David Nasaw on The Patriarch

David Nasaw, the Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Professor of History at the Graduate Center, discusses his latest book, The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy, with Gary Giddins.

Celebrated author, biographer, and historian, David Nasaw specializes in the cultural and social history of early 20th-century America. His biography of William Randolph Hearst, The Chief, won the Bancroft Prize, and his acclaimed biography of Andrew Carnegie was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize. The Patriarch brings to life the story of Joseph Patrick Kennedy, in this, the first and only biography based on unrestricted and exclusive access to the Joseph P. Kennedy papers.

Gary Giddins, executive director of the Leon Levy Center for Biography at the Graduate Center and a faculty member in American Studies, is an eminent music critic and the prize-winning author of twelve books, including biographies of Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Bing Crosby, and Visions of Jazz. His most recent book is Warning Shadows: Home Alone with Classic Cinema.