Erik Larson

In this episode, Erik Rostad discusses book 50 from his 2022 Reading List – The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson. Show Notes Author: Erik Larson Purchase The Splendid and the Vile from Landmark Booksellers (use coupon code “booksoftitans” for 10% off) Podcast Episode: The Devil and the White City Reading Resources Books of Titans Website The post The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson appeared first on Books of Titans.

Delve into the darkly lit world of horror literature with us! This month, we step back in time to the wonders and horrors of Chicago, 1893 with The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.Next month, we’ll discuss Sacculina by Philip Fraccassi. Join us in the reading and send your comments, questions or related topics to discuss to our email or Twitter.

On October 4 we will be reviewing Isaac Storm: a Man, a Time, and the deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson(db48811). This was published more than a hundred years after the Galveston Flood and was this author six best selling books four of which we have discussed. Name them if you can.NLS ANNOTATIONGalveston Texas, September 8, 1900, a massive hurricane approaches the city. Isaac Kline, head of the Weather Bureau’s Galveston Station fails to receive advance warning due to bureaucratic blundering and scientific snobbery. No evacuation is ordered and more than eight thousand citizens are subsequently lost including Kline’s wife. Best Seller 1999.

On September 6 we will review our second World War Two Churchill book, The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson, covering WWII from May 1940 to May 1941. It focuses on how Winston Churchill and his Family coped with the Blitz which killed over forty-thousand Londoners and led England to foil Hitler and his plans to conquer all of Europe. Similar to Lincoln and Napoleon, there are already many books on Churchill. The author’s access to the detailed diary of Churchill’s youngest daughter, Mary Churchill, gave the author a unique view of the family during the Blitz.

Erik Larson is the author of bestselling historical nonfiction like The Devil in the White City, The Splendid and the Vile, and In the Garden of Beasts. Today he talks with Tom Knoblauch about how he uses history to process his anxieties about the present and what made him turn to fiction for his latest work, a ghost story called No One Goes Alone, which is exclusively available on Audible.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/riversidechats/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/riversidechats/support

Lusitania's legacy is also absolutely unsinkable. To buy Larson's book or any books I have featured, visit my Bookshop affiliate page: https://bookshop.org/shop/unsinkablepodFor a general look at World War One, see the modern classic by John Keegan, The First World War or David Stevenson's 1914-1918: The History of the First World WarListener Dan (thank you, Dan!) recommends, in the podcast realm: The Old Front Line (https://oldfrontline.co.uk/) and Footsteps of the Fallen (https://footstepsofthefallen.buzzsprout.com/)My dear friend Shirley recommends Vera Brittain's memoir Testament of YouthTo support the pod on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unsinkablepodSupport the show

“Inspiring” Torie, David and COB alum Marc Sterne kick off the show with Dolly. David wins the “Classics redone by YA” pop quiz. Once an aspiring cartoonist and now a best selling author several times over, Erik Larson zooms in to talk about “The Splendid and the Vile,” his spell-binding take on Churchill and the battle to save Britain. Meticulous research and immensely readable writing bring readers into Churchill’s most inner circle during the darkest days. Comparisons to Zelensky are inevitable.

Bestselling author Erik Larson is widely known for masterful works of narrative nonfiction, and has a particular penchant for drawing a certain richness from historical snapshots — the kinds of topics typically relegated to the footnotes of conventional history books. In a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Larson said, “My mission is to try to create as rich a historical experience as I can for the reader, so that when they’re done with the book, they come out of it feeling like maybe they lived briefly in a past time.” In his latest nonfiction title, #1 New York Times bestseller The Splendid and the Vile, Larson added rich layers to a pivotal point in world history and inserted readers into the public and personal life of Winston Churchill during WWII. Churchill faced colossal challenges from the very start: on his first day as prime minister of the U.K., Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium; not long after, Hitler’s bombing campaigns destroyed millions of homes and took tens of thousands of lives. How did Churchill not only keep his country together but also forge key alliances to ensure victory? In The Splendid and the Vile, Larson dove into previously untapped sources — including recently declassified files, intelligence reports, and personal diaries — and offered a new lens on London’s darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill, his family, and his circle of advisors. Joined by books writer Mary Ann Gwinn, Larson discussed how Churchill’s persevering leadership bound a country, and a family, together. Erik Larson is the author of six New York Times bestsellers, most recently The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz. Erik’s The Devil in the White City is set to be a Hulu limited series; his In the Garden of Beasts is under option by Tom Hanks, for a feature film. He recently published an audio-original ghost story, No One Goes Alone, which has been optioned by Netflix. Erik lives in Manhattan with his wife, who is a writer and retired neonatologist; they have three grown daughters. Mary Ann Gwinn writes about books and authors for Kirkus Reviews, The Los Angeles Times, the Seattle Times, and other publications. A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, she was the book editor of the Seattle Times from 1998 to 2017 and a judge for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in fiction. She’s a member of the National Book Critics Circle. Buy the Book: The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz (Paperback) from Elliott Bay Books Presented by Town Hall Seattle. To become a member or make a donation click here. 

Today is the paperback release date of Erik Larson's book "The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz." Michael spoke with him when the book was brand new in July 2020. This interview being shared here today, is also a part of Michael's other podcast "Book Club with Michael Smerconish." Also today, a conversation on oil and gas prices as oil imports from Russia to the US have been banned, with Royal Bank of Canada's Dr. Helima Croft, she is Managing Director & Global Head of Commodity Strategy. Original air date 10 March 2022.

“Believe me, there probably was not a day that went by where I didn't say to myself, What on earth am I doing? And why did I take this on? Early on in the process, I was talking with a Churchill expert over breakfast in Washington, DC, and he was basically asking me, Why on earth are you doing this? And my answer to him, which stuck throughout the whole project, is that it's all in the telling.” The Splendid and the Vile spent most of 2020 and ‘21 on top of the bestseller charts, and it’s just out in paperback. Erik Larson joins us on the show to talk about the craft of writing, how his background in journalism prepared him for a career writing bestselling books, how he conducts his research, the fiction that inspires him, the surprises he uncovered while writing about one of the world’s most-documented men, and more. Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang.  Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional bonus episodes on Saturdays). Featured books:           The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson The Alienist by Caleb Carr