Book Club with Michael Smerconish
371 episodes - English - Latest episode: 20 days ago - ★★★★★ - 62 ratingsReading 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.
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Episodes
Michael Smerconish: "Talk"
May 06, 2024 11:54 - 46 minutes - 42.8 MBThis is a special conversation we like to call a "Reverse Book Club." It is political commentator Mike Barnicle interviewing Michael about his own book, "Talk: A Novel" in front of a studio audience. The book is The Primary Colors of 2014- an explosive novel exposing the inner workings of conservative talk radio and campaign politics. Original air date 8 May 2014. The book was published on 6 May 2014.
Michael Hayden: "The Assault on Intelligence"
May 03, 2024 12:42 - 17 minutes - 16 MBMichael Hayden is a retired United States Air Force four-star general and former Director of the National Security Agency, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He joins the podcast to discuss his book: "The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies." Original air date 16 May 2018. The book was published 01 May 2018.
Adam Grant: "Give and Take"
May 01, 2024 04:00 - 15 minutes - 13.7 MBFor generations, we have focused on the individual drivers of success: passion, hard work, talent, and luck. But today, success is increasingly dependent on how we interact with others. It turns out that at work, most people operate as either takers, matchers, or givers. Whereas takers strive to get as much as possible from others and matchers aim to trade evenly, givers are the rare breed of people who contribute to others without expecting anything in return. Listen to Michael's conversatio...
Scott Galloway: "The Algebra of Wealth"
April 29, 2024 17:12 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MBA must-have guide to optimizing your life for wealth and success. Today's workers have more opportunities and mobility than any generation before. They also face unprecedented challenges, including inflation, labor and housing shortages, and climate volatility. Even the notion of retirement is undergoing a profound rethink, as our life spans extend and our relationship with work evolves. In this environment, the tried-and-true financial advice our parents followed no longer applies. It's time...
Bill Giles: "Pouring Six Beers At A Time"
April 24, 2024 20:11 - 36 minutes - 33 MBA hilarious, fascinating, and revealing view of the national pastime from the 1930's to the present, "Pouring Six Beers at a Time: And Other Stories from a Lifetime in Baseball" offers a treasure trove of stories by a man once dubbed the P. T. Barnum of Major League Baseball, Philadelphia Phillies Chairman emeritus Bill Giles. Michael spoke to him when he was chair of the club in 2007. Original air date 18 June 2007. The book was published on 1 April 2007.
Charles Murray: "The Curmudgeon's Guide to Getting Ahead"
April 17, 2024 16:20 - 12 minutes - 11.9 MBFor those starting out in their careers—and those who wish to advance more quickly—this is a delightfully fussy guide to the hidden rules of the road in the workplace and in life. As bestselling author and social historian Charles Murray explains, at senior levels of an organization there are curmudgeons everywhere, judging your every move. Yet it is their good opinion you need to win if you hope to get ahead. He joins Michael to discuss "The Curmudgeon's Guide to Getting Ahead: Dos and Don't...
Brad Wilcox: "Get Married"
April 15, 2024 18:18 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBWhat's the recipe for happiness? If you listen to liberal elites or red pill influencers, you'd say it's making money, living for yourself, and staying single without kids—and you'd be wrong. Nothing predicts happiness better than a good marriage. University of Virginia Professor Brad Wilcox joins Michael with his new book "Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization." Original air date 15 April 2024. The book was published on 13 February 2024.
Jeffrey Zaslow: "The Last Lecture"
April 10, 2024 15:37 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MBThis is a special extended edition of Book Club. In 2008, Michael had the opportunity to speak with Wall Street Journal reporter Jeffrey Zaslow, co-author of "The Last Lecture" which he wrote with Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch. It focuses on a final lecture that many college professors give, except for Pausch, it was very real - he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He passed away in July 2008, just months after the book was published. The first part of this conversation with M...
Arianna Huffington: "Thrive"
April 08, 2024 17:06 - 11 minutes - 10.2 MBMichael talks to "Huffington Post" co-founder Arianna Huffington about her book "Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder." The best-selling author makes an impassioned and compelling case for the need to redefine what it means to be successful in today's world. Original air date 7 April 2014. The book was published on 25 March 2014.
