core, it is the story of life long allies who ultimately became political rivals without becoming personal enemies. Buy this book for any history lover on your holiday shopping list!

Lost

Lost in Shangri La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II

Former Boston Globe Spotlight team member, award-winning reporter and current BU journalism professor Mitchell Zuckoff joined me in studio for an hour to discuss his incredible book.

I don’t have time for or interest in novels. What I love are history books that read like novels. This is one of those books. Mitchell brings his reporters chops to the book, traveling around the world to talk to survivors and even the primitive tribesmen (did I mention they are cannibals?) who found them way back in 1945. This is just an incredible piece of storytelling and I hope we did the book justice, because I cannot recommend it highly enough.

9780061714474

Mission: Black List #1: The Inside Story of the Search for Saddam Hussein—As Told by the Soldier Who Masterminded His Capture

When Army Staff Sergeant Eric Maddox arrived in Iraq he had never interrogated a prisoner. Five months later he left with the DIA Director’s Award, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement for his key role in the capture of Saddam Hussein. Not only did he do that, his work identified the insurgency funding and leadership network, which had been previously unknown to the US military. He did this by focusing on the social and family networks of captured prisoners. Just incredible what he did and how he did it. This is a great book and it was an honor to be able to speak to SSG Maddox.

The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here and you can find us on iTunes at Pundit Review Radio.

What is Pundit Review Radio?

On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.