Today I'm joined by Bob Crawford to talk about his new book, America's Founding Son; what he describes as a digestible history of John Quincy Adams. Adams is a fascinating historical character, and Bob and I talk about why he was a unique president, what made him polarizing, and how he "stood in the gap" in his own time.

Pre-order America's Founding Son here

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I'm joined by historian John Garrison Marks to talk about his forthcoming book, Thy Will Be Done, which examines George Washington's complicated legacy and how it's been used in myriad political arguments throughout American history.

Preorder Thy Will Be Done here

Josh tries to build the ultimate 'Guy book' based on his Instagram habits. Also, he makes fun of old Bantam dime novels, because ads in books is hilarious. PLUS the books you should read if you want to get into literary fiction!

Join the book club: https://www.patreon.com/c/JoshReadsBooks

Timestamps:

0:00 - What I've Been Reading

4:39 - Building the ultimate Dude Book

20:10 - Gateway Books

Josh dissects which books are truly read and which are just for show. Find out what he thinks about popular titles like "Fahrenheit 451," "Dune," and "Lonesome Dove," and stick around for the Q&A that reveals the quirks of being a book influencer.

Also, because he can't help himself, thoughts about the Civil War.

Join the book club: https://www.patreon.com/c/JoshReadsBooks

Timestamps:

0:00 - What I've been reading

8:50 - "Pretending I read it" list

21:09 - Mailbag

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You might think writing like Cormac McCarthy is impossible. He may seem unapproachable or unreachable. But there are a few practical 'structural' techniques he uses in his writing that we can emulate.

The practice of strategy today is a history-adjacent discipline, but it is one that history informs and one that shapes history. John Gaddis is one of the United States' foremost strategy thinkers, and he joins me on the show to talk about Venezuela, the war in Ukraine, how democracies and autocracies differ with regard to strategy, and much more.

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There's a lot to love in this episode. That is, if you love discussions about nationalism, slavery, and pre-Civil War politics.

Notes:

Impending Crisis by David Potter

Apostles of Disunion by Charles Dew

Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson

Historian Barry Strauss joins me to talk about his new book, Jews Vs Rome! We also look at some of the greatest commanders in history, what they did well and what they struggled with, as well as why YOU should read history.

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