Julian Zelizer: "The Presidency of Barack Obama"
April 06, 2024 14:04 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MBAn original and engaging account of the Obama years from a group of leading political historians: Barack Obama's election as the first African American president seemed to usher in a new era, and he took office in 2009 with great expectations. But by his second term, Republicans controlled Congress, and, after the 2016 presidential election, Obama's legacy and the health of the Democratic Party itself appeared in doubt. In "The Presidency of Barack Obama: A First Historical Assessment", Princ...
Pete Dexter: "Paper Trails"
April 03, 2024 17:04 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MBFormer Philadelphia Daily News columnist and National Book Award Winner Pete Dexter ("Paris Trout") speaks with Michael about his book "Paper Trails: True Stories of Confusion, Mindless Violence, and Forbidden Desires, a Surprising Number of Which Are Not About Marriage." Original air date February 2007. The book was published on 7 February 2007.
Cass Sunstein: "Conspiracy Theories and Other Dangerous Ideas"
April 01, 2024 17:19 - 16 minutes - 14.9 MBThe most controversial essays from the bestselling author once called the most dangerous man in America—collected for the first time. The nation’s most-cited legal scholar who for decades has been at the forefront of applied behavioral economics, and the bestselling author of Nudge and Simpler, Cass Sunstein is one of the world’s most innovative thinkers in the academy and the world of practical politics. Listen to his conversation with Michael on "Conspiracy Theories and Other Dangerous Idea...
Jennifer Weiner: "In Her Shoes"
March 27, 2024 16:50 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBLooking back at Jennifer Weiner who joined Michael to discuss her book "In Her Shoes." The book tells the story of two women with nothing in common but a childhood tragedy, shared DNA, and the same size feet. The two are about to learn that their family is more different than they ever imagined, and that they're more alike than they'd ever believe. Original air date 2002. The book was published September 17th 2002.
Jonathan Haidt: "The Anxious Generation"
March 25, 2024 14:57 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBAfter more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why? Phone-based childhoods. Michael talks to social psychologist and bestselling author Jonathan Haidt, on his book "The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness." Original air date 25 March 2024. The book was published o...
Al Gore: "Inconvenient Truth"
March 22, 2024 14:38 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBMichael had the opportunity to speak with Former Vice President Al Gore on his WPHT radio program in 2006. The interview did not quite go as planned - he reminisces in this episode, on the book "Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It." Original air date 2006, The book was published in 2006.
Gabriel Sherman: "The Loudest Voice In The Room"
March 20, 2024 17:25 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBSo much has happened in the world surrounding FOX News, Donald Trump, and Roger Ailes since the paperback version of this book by Gabriel Sherman came out in early 2017, including Ailes passing away just a few months later in May 2017. Listen to Michael's and Sherman's conversation about "The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News--and Divided a Country." Original air date 16 February 2017. The updated paperback version was published 14 February 201...
Nathan Raab: "The Hunt For History"
March 18, 2024 17:00 - 15 minutes - 14.1 MBNathan Raab, America’s preeminent rare documents dealer, describes his years as the Sherlock Holmes of historical artifacts—questing after precious finds and determining their authenticity—and he shows us what the past can tell us about the present, in "The Hunt for History: On the Trail of the World's Lost Treasures―from the Letters of Lincoln, Churchill, and Einstein to the Secret Recordings Onboard JFK's Air Force One." Original air date 11 March 2020. The book was published on 10 March 20...
Nicholas F. Jacobs & Dan Shea: "The Rural Voter"
March 15, 2024 18:19 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MBThe widening gulf between rural and urban America is becoming the most serious political divide of our day. Support for Democrats, up and down the ballot, has plummeted throughout the countryside, and the entire governing system is threatened by one-party dominance. Is the country splintering between two very different Americas―one rural, one urban? Michael talks to Colby College Professors Nicholas F. Jacobs and Daniel M. Shea, authors of "The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disun...
Admiral James Stavridis: "2054"
March 13, 2024 13:56 - 17 minutes - 16 MBFrom the acclaimed authors of the runaway New York Times bestseller "2034" comes another explosive work of speculative fiction set twenty years further in the future, at a moment when a radical leap forward in artificial intelligence combines with America’s violent partisan divide to create an existential threat to the country, and the world. Retired US Navy Admiral James Stavridis, a long-time friend of the show, is co-author (with Elliot Ackerman) of "2054: A Novel." Original air date 12 Ma...
