Best Booknotes Podcasts (2025)

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Ep. 249 Alexandra Churchill, "Ring of Fire" 1:05:54

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1h ago1:05:54

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British historian Alexandra Churchill is no relation to the former prime minister. However, her new book is the history of the world at war in 1914, titled "Ring of Fire." Alex Churchill is quick to tell you she is not an academic but has a research master's degree in the Battle of the Somme. She's a self-starter who writes three times a week for S…

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WLP377 Booknotes: The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary 30:10

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Another episode from the season: Booknotes, where Pilar shares the notes she made while reading a book, allowing new insights to emerge spontaneously behind the microphone. In today's episode: Part 1 Pilar shares her booknotes from: The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary by Catherine Gray Favourite highlight: "Happiness is not having what you want, but…

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"Fighting for Philadelphia" with Michael Harris 56:59

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Award-winning author Michael C. Harris's impressive Fighting for Philadelphia: Forts Mercer and Mifflin, the Battle of Whitemarsh, and the Road to Valley Forge, October 5-December 19, 1777 rescues these important actions from obscurity, puts them in context with the Saratoga Campaign, and closes his magnificent trilogy that began with the battle of…

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Ep. 248 Kenneth Vogel, "Devils' Advocates" 1:12:57

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Most of the names are familiar to those who follow politics and government. Hunter Biden, Rudolph Giuliani, Tony Podesta, Paul Manafort, and many others. Kenneth Vogel has written a book about these figures. It's called "Devils' Advocates: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and the Washington Insiders on the Payroll of Corrupt Foreign…

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Ep. 247 Doug Most, "Launching Liberty" 1:04:38

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Boston-based writer Doug Most's new book is called "Launching Liberty: The Epic Race to Build the Ships That Took America to War." Most, who spent 15 years at the Boston Globe, writes: "In total, American shipyards produced 2,710 Liberty ships in essentially four years, peaking in the spring and summer of 1943, when almost 800 ships were built in s…

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Ep. 246 Constitutional Scholar Akhil Reed Amar on America’s Equality Story 1:10:17

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Yale constitutional law professor Akhil Reed Amar's second book in a trilogy is titled "Born Equal: Remaking America's Constitution, 1840-1920." In Professor Amar's introduction, he writes: "Millions of Americans can recite by heart Lincoln's opening line at Gettysburg. But how many of us understand it?" "This sentence," Professor Amar continues, "…

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WLP376 Booknotes: The Art of Possibility 30:36

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Another episode from the season: Booknotes, where Pilar shares the notes she made while reading a book, allowing new insights to emerge spontaneously behind the microphone. In today's episode: Part 1 Pilar shares her booknotes from: The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander Favo…

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Ep. 245 Kenneth Feinberg, "What is Life Worth?" 1:01:52

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Kenneth Feinberg is a Washington-based attorney who served as a special master of the US government's 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. Mr. Feinberg worked for 33 months, pro bono, deciding who should be compensated as a result of the deaths and injuries from 9/11. Kenneth Feinberg, who today is 79, was interviewed on C-SPAN's Q&A program about his b…

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"A Saddlebag Doctor of the Mahantongo Valley of Pennsylvania" with Lawrence Knorr 28:22

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The life and medical practice of Reuben Harris Muth, M.D., a rural saddlebag doctor, is reconstructed from an extant set of physician's daybooks, chronicling his professional activity from 1858 until 1898. Experience a rare glimpse of early medical history from an economic and cultural perspective. Donate | Signup | pcntv.com…

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Ep. 244 William Galston, "Anger, Fear, Domination" 1:08:02

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William Arthur Galston has been a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution since 2006 and a columnist for the Wall Street Journal for the past 12 years. In the first paragraph of his latest 161-page book, he tells us what the book is about: "This book advances this proposition that what I call the dark passions - anger, hatred, humiliation, res…

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Ep. 243 Peter Henriques Explores George Washington’s Character and Presidency 1:06:31

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Retired George Mason University history professor, Peter Henriques, starts off his author's note writing: "If anyone had told me in the summer of 2023 that I would be writing one more book on George Washington, I would have expressed extreme skepticism." In Episode 6 of this Booknotes+ podcast series in 2021, Professor Henriques told us the same th…

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"Charles E. Hires and the Drink that Wowed a Nation" with Bill Double 25:22

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Introduced at the 1876 Centennial Exposition and powered by an historic advertising campaign, Hires Root Beer - launched 10 years before Coca-Cola - blazed the trail for development of the American soft drink industry. Its inventor, Charles Elmer Hires, has been described as "a tycoon with the soul of a chemist." Donate | Signup | pcntv.com…

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WLP375 Booknotes: Futureproof by Kevin Roose 26:16

