Book Club with Michael Smerconish

Michael's conversation with Vince Papale on his autobiography, "Invincible: My Journey from Fan to NFL Team Captain." The true story of the NFL’s oldest rookie In 1976, Vince Papale was thirty, a former schoolteacher and part-time bartender, and a season ticket-holder for his beloved Philadelphia Eagles. When he heard that Coach Dick Vermeil was holding open tryouts, he decided to give it a shot. Shocking himself and the coaches, he ran an explosive 40-yard-dash in just 4.5 seconds — a world-class time — and was offered a contract on the spot. When he joined the team, Papale became the oldest non-kicking rookie in NFL history, a fan favorite who played for four years and was named a team captain. Original air date 3 August 2006. The book was published on 6 August 2003.

From Michael's archives, his conversation with former CIA official Michael Scheuer, author of "Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on Terror." From the description written for the book: Though U.S. leaders try to convince the world of their success in fighting al Qaeda, one member of the U.S. intelligence community would like to inform the public that we are, in fact, losing the war on terror. Further, until U.S. leaders recognize the errant path they have irresponsibly chosen, he says, our enemies will only grow stronger. According to the author Michael Scheuer, the greatest danger for Americans confronting the Islamist threat is to believe—at the urging of U.S. leaders—that Muslims attack us for what we are and what we think rather than for what we do. Original air date 9 March 2005. The book was published on 1 June 2004.

From Johns Hopkins medical expert Dr. Marty Makary, the New York Times-bestselling author of 'The Price We Pay'-an eye-opening look at the medical groupthink that has led to public harm, and what you need to know about your health. More Americans have peanut allergies today than at any point in history. Why? In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a strict recommendation that parents avoid giving their children peanut products until they're three years old. Getting the science perfectly backward, triggering intolerance with lack of early exposure, the US now leads the world in peanut allergies-and this misinformation is still rearing its head today. How could the experts have gotten it so wrong? Listen to his conversation with Michael about "Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health." Original air date 26 September 2024. The book was published on 17 September 2024.

Michael welcomes David Litt with his book "Democracy in One Book or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn't, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think." The democracy you live in today is different—completely different—from the democracy you were born into. You probably don't realize just how radically your republic has been altered during your lifetime. Yet more than any policy issue, political trend, or even Donald Trump himself, our redesigned system of government is responsible for the peril America faces today. What explains the gap between what We, the People want and what our elected leaders do? How can we fix our politics before it's too late? And how can we truly understand the state of our democracy without wanting to crawl under a rock? That's what former Obama speechwriter David Litt set out to answer. Original air date 18 June 2020. The book was published on 16 June 2020.

Michael welcomes Melissa Fitzgerald & Mary McCormack, alumni of NBC's hit series "The West Wing," with their new book "What's Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service." Hear a behind-the-scenes look into the creation and legacy of The West Wing, with compelling insights exploring what made the show what it was and how its impassioned commitment to service has made the series and relationships behind it endure. Original air date 19 September 2024. The book was published on 13 August 2024.

Democracy is broken because the way we vote is broken. But there is a solution: Mobile Voting. Listen to Michael speak with Bradley Tusk, author of "Vote With Your Phone: Why Mobile Voting Is Our Final Shot at Saving Democracy." Original air date 16 September 2024. The book was published on 17 September 2024.

Everyone is talking about the body language at the ABC News presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Michael gets some expertise from Joe Navarro, who literally wrote the book on the topic: "What Every Body Is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People." He is a former FBI counterintelligence officer and a recognized expert on nonverbal behavior, explains how to "speed-read" people: decode sentiments and behaviors, avoid hidden pitfalls, and look for deceptive behaviors. You'll also learn how your body language can influence what your boss, family, friends, and strangers think of you. Original air date 12 September 2024. The book was published in 2008.

Son of the Midwest, movie star, and mesmerizing politician―America’s fortieth president comes to three-dimensional life in this gripping and profoundly revisionist biography. Michael talks to writer Max Boot, author of "Reagan: His Life and Legend, wherein he illuminates the untold story of Ronald Reagan, revealing the man behind the mythology. Boot draws on interviews with over one hundred of the fortieth president’s aides, friends, and family members, as well as thousands of newly available documents. Original air date 9 September 2024. The book was published on 10 September 2024.

Michael is an alum of Lehigh University, so he was thrilled to have this conversation with Dr. Laura Katz Olson, who has Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Lehigh University for 50 years - starting teaching in 1974. She's written the new novel, "Wrinkled Rebels." Now 80 years old, retirement and advanced age have dissipated the spirit of six college radicals of the 1960s, who jointly had participated in civil rights campaigns and anti-war protests. Having engaged in only periodic communication over the decades, they suddenly receive an invitation to reunite for an extended weekend. Struggling with whether to go, each of them has divergent qualms and expectations for the proposed gathering. Original air date 6 September 2024. The book was published on 23 July 2024.

New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West —the latest from the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and bestselling author David E. Sanger—is a fast-paced account of America’s plunge into simultaneous confrontations with two very different adversaries. Listen to his conversation with Michael here. Original air date 29 August 2024. The book was published on 16 April 2024.