David Charter: "Royal Audience"
March 11, 2024 17:36 - 22 minutes - 21 MBFrom the moment she first appeared as a young princess, Queen Elizabeth II fascinated the world. And, the late Queen had a special relationship with the United States. Times of London U.S. Editor David Charter joins Michael with his new book, "Royal Audience: 70 Years, 13 Presidents--One Queen's Special Relationship with America." Original air date 11 March 2024. The book was published on 5 March 2024.
Richard Clarke: "Warnings"
March 06, 2024 21:05 - 9 minutes - 8.39 MB"Warnings: Finding Cassandras to Stop Catastrophes" is the story of the future of national security, threatening technologies, the U.S. economy, and possibly the fate of civilization. In Greek mythology Cassandra foresaw calamities, but was cursed by the gods to be ignored. Modern-day Cassandras clearly predicted the disasters of Katrina, Fukushima, the Great Recession, the rise of ISIS, the spread of viruses and many more. Like the mythological Cassandra, they were ignored. Listen to Michael...
Joe Nocera: "Indentured"
March 04, 2024 14:52 - 19 minutes - 18 MB“How can the NCAA blithely wreck careers without regard to due process or common fairness? How can it act so ruthlessly to enforce rules that are so petty? Why won’t anybody stand up to these outrageous violations of American values and American justice?” In 2012, Joe Nocera asked those questions, and then in 2016, wrote this book, "Indentured: The Inside Story of the Rebellion Against the NCAA." And in the years since this book came out and this great conversation with Michael, some of the ...
Nick Troiano: "The Primary Solution"
February 28, 2024 19:30 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MBIn a divided America, the biggest solvable problem fueling political extremism and dysfunction is hiding in plain sight: party primaries. The Primary Solution shows how to fix them. Michael talks to Nick Troiano, Executive Director of Unite America, on his book "The Primary Solution: Rescuing Our Democracy from the Fringes." Original air date 28 February 2024. The book was published on 27 February 2024.
Peter Singer: "Ethics In The Real World"
February 26, 2024 15:46 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBPeter Singer is often described as the world's most influential philosopher. He is also one of its most controversial. Listen to Michael's conversation with the Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, on the book, "Ethics In The Real World: 82 Brief Essays On Things That Matter." Original air date: 13 September 2016. The book was published 13 September 2016.
Patti Davis: "Dear Mom and Dad"
February 23, 2024 08:00 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBA remarkably poignant writer for our troubled times, Patti Davis writes about love, loss, and the power of redemption in this poetic letter to her long-gone parents. The daughter of Ronald and Nancy Reagan talks to Michael about her book "Dear Mom and Dad: A Letter About Family, Memory, and the America We Once Knew." Original air date 22 February 2024. The book was published on 6 February 2024.
Jeffrey Rosen: "The Pursuit of Happiness"
February 21, 2024 18:37 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MBA fascinating examination of what “the pursuit of happiness” meant to our nation’s Founders and how that famous phrase defined their lives and became the foundation of our democracy. Listen to Michael's conversation with National Constitution Center President Jeffrey Rosen about "The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America." Original air date 21 February 2024. The book was published on 13 February 2024.
Rachel Dolezal: "In Full Color"
February 16, 2024 18:06 - 16 minutes - 15.6 MBWhat determines your race? Is it your DNA? The community in which you were raised? The way others see you or the way you see yourself? With "In Full Color: Finding My Place in a Black and White World", Rachel Doležal describes the path that led her from being a child of white evangelical parents to an NAACP chapter president and respected educator and activist who identifies as Black. Original air date 31 March 2017. The book was published on 28 March 2017.
Peter Wehner: "The Death of Politics"
February 14, 2024 17:10 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBMichael speaks with Peter Wehner about his book "The Death of Politics: How to Heal Our Frayed Republic After Trump." The New York Times opinion writer, media commentator, outspoken Republican and Christian critic of the Trump presidency offers a spirited defense of politics and its virtuous and critical role in maintaining our democracy and what he believes we must do to save it before it is too late. Original air date 6 June 2019. The book was published on 4 June 2019.