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Another episode from the season Booknotes, where Pilar shares the notes she made while reading a book, allowing new insights to emerge spontaneously behind the microphone. In today's episode: Part 1 Pilar shares her booknotes from: Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation by Kevin Roose Favourite highlight: "It's on us—the people wh…

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Ep. 242 Geri Spieler on Housewife Assassin: The True Story Behind a Suburban Double Life 1:06:21

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In September 1975, 17 days apart, two women, one in Sacramento and the other in San Francisco, attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford. The first attempt on September the 5th came from Annette Squeaky Fromm. The Charles Manson follower spent over 30 years in prison, is out on parole, and is 76 years old. The other attempt came on the non-ent…

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"A History of Philadelphia Sandwiches" with Mike Madaio 56:33

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Philadelphia boasts some of the most delicious original sandwiches and passionate sandwich aficionados. From the classic cheesesteak to the delectable roast pork, the city's cultural and ethnic diversity has resulted in many of America's most established meals between bread. Donate | Signup | pcntv.com…

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Ep. 241 Dan Wang on Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future 1:04:59

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The book is called "Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future." Author Dan Wang (WONG) was born in China in 1992. His parents moved to Canada when he was seven. In 2014, he graduated from the University of Rochester in New York. Then in 2018, Dan Wang went to live in China until he returned to the US in 2023. He then went to the offices of th…

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WLP374 Booknotes: Because Internet 28:45

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Another episode from the season: Booknotes, where Pilar shares the notes she made while reading a book, allowing new insights to emerge spontaneously behind the microphone. In today's episode: Part 1 Pilar shares her booknotes from: Because Internet: Understanding how language is changing by Gretchen McCulloch Listener Roberta recommends: It's Not …

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Ep. 240 Jonathan Mahler on The Gods of New York: NYC in the 1980s 1:00:28

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The names are almost all known nationally: Ed Koch, Rudy Giuliani, David Dinkins, Al Sharpton, Larry Kramer, and Donald Trump. These are people who were first in the news in the 1980s. Their early public lives are now featured in Jonathan Mahler's book, "The Gods of New York." The book is divided into four large chapters titled 1986, 1987, 1988, 19…

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Ep. 239 Inside McNamara at War: Philip and William Taubman on Vietnam and U.S. Power 1:09:14

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By C-SPAN

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WLP373 New season! Booknotes: How to Have a Good Day 35:22

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The 21st Century Work Life podcast is back - with a different kind of content and format. The Booknotes season starts and will last... for a while. In today's episode: Part 1 Pilar shares her booknotes from How To Have A Good Day: The Essential Toolkit for a Productive Day at Work and Beyond by Caroline Webb Chris Coladonato's (the connection catal…

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Ep. 238 Daniel Flynn, "The Man Who Invented Conservatism" 1:11:12

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Daniel Flynn's book is titled, "The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer." Mr. Flynn points out in his introduction that "Meyer travels from communist to conservative, peace activist to soldier, Jew to Catholic, rhapsodist of Satan to cheerleader for Reagan, and free love enthusiast to family man." Flynn, who is a seni…

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"City of Brotherly Blood" with Mike Stack 59:39

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Mike Stack was born to power and followed his father and grandfather into the ring of fire of Philadelphia politics. He was groomed for office, and was running in his early 20s. This is the story about all those Mike encountered in the often bloody, city of brotherly love. Donate | Signup | pcntv.com…

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"The Weather Gods Curse the Gettysburg Campaign" with Jeffrey Harding and Jon Nese 59:06

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As the nation's future hung in the balance, the Weather Gods delivered a wrath of fury on Union and Confederate forces throughout the Gettysburg Campaign. Authors Jeffrey J. Harding and Jon M. Nese present firsthand accounts, harrowing narratives and groundbreaking meteorological research that reshapes how we view the Civil War's Gettysburg Campaig…

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Ep. 237 Zbigniew Brzezinski, The Grand Failure: Communism in the 20th Century 1:02:02

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In our last podcast, Ed Luce of the Financial Times told us about his book, "Zbig," for Zbigniew Brzezinski (1928-2017) who he calls America's great power prophet. In this episode, we're going to feature a Booknotes interview from April 2, 1989, with Dr. Brzezinski. He was the first guest for the weekly Sunday evening program that ran until 2005. H…

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Ep. 236 Edward Luce, "Zbig" - Zbigniew Brzezinski & Carter Era U.S. Foreign Policy 1:02:46

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"I was initially very skeptical about embarking on a full life biography of anyone, let alone a figure as big as Zbig."Edward Luce is talking about President Carter's former national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski. Mr. Luce is the Financial Times' chief commentator and columnist. Luce is a native of Sussex, England, and has spent close to 20…

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Ep. 235 Simon Ball, "Death to Order" 1:12:22

