Book Club with Michael Smerconish
Reading for Independent Minds. Unlike many author interviews, if Michael didn't actually read the book, you won't hear about it. If he read it, you'll hear it and you'll love it. Insights into a wide range of topics, including many titles you've probably never heard of. The perfect book is just one listen away.
Latest episodes
Sep 27, 2023 • 17min
Brian Grazer: "Face To Face"
Hollywood producer and bestselling author Brian Grazer on his book "Face to Face: The Art of Human Connection." Original air date 20 September 2019. The book was published on 17 September 2019.
Sep 25, 2023 • 16min
John Kasich: "It's Up To Us"
Michael's conversation with former Governor of Ohio, John Kasich, author of "It's Up to Us: Ten Little Ways We Can Bring About Big Change." Original air date 17 October 2019. The book was published on 15 October 2019.
Sep 22, 2023 • 11min
Matt Taibbi: "Insane Clown President"
Michael's conversation with Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi, author of "Insane Clown President: Dispatches from the 2016 Circus." Original air date 18 January 2017. The book was published on 17 January 2017.
Sep 20, 2023 • 16min
Sheila Johnson: "Walk Through Fire"
She is the co-founder of BET and America's first African American female billionaire - listen to Michael's conversation with Sheila Johnson, on her book "Walk Through Fire: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Triumph." Original air date 19 September 2023. The book was published on 19 September 2023.
Sep 18, 2023 • 15min
David Fajgenbaum: "Chasing My Cure"
The powerful memoir of a young doctor and former college athlete diagnosed with a rare disease who spearheaded the search for a cure—and became a champion for a new approach to medical research. Michael talks to David Fajgenbaum, author of "Chasing My Cure: A Doctor's Race to Turn Hope into Action; A Memoir."
Sep 15, 2023 • 15min
Aaron David Miller: "The End Of Greatness"
Michael talks with Aaron David Miller, author of "The End of Greatness: Why America Can't Have (and Doesn't Want) Another Great President." The End of Greatness explores the concept of greatness in the presidency and the ways in which it has become both essential and detrimental to America and the nation's politics. Original air date 14 October 2014. The book was published on 7 October 2014.
Sep 13, 2023 • 31min
Ashton Applewhite: "This Chair Rocks"
You're never too old to listen to a great conversation - Michael talks with author and activist Ashton Applewhite, about "This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism." Original air date 8 September 2016. The book was published in 2016.
Sep 11, 2023 • 18min
Gerald Posner: "Case Closed"
In 2013, Michael spoke with Gerald Posner on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy - he's author of the 1993 book "Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK." Original air date 15 November 2023. The book was published in 1993 and republished in paperback on 9 September 2003.
Sep 8, 2023 • 20min
Franklin Foer: "The Last Politician"
Michael talks with Franklin Foer, writer at The Atlantic, about his new book "The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future." Original air date 7 September 2023. The book was published on 5 September 2023.
Sep 6, 2023 • 21min
Caveat Magister: "The Scene That Became Cities" (Burning Man)
Michael talks to Benjamin Wachs, who under the pen name Caveat Magister is the author of "The Scene That Became Cities: What Burning Man Philosophy Can Teach Us about Building Better Communities." Michael spoke to him on the occasion of Burning Man 2023. Original air date 5 September 2023. The book was published on 25 June 2019.