Lisa Scottoline: "Lady Killer"
February 13, 2024 18:38 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBNew York Times Bestselling author Lisa Scottoline joins Michael with her 2008 hit novel "Lady Killer." Mary DiNunzio is a trademark Lisa Scottoline heroine—she's strong, she's smart, and she's got plenty of attitude. She's become a big-time business-getter, and the last person she expects to walk into her office one morning—in mile-high stilettos—is super sexy Trish Gambone, her high school rival. Mary is forced to confront some very uncomfortable truths about her own past, and the profound e...
Lenore Skenazy: "Free-Range Kids"
February 09, 2024 17:48 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBFree Range Kids has become a national movement, sparked by the incredible response to Lenore Skenazy's piece about allowing her 9-year-old ride the subway alone in NYC. Parent groups argued about it, bloggers, blogged, spouses became uncivil with each other, and the media jumped all over it. Michael and Lenore revisit her book "Free-Range Kids, Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry." Original air date 3 May 2023. The book was published on 20 April 2009.
Jeffrey Toobin: "American Heiress"
February 07, 2024 14:17 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBOn February 4, 1974, Patty Hearst, a sophomore in college and heiress to the Hearst Family fortune, was kidnapped by a ragtag group of self-styled revolutionaries calling itself the Symbonese Liberation Army. The weird turns that followed in this already sensational take are truly astonishing--listen to bestselling author Jeffrey Toobin talking to Michael about "American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst." The book portrays the electrifying lunacy of t...
Dr. Carl Hart: "Drug Use For Grown-Ups"
February 05, 2024 14:42 - 20 minutes - 18.4 MBFrom one of the world's foremost experts on the subject, a powerful argument that the greatest damage from drugs flows from their being illegal, and a hopeful reckoning with the possibility of their use as part of a responsible and happy life. Michael talks with Dr. Carl Hart, Professor at Columbia University, about his book "Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear."
Richard Louv: "Last Child in the Woods"
February 02, 2024 17:22 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MBOur kids are being raised disconnected from natural outdoor environments, for a variety of reasons like technology addictions, fears and dangers of being alone outside and many more. Michael welcomes Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder." As children’s connections to nature diminish and the social, psychological, and spiritual implications become apparent, Mr. Louv highlights that new research shows that nature can offer powerful t...
Kate Andersen Brower: "First Women"
January 31, 2024 20:25 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBKate Andersen Brower, New York Times bestselling author, gives us an an intimate, news-making look at the true modern power brokers at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: the First Ladies, from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama and Melania Trump. Listen to Michael's conversation with her on "First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies." Original air date 21 April 2016. The book was published on 12 April 2016.
Bob Woodward: "State of Denial"
January 29, 2024 21:53 - 12 minutes - 11.8 MBFrom the archives, Michael's conversation with journalist Bob Woodward on his #1 New York Times Bestselling book "State of Denial: Bush At War", which examines how the George W. Bush administration avoided telling the truth about Iraq to the public, to Congress, and often to themselves. This conversation is from 2006, around when the book was published.
Ronald Granieri: "The Bondian Cold War"
January 26, 2024 16:27 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBMichael attended a talk at the Union League of Philadelphia called "James Bond Beyond The Cold War" and so enjoyed what he heard that he welcomed Dr. Ronald Granieri in for a conversation on the book he has co-authored, "The Bondian Cold War (Routledge Studies in Espionage and Culture)." Original air date 26 January 2024. The book was published on 1 September 2023.
Sal Paolantonio: "How Football Explains America"
January 24, 2024 18:41 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MBA fascinating, first-of-its-kind journey through the making of America's most complex, intriguing, and popular game. Michael's conversation with ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio, who explores just how crucial football is to understanding the American psyche. Original air date 16 September 2008. The book was published on 1 September 2008.
P.J. O'Rourke: "The Baby Boom"
January 22, 2024 17:18 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBLongtime journalist and satirist P.J. O'Rourke with Michael on his book "The Baby Boom: How It Got That Way...And It Wasn't My Fault...And I'll Never Do It Again..." Mr. O'Rourke passed away in February 2022. Original air date 28 January 2014. The book was published on 07 January 2014.