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Simon Ball is the author of the book "Death to Order: A Modern History of Assassination." Professor Ball is British and is located at the University of Leeds. His publisher, Yale University Press, says: "Assassination, the murder of a specific individual by an organized conspiracy in pursuit of political ends has shaped the fate not only of the fam…

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Ep. 234 Sam Tanenhaus, "Buckley" 1:14:58

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Author Sam Tanenhaus opens the acknowledgement section in his latest book, "Buckley," this way: "I first met William F. Buckley in 1990, shortly after I had begun work on a biography of Whitaker Chambers…Bill Buckley had been Chambers' last patron and most eloquent champion." The biography of Chambers was published in 1997. Now 28 years later, Sam …

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Ep. 233 Jay Winik, "1861" 1:05:58

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Historian Jay Winik first appeared on the Booknotes television program 24 years ago to discuss his book, "April 1865." It became a #1 New York Times bestseller, reportedly read by Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and many others. It's the narrative story of the Civil War. For his latest book, Winik stepped back four years in history to l…

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Ep. 232 Richard J. Evans, "Hitler's People" 1:02:16

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Sir Richard J. Evans has been writing about Germany and Adolf Hitler for his entire professional life. He was knighted in Britain in 2012 for his service to scholarship. From 2003-2008, Professor Evans published a trilogy of the Third Reich with a total of over 2,500 pages. His latest book is titled "Hitler's People: The Faces of the Third Reich." …

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Ep. 231 David Herbert Donald, "Lincoln" 1:02:43

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In our earlier discussion with Zaakir Tameez about his biography of Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, he discussed his differences with Professor David Herbert Donald on the same subject. On December the 24th, 1995, Professor Donald talked about his book called "Lincoln" on the Booknotes television program. David Donald died in 2009 at age 8…

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Ep. 230 Zaakir Tameez, "Charles Sumner" 1:07:04

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Charles Sumner was from Boston, Massachusetts. He was a U.S. Senator for 23 years from 1851 to 1874. Sumner, an anti-slavery Republican, was brutally caned on the Senate floor by pro-slavery Democrats in 1856, during the lead-up to the Civil War. The attack, which almost killed Sumner, kept him out of the Senate for over 3 years. Sumner didn't marr…

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Ep. 229 John Seabrook, "The Spinach King" 1:10:26

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The patriarch, C.F. Seabrook, was hailed as the Henry Ford of agriculture. His son, Jack, a keen businessman, was poised to take over what Life magazine called the biggest vegetable factory on earth. His son, John Seabrook, has written about his grandfather and father in his book called "The Spinach King." It's subtitled "The Rise and Fall of an Am…

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Ep. 228 Evan Osnos, "The Haves and Have-Yachts" 1:10:45

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In a word, Evan Osnos' latest book focuses on the subject of money. His book is titled "The Haves and the Have Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultra-Rich." There are 10 essays which originally appeared in his home publication, The New Yorker. The oldest one, "Survival of the Richest," ran in 2017. The newest, titled "Land of Make-Believe," was published …

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Ep. 227 Dave Barry, "Class Clown" 1:07:10

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Dave Barry's memoir is called "Class Clown." It is at least his 46th book. On the front of his book, he makes an important declaration: "How I went 77 years without growing up." For 30 years, Dave Barry wrote a weekly humor column published in newspapers, mostly on the weekends. He retired that column in 2005 but has kept writing. On the back flap …

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Ep. 226 John Laurence, "The Cat from Hue" 1:01:28

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As a follow-up to last week's interview with Lien-Hang Nguyen, here is an encore interview with former CBS and ABC reporter John Laurence. Mr. Laurence was interviewed on Booknotes, the television program, on January 17, 2002. His book is called "The Cat from Hue". It's 800 plus pages and relays his Vietnam experience as a reporter for CBS. John La…

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Ep. 225 Lien-Hang Nguyen, "Hanoi's War" 1:03:35

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. Netflix is offering a five-part documentary series titled "Turning Point: The Vietnam War," directed by Brian Knappenberger. The series includes never-before-seen footage of the war from the CBS archives. Also included in the documentary are interviews with participants in the war, both fr…

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Ep. 224 William Geroux, "The Fifteen" 1:10:22

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One October morning in 2018, journalist William Geroux says he was returning some books to his local Virginia Beach Library when he noticed a new state historical marker planted in the ground near the front entrance. It said the library was built on the site of a World War II prisoner of war camp. In Mr. Giroux's author's note in his latest book ca…

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Ep. 223 Claire Hoffman, "Sister, Sinner" 1:08:05

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It's a story from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. The book by Claire Hoffman is called "Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple MacPherson." FSG, the publisher, further emphasizes that the story is "the dramatic rise, disappearance, and near fall of a woman called Sister Amy who changed the world." Author Claire Ho…

