Bestselling author Jeff Pearlman returns to talk all about the writing and reporting of his new book, “Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur.”

Jeff talks about how and when he decided to write a biography of Tupac, what made the late rapper a compelling topic, and how he’s similar to Bo Jackson (the subject of Pearlman’s previous book). 

Jeff talks about how he interviewed 652 people for this book, how he found them and how he structured the interviews. This leads to a discussion about the importance of sincerity and empathy in reporting, and Jeff describes how he got a Ph.D. in what it’s like to grow up black and poor in education. 

Jeff also describes why Ebay is his secret reporting weapon, and how he wrote Brian’s favorite sentence of the year. 

Links

Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Bookshop.org

All of Jeff’s books on Amazon

Jeff on YouTube

Jeff on TikTok

Who Knows You By Heart by CJ Farley (the best thing Jeff’s read lately)

Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye by David Ritz (the best thing Jeff’s read lately)

Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover (the dorkiest/best thing Brian’s read lately)

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