Robert Caro’s 1974 biography “The Power Broker” is a book befitting its subject, Robert Moses — the unelected parochial technocrat who used a series of appointed positions to entirely reshape New York City and its surrounding environment for generations to come. Like Moses, Caro’s book has exerted an enduring and outsize influence. This week, Caro tells host ... Show More
Nov 14
Nicholas Boggs on Writing a James Baldwin Biography
<p>Nicholas Boggs’s “Baldwin: A Love Story,” is many things at once. It’s a comprehensive biography of James Baldwin. It’s a nimble excavation of Baldwin’s work, filled with astute literary analysis of his books and prose. And, most pressingly, it’s an argument for a new critical ... Show More
36m 28s
Nov 7
The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, 50 Years Later
<p>On Nov. 10, 1975, during a calamitous storm, the Edmund Fitzgerald sunk below the waves of Lake Superior. All 29 men aboard went down with the vessel. With no survivors and no eyewitnesses, there’s always been a sense of mystery to what is arguably the most famous shipwreck in ... Show More
39m 33s
Jul 2016
445: Wendell Potter, "Nation on the Take" Author
Sometimes in life a little voice inside tells you, “You need to quit your job immediately, effective now and take on a brand new path.” Today's guest, Wendell Potter, is someone who lived that. Wendell started as an insider in the insurance world. He worked for a big insurance co ... Show More
31m 12s
Feb 2025
Comparing LBJ & Robert Moses
In 2021, I dedicated my reading year to series of books. I read through Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, all books by Russ Roberts, and the Narnia series. I also read every single book written by Robert Caro. His The Years of Lyndon B. Johnson four-book set are some of the be ... Show More
49m 53s
Jul 2024
The Rise of Presidential Power
<p>Right from independence, a question has hovered over the government of the United States. How much power should the President have? Not too much, lest they become a monarch. But not too little, they are elected to do a job and that job must be done.</p><br><p>In this episode o ... Show More
36m 28s
Dec 2024
The Power Broker #12: Robert Caro
<p>This is the twelfth and final episode breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, <i>The Power Broker</i> by our hero Robert Caro.</p><p>We’ve waited until the evening to see how splendid the day has been, and for this final installment, there was only one guest truly ... Show More
2h 31m