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Ep. 222 Kathryn Olmsted, "Red Spy Queen" 1:05:14

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In several recent episodes of the podcast, we have featured books about the World War II era. An important figure from that time has been mentioned but not discussed during any of those interviews. Her name is Elizabeth Bentley. She was the first person to reveal, to the FBI and the Congress, the names of people living in the United States and spyi…

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"No Longer Subjects of the British King" with Shawn McGhee 58:41

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When news reached Parliament of the Boston radicals' destruction of the Royal East India Company's tea, it passed the Coercive Acts, a collection of punitive measures designed to rein in that insubordinate seaport town. The Coercive Acts unleashed a political firestorm as communities from Massachusetts to Georgia drafted resistance resolutions cond…

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Ep. 221 Kenneth Rogoff, "Our Dollar, Your Problem" 1:07:34

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Kenneth Rogoff is professor of economics at Harvard University and former International MonetaryFund (IMF) chief economist. In his most recent book, "Our Dollar, YourProblem," he argues that America's currency might have reached today'slofty pinnacle without a certain amount of good luck. However, as ProfessorRogoff nears the end of his 345-page bo…

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Ep. 220 Rick Atkinson, "The Fate of the Day" 1:14:36

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Rick Atkinson has just published the second volume of his American Revolution trilogy. The book is called "The Fate of the Day" and covers years 1777 to 1780. His initial 800-page volume, titled "The British Are Coming," was published in 2019 and focused on years 1775 to 1777. Mr. Atkinson won the George Washington prize for this beginning look at …

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Ep. 219 Rick Atkinson, "An Army at Dawn" 1:01:52

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On November 17th, 2002, 23 years ago, Rick Atkinson appeared on the Booknotes television program to discuss his book, "Army at Dawn." This was the first of three books Atkinson called the "Liberation Trilogy," a full history of the European theater of World War II, which is a total of 2,512 pages, including notes and indexes. Beginning in 2019, Ric…

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Ep. 218 Thomas Maier, "The Invisible Spy" 1:02:56

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"Ernest Cuneo played Ivy League football at Columbia University and was in the old Brooklyn Dodgers NFL franchise before becoming a City Hall lawyer and 'Brain Trust' aide to President Franklin Roosevelt." While on the payroll of national radio columnist Walter Winchell, Cuneo "mingled with the famous and powerful. But his status as a spy remained …

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Ep. 217 Clay Risen, "Red Scare" 1:05:25

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McCarthyism, Whitaker Chambers, Alger Hiss, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Paul Robeson, House Un-American Activities Committee, the Smith Act, the Hollywood 10, the Joint Anti-Fascist Committee, the Truman Loyalty Program, the Blacklist, book burning, and communism – all subjects of controversy during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s here in the United States…

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"The Year that Made America" with Tom McMillian 56:45

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The untold story of how America's declaration of independence hinged on seven critical months in 1776 and the courageous votes that changed the world forever. This gripping account reveals the precarious path to American independence through a series of pivotal dates that history has nearly forgotten. While July 4th claims the glory, the actual vot…

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Ep. 216 Jill Eicher, "Mellon vs. Churchill" 1:05:24

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After a career in investment management and some time as a credit risk specialist at the US Treasury Department, Jill Eicher has written her first book titled, "Melon vs. Churchill: The Untold Story of Treasury Titans at War." It's all about the collection of war debts from World War I, which was fought between 1914 and 1918. Andrew Mellon, a wealt…

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Ep. 215 Dr. Hassan Tetteh, "Smarter Healthcare with AI" 1:09:26

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Dr. Hassan Tetteh, in his latest book, opens the introduction with a question: "How do we prepare for the future with AI?" His primary focus is on healthcare and AI, but it's subtitled "Harnessing Military Medicine to Revolutionize Healthcare for Everyone Everywhere." Dr. Tetteh is currently based at Howard University and Inova Hospital in Fairfax,…

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Ep. 214 Phil Tinline, "Ghosts of Iron Mountain" 1:04:48

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British writer Phil Tinline has written a book titled "Ghosts of Iron Mountain." The publisher Scribner calls it "an investigative masterpiece for readers curious about the surprising connection between John F. Kennedy, Oliver Stone, Timothy McVeigh, QAnon, Alex Jones, and Donald Trump." In his introduction, author Tinline says the book is the true…

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"Threshold to Valley Forge" with Sheilah Vance 57:03

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From December 12-19, 1777, Washington's Army encamped in the towering hills of Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania, fifteen miles from Philadelphia. Known as the Threshold to Valley Forge, the Gulph Mills Encampment is often forgotten or minimized, falling as it did between the more famous military engagements of the Philadelphia Campaign and the well-known …