Seth Stephens-Davidowitz: "Who Makes the NBA?"
January 19, 2024 17:56 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MBHeight? Skill? Wealth? What is the most useful trait when looking to become an NBA player. Seth Stephens-Davidowitz joins Michael to discuss this question in his new book: "Who Makes the NBA?: Data-Driven Answers to Basketball's Biggest Questions." Original air date 19 January 2024. The book was published December 8 2023.
Mitt Romney: "No Apology"
January 17, 2024 14:10 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBIt was just before he decided to run for President in the 2012 cycle: Listen to Michael's conversation with former Governor & Senator Mitt Romney, on his book "No Apology: The Case for American Greatness." Original air date 6 April 2010. The book was published on 2 March 2010.
Jack Lucas: "Indestructible"
January 12, 2024 16:07 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBVeteran Jack Lucas, who served in the Marines during World War 2 joins Michael to discuss his book "Indestructible: The Unforgettable Story of a Marine Hero at the Battle of Iwo Jima." Original air date 21 May 2007. The book was published 1 May 2006.
Brad Meltzer: "I Am Ruth Bader Ginsburg"
January 08, 2024 18:05 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MBBestselling author Brad Meltzer joins Michael to discuss his new book "I Am Ruth Bader Ginsburg" which is part of his award-winning 'Ordinary People Change The World' series. Original air date 8 January 2024. The book was published on 9 January 2024.
Annie Duke: "Thinking In Bets"
January 05, 2024 19:02 - 26 minutes - 24 MBDecision strategist, professional poker champion and author Annie Duke joins Michael to discuss her life, career, and book "Thinking In Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts." Original air date: 09 February 2018. The book was published on 6 February 2018.
Ted Gup: "Nation of Secrets"
January 03, 2024 17:40 - 12 minutes - 11.2 MBJournalist and bestselling author Ted Gup writes on a broad range of American institutions, exposing how and why they keep secrets from the very people they are supposed to serve. Drawing on original reporting and startling analysis, Gup argues that a preoccupation with secrets has undermined the very values—security, patriotism, privacy, the national interest—in whose name secrecy is so often invoked. Listen to his conversation with Michael on his book "Nation of Secrets: The Threat to Democ...
Maya Angelou: "Letter To My Daughter"
December 29, 2023 19:11 - 7 minutes - 6.74 MBWinding back the clock, today's book club podcast Michael is joined by Maya Angelou an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She discusses her book "Letter To My Daughter." Original Air Date: September 2008. The book was published on 23 September 2008.
Admiral William McRaven: "The Hero Code"
December 25, 2023 13:53 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MBFrom the acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Make Your Bed—a short, inspirational book about the qualities of true, everyday heroes. Listen to Michael talk to Admiral William McRaven about "The Hero Code: Lessons Learned from Lives Well Lived." Original air date 15 April 2021. The book was published on 13 April 2021.
Jane Leavy: "The Big Fella"
December 18, 2023 20:41 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBListen to Michael's conversation with Jane Leavy, the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Boy and Sandy Koufax, author of "The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World He Created" - the definitive biography of Babe Ruth—the man Roger Angell dubbed "the model for modern celebrity." Original air date 14 December 2018. The book was published on 16 October 2018.
Phil Lesh: "Searching For The Sound"
December 15, 2023 13:56 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBThe Grateful Dead is one of Michael's favorite bands - listen to his conversation with legendary bass player Phil Lesh, on his book "Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead." Original air date April 2006. The book was published on 25 April 2006.
Liz Cheney: "Oath and Honor"
December 13, 2023 12:16 - 17 minutes - 16 MBLiz Cheney served as a member of Congress from 2017 to 2023, rising to chair the House Republican Conference until her stand against the January 6th insurrection caused her party to strip away that role, and led to her defeat in the 2022 primary election. An attorney and national security specialist, Cheney previously worked in Eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East while serving in the State Department during the George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush administrations.
Chip Colwell: "Stuff"
December 11, 2023 17:57 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MBMichael is joined by American anthropologist and author Chip Colwell to discuss his new book "Stuff: Humanity's Epic Journey from Naked Ape to Nonstop Shopper." Original air date 11 December 2023. The book was published on 16 November 2023.