Book Club with Michael Smerconish

There is only one scenario other than an asteroid strike that could end the world as we know it in a matter of hours: nuclear war. And one of the triggers for that war would be a nuclear missile inbound toward the United States. Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario explores this ticking-clock scenario, based on dozens of exclusive new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, have been privy to the response plans, and have been responsible for those decisions should they have needed to be made. Listen to her conversation with Michael now. Original air date 1 August 2024. The book was published on 26 March 2024.

An account of the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome reveals the competition's unexpected influence on the modern world, in a narrative synopsis that pays tribute to such athletes as Cassius Clay and Wilma Rudolph while evaluating the roles of Cold War propaganda, civil rights, and politics. Enjoy this conversation Michael has with David Maraniss, author of "Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World" with the backdrop of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Original air date 21 July 2008. The book was published on 1 July 2008.

Journalist William J. Kole, reluctant but newly minted member of AARP, explores the looming era of super-aging—incredibly longer lifespans overall, and eight times more centenarians by the year 2050—through the lens of past, present, and future life at ages 50, 65, 80, and on to 100-plus. What happens to all of us when 65 is merely a life half-lived? Michael talks to him about his book "The Big 100: The New World of Super-Aging." Original air date 26 July 2024. The book was published on 3 October 2023.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille comes a suspenseful new novel featuring Detective John Corey and an all-too-plausible conspiracy to detonate a nuclear bomb in two major American cities. Michael talks to him about "Wild Fire (A John Corey Novel, 4)". Welcome to the Custer Hill Club--an informal men's club set in a luxurious Adirondack hunting lodge whose members include some of America's most powerful business leaders, military men, and government officials. Ostensibly, the club is a place to gather with old friends, hunt, eat, drink, and talk off-the-record about war, life, death, sex and politics. But one Fall weekend, the Executive Board of the Custer Hill Club gathers to talk about the tragedy of 9/11 and what America must do to retaliate. Their plan is finalized and set into motion. Original air date 27 November 2006. The book was published on 6 November 2006.

The dishy, rollicking, and deeply personal story of what really happened in the 2016 election, as seen through the eyes of the New York Times reporter who gave eight years of her life to covering the First Woman President who wasn't. For a decade, award-winning New York Times journalist Amy Chozick chronicled Hillary Clinton’s pursuit of the presidency. Chozick’s front-row seat, initially covering Clinton’s imploding 2008 campaign, and then her assignment to “The Hillary Beat” ahead of the 2016 election, took her to 48 states and set off a nearly ten-years-long journey in which the formative years of her twenties and thirties became – both personally and professionally – intrinsically intertwined to Clinton’s presidential ambitions. Listen to her conversation with Michael here on the book "Chasing Hillary: Ten Years, Two Presidential Campaigns, and One Intact Glass Ceiling." Original air date 23 April 2018. The book was published on 24 April 2018.

Michael is joined by Joan Williams, Distinguished Professor of Law and Hastings Foundation Chair at University of California, in a chat about her book "White Working Class: Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America." Original air date 18 November 2019. The book was published on 16 May 2017.

In this engaging discussion, Amy Chua, a Yale Law School professor and author of "Political Tribes," shares insights on the influence of identity politics in America. She explores how tribalism shapes foreign policy, particularly in conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan, and examines the complexities within white American identity. Chua also delves into how tribalism contributed to Trump's appeal and the polarization in today's political landscape, highlighting the cultural resonance that impacts perceptions of political discourse.

Listen to Michael chat with author Adam Buckman in a conversation about his book "Jerk: How I Wasted My Life Watching Television." Original air date 22 July 2014. The book was published on 14 September 2014.

Division in society. The spread of misinformation. The rise of extremism. Centrism holds the answers. Listen to Michael's conversation with Yair Zivan, editor of "The Centre Must Hold: Why Centrism is the Answer to Extremism and Polarisation." Original air date 2 July 2024. The book was published on 27 June 2024.

The definitive, inside story of the Idaho murders from bestselling author Howard Blum, whose groundbreaking coverage of the story was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Timed for a trial that will capture national attention, "When the Night Comes Falling: A Requiem for the Idaho Student Murders" examines the mysterious murders of the four University of Idaho students. Having covered this case from its start, Edgar award winning investigative reporter Howard Blum takes readers behind the scenes of the police manhunt that eventually led to suspected killer, Bryan Christopher Kohberger, and uncovered larger, lurid questions within this unthinkable tragedy. Listen to Blum's conversation with Michael now. Original air date 1 July 2024. The book was published on 25 June 2024.