Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer joins Brian for a deep dive into the writing and reporting of his new book, “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality.”

Mike describes how and why a book about Kobe’s life growing up in Philadelphia was the book for him to write. Why are biographies that focus on a slice of a famous person’s life so meaningful? Mike talks about his reporting process, how time at the Lower Merion Historical Society proved to be invaluable, and how keeping Kobe as the metaphorical sun helped him balance all of the necessary contextual background information. 

Mike and Brian talk a lot about Lower Merion and Philadelphia, how they are characters in the book, and why a sense of place is so vital to this story. Mike describes the types of questions he used to get at the Kobe story we didn’t know yet. It’s about being honest and upfront with the people you interview. 

This podcast also serves as the backdoor pilot for the Godzilla Geek podcast Brian and Mike really should just launch already. 

Buy The Rise

The Rise on Amazon

Mike Sielski on Twitter

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