American Purpose's Bookstack By cover art

American Purpose's Bookstack

By: Richard Aldous
Listen for free

  • Summary

  • Weekly conversations with authors of new and recent books. Host Richard Aldous is a historian and professor at Bard College, New York, and the author of several books, including Schlesinger: The Imperial Historian; Reagan and Thatcher: The Difficult Relationship; The Lion and the Unicorn: Gladstone vs. Disraeli. For more about American Purpose, visit www.americanpurpose.com.
    © 2024 American Purpose's Bookstack
    Show more Show less
Episodes
  • Episode 140: David L. Roll on President Harry Truman

    Episode 140: David L. Roll on President Harry Truman
    May 3 2024
    Harry Truman was educated in Missouri public schools, never went to college, and spent a number of his adult years as a dirt farmer. Yet eleven years after first being elected to the Senate he became President of the most powerful nation on earth in the midst of momentous world events. In his new book Ascent to Power: How Truman Emerged from Roosevelt's Shadow and Remade the World (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/690665/ascent-to-power-by-david-l-roll/), David Roll suggests that from these humble beginnings Truman undertook “the most consequential transition” in American history. He joins host Richard Aldous to discuss Truman’s unlikely rise and his long string of achievements, from the Marshall Plan to the Berlin Airlift to the enduring Truman Doctrine.
    Show more Show less
    25 mins
  • Episode 139: Nicholas Shakespeare on Ian Fleming

    Episode 139: Nicholas Shakespeare on Ian Fleming
    Apr 26 2024
    Ian Fleming heroicized for all the world the British intelligence agent in James Bond. In his new book Ian Fleming: The Complete Man (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/ian-fleming-nicholas-shakespeare?variant=41070483832866), renowned biographer Nicholas Shakespeare digs into the legend of Fleming himself. Like his most famous character, Fleming’s life was colorfully marked by high-stakes intelligence, alcohol, and dalliances with women. Yet Fleming was tormented rather than buoyed by his literary success. Shakespeare joins host Richard Aldous to discuss the turbulent life of the man who gave the world 007.
    Show more Show less
    28 mins
  • Episode 138: Seth D. Kaplan on America’s Fragile Neighborhoods

    Episode 138: Seth D. Kaplan on America’s Fragile Neighborhoods
    Apr 19 2024
    In surveying dysfunction across America, the question arises: Is the source of the trouble at the local or the national level? Seth D. Kaplan has shifted his analytical gaze from fragile nations abroad to examine the fragility of his home country. He believes America’s problems from health to politics are downstream of individuals becoming increasingly disconnected, neighborhood by neighborhood. He joins host Richard Aldous to discuss his new book, Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time (https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/seth-d-kaplan/fragile-neighborhoods/9780316521390/).
    Show more Show less
    32 mins
Art World Literary History & Criticism Social Sciences
Show more Show less

What listeners say about American Purpose's Bookstack

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com reviews

Amazon reviews
No Reviews are Available