Booknotes+ Podcast
1) Ep. 253 Ben Freeman, "The Trillion Dollar War Machine"
"The Trillion Dollar War Machine" is the name of the book. The co-authors are William Hartung and Ben Freeman. They both do work for the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a think tank in Wa...Show More
2) Ep. 252 John Ferling, "Shots Heard Round the World"
After 15 books on Revolutionary America, John Ferling still has more to say about the early period in the life of the United States. Ferling is professor emeritus of history at the University of West ...Show More
3) Ep. 251 Frank McCourt on Angela’s Ashes: Pulitzer Prize–Winning Memoir
Irish American writer Frank McCourt wrote a book in 1996 that was on the New York Times bestseller list for over 100 weeks. Over the next 20 years, "Angela's Ashes" sold close to 10 million copies wor...Show More
4) Ep.250 Peter Gomes, "The Good Book"
This week's encore interview is from September 21, 1997. Twenty-eight years ago. Our guest was Peter J. Gomes, former minister of the Memorial Church at Harvard. His father was from Cape Verde, and hi...Show More
5) Ep. 249 Alexandra Churchill, "Ring of Fire"
British historian Alexandra Churchill is no relation to the former prime minister. However, her new book is the history of the world at war in 1914, titled "Ring of Fire." Alex Churchill is quick to t...Show More
6) Ep. 248 Kenneth Vogel, "Devils' Advocates"
Most of the names are familiar to those who follow politics and government. Hunter Biden, Rudolph Giuliani, Tony Podesta, Paul Manafort, and many others. Kenneth Vogel has written a book about these f...Show More
7) Ep. 247 Doug Most, "Launching Liberty"
Boston-based writer Doug Most's new book is called "Launching Liberty: The Epic Race to Build the Ships That Took America to War." Most, who spent 15 years at the Boston Globe, writes: "In total, Amer...Show More
8) Ep. 246 Constitutional Scholar Akhil Reed Amar on America’s Equality Story
Yale constitutional law professor Akhil Reed Amar's second book in a trilogy is titled "Born Equal: Remaking America's Constitution, 1840-1920." In Professor Amar's introduction, he writes: "Millions ...Show More
Ep. 246 Constitutional Scholar Akhil Reed Amar on America’s Equality Story
1:10:17 | Nov 25th, 2025
9) Ep. 245 Kenneth Feinberg, "What is Life Worth?"
Kenneth Feinberg is a Washington-based attorney who served as a special master of the US government's 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. Mr. Feinberg worked for 33 months, pro bono, deciding who should b...Show More
10) Ep. 244 William Galston, "Anger, Fear, Domination"
William Arthur Galston has been a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution since 2006 and a columnist for the Wall Street Journal for the past 12 years. In the first paragraph of his latest 161-pa...Show More