NPR's Book of the Day

What it's like to write the biographies of Elon Musk and Sam Bankman-Fried


Listen Later

Today's episode is a little different. NPR's David Folkenflik sits down with two writers – Walter Isaacson and Michael Lewis – to ask about their experiences writing biographies of Elon Musk and Sam Bankman-Fried, respectively, and what it means to watch the person you're profiling become a villain in the public eye in real time. They discuss the process of getting close – or keeping their distance – from their sources for Elon Musk and Going Infinite, and confront the criticisms of how they do or don't address the wrongdoings of Musk and Bankman-Fried in their books.

To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

NPR's Book of the DayBy NPR

  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2

4.2

549 ratings


More shows like NPR's Book of the Day

View all
The Book Review by The New York Times

The Book Review

3,853 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,151 Listeners

The New Yorker: Fiction by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker: Fiction

3,313 Listeners

Pop Culture Happy Hour by NPR

Pop Culture Happy Hour

10,920 Listeners

Book Riot - The Podcast by Book Riot

Book Riot - The Podcast

948 Listeners

The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,632 Listeners

What Should I Read Next? by Anne Bogel

What Should I Read Next?

5,109 Listeners

The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker

2,094 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,441 Listeners

It's Been a Minute by NPR

It's Been a Minute

8,921 Listeners

City Arts & Lectures by City Arts & Lectures

City Arts & Lectures

383 Listeners

Poured Over by Barnes & Noble

Poured Over

291 Listeners

The Book Case by ABC News | Charlie Gibson, Kate Gibson

The Book Case

885 Listeners

Critics at Large | The New Yorker by The New Yorker

Critics at Large | The New Yorker

579 Listeners

Wild Card with Rachel Martin by NPR

Wild Card with Rachel Martin

627 Listeners