Prevail with Greg Olear

You’re familiar with his books: Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, James & the Giant Peach, The BFG, Matilda. But how much do you know about the author? Greg Olear speaks with Aaron Tracy about his excellent new narrative podcast, The Secret World of Roald Dahl. They explore Dahl’s fascinating life, his impact on children's literature, and the complexities of his character, including his anti-Semitism. The discussion also delves into the evolution of storytelling through podcasts, the crisis of masculinity, and the ongoing debate of separating art from the artist. Aaron Tracy is the founder of Parallax, the award-winning audio company. His debut audio drama, The Coldest Case, a thriller starring Aaron Paul, is the most successful Audible Original of all time. He teaches creative writing at Yale University. The Secret World of Roald Dahl, on iHeart Media, is his first narrative nonfiction podcast.

Rich people are not like us–they have more money. And mega-rich people? They not only have more money, but they hide it “offshore,” to avoid detection by the tax man, law enforcement, creditors, divorce lawyers, and, sometimes, their fellow citizens whose collective coffers they’ve plundered. In this conversation, Greg Olear speaks with the economic sociology professor Brooke Harrington, author of Offshore: Stealth Wealth and the New Colonialism, about the murky world of offshore finance, its implications for global inequality, the challenges of studying the ultra-rich, the culture of competitive depravity among the wealthy, and the dangers of their influence on both democracy and capitalism. They also discuss the looming AI bubble, the true purpose of AI, Jeffrey Epstein, and why studying the humanities is so vital.

What happens when you discover that the reason your father never speaks about his parents or his childhood growing up in Hawaii is because his mother, father, and older sister were Nazi spies? And not just any Nazi spies–the spies sent by Berlin to help the Japanese surveil Pearl Harbor? Chris­tine Kuehn was living a qui­et sub­ur­ban life when a mys­te­ri­ous let­ter in 1994 pierced that bub­ble, send­ing her on a thir­ty-year quest to dis­cov­er the truth behind a hor­ren­dous fam­i­ly secret kept hid­den for half a cen­tu­ry. The result is the new book, FAMILY OF SPIES. Fol­low­ing a career in jour­nal­ism, pub­lic rela­tions, and non­prof­its, Chris­tine now lives in Mary­land with her hus­band, Mark Schiponi, who helped her research the book for 30 years. In this conversation, Greg Olear talks to the couple about how the book came to be, the long and unusual research process, and the emotional impact of learning the truth.

In this conversation with Greg Olear, Paul Starr discusses his book “American Contradiction: Revolution and Revenge from the 1950s to Now,” exploring the complex themes of American identity, the contradictions inherent in the nation’s history, and the evolution of political dynamics over the decades. He delves into the impact of 1950s nostalgia, the rise of identity politics, the decline of labor movements, and the role of the Supreme Court in shaping contemporary democracy. The discussion highlights the challenges facing the United States as it grapples with its past and seeks a path forward amidst political turmoil.

As Florida goes, so goes the country. The indefatigable investigative journalist Robert W. Fieseler talks to Greg Olear about a state-sponsored persecution of Black and gay Floridians in the 1950s and 60s that was almost lost to history–and his riveting new book on the subject, “American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives.”