Thecuriousmanspodcast

In this episode Matt Crawford speaks to author John Oller about his book The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Save The American Revolution. This is the incredible story of the man who helped save the south from the invading British. While most people do not know this story Francis Marion was an important figure in our history and without him our history could be quite different.

In this episode Matt Crawford speaks to journalist and author Luke Hunt about his book Punji Trap- Pham Xaun An: The Spy Who Didn't Love Us. This book tells the story of the Vietnam War from a point of view most people have not experienced before. A true story of intrigue about Pham Xuan An who was a communist agent undercover as a celebrated war correspondent for Time, Rueters and The New York Herald Tribune, propaganda at its most effective. A riveting book that you should read.

In this episode Matt Crawford speaks to Valerie Plame about her book Fair Game and her career in the CIA. Valerie Plame was outed as a covert agent by Scooter Libby who was convicted, had his sentence commuted by President Bush and then pardoned by President Trump. A truly thrilling book about real life intrigue that put U.S agents and assets at risk. All because Valerie Plame's husband Joe Wilson refuted the evidence for the U.S to go to war with Iraq. Even more prescient in the current political climate.

In this episode Matt Crawford speaks to authors Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic about their new book Indianapolis. This is the story of the worst sea disaster in U.S naval history and yet most of us know nothing about it. A harrowing tale of survival and the human spirit. This book is also about the efforts to exonerate the captain of the Indianapolis Charles McVay III who was court martialed for the sinking. A truly unbelievable story that needs to be heard and shared.

In this episode Matt Crawford speaks to reporter and author Carmen Gentile about his new book Blindsided by the Taliban. In this harrowing book Carmen recounts his experience as an embedded war correspondent and the injury he sustained while reporting in Afghanistan. A self effacing story about the aftermath and recovery will make sure you do not want to put this book down. At times hysterical, poignant and introspectful this book is a must read.

In this episode Matt Crawford speaks with author Mason B. Williams about his book City of Ambition: FDR, LaGuardia, and the Making of Modern New York. This book is a fantastic deep dive into the policies that helped form the famous infrastructure of New York. The backdrop of this story is the personal relationship between LaGuardia, a Republican and FDR, a Democrat. In the true meaning of bipartisanship these two men brought their parties together for the good of the country and its people.

In this interview Matt Crawford speaks to Jonathan Green the author of Sex, Money Murder: A Story of Crack, Blood and Betrayal. This is the story of the crack epidemic playing out in the projects of the Bronx from the perspectives of both the dealers and the cops. This is a project 6 years in the making and Green really put the work in to paint a detailed picture of what it was like to live through the drug war. A fantastic read that will both entertain and educate.

In this episode Matt Crawford talks to Stacy Horn about her new book Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad & Criminal in 19th-Century New York. Known today as Roosevelt Island, Blackwell's Island in the early 19th century was home to an insane asylum, two prisons, an almshouse and a number of hospitals. The atrocities that took place here were unimaginable and yet Stacy Horn writes of it in a way that echoes in the present. A non-fiction book that reads as fiction truly must be read to be believed.

In this episode Matt Crawford talks with New York Times best selling author Mark Adams about his new book Tip of the Iceberg: My 3000-Mile Journey Around Wild Alaska, The Last Great American Frontier. Mark Adams blends travel and history in an exciting and informative book that you will thoroughly enjoy. Adams traces the route of the 1899 Harriman expedition using the Alaska Marine Highway System and in the process brings the past to life. Great read!

In this episode Matt Crawford interviews New York Time best selling author Carl Hoffman about his book The Last Wild Men of Borneo. In this unbelievable story two men from different sides of the world end up in the jungles of Bali searching for fulfillment. Two men on different paths that converge in a story that reads like a Hollywood Movie. Carl Hoffman writes a book that you do not want to put down and will mourn the end of.