In the following excerpt from The Ambassador, acclaimed biographer Susan Ronald discusses the early life of Joseph Kennedy, foreshadowing his controversial stint as US Ambassador to Great Britain on the eve of World War II.
On the morning of June 7th, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Biogen’s drug aducanumab (marketed as Aduhelm) for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s Association President Harry Johns called this decision “historic.” For … Read the article
To say that there were more than a few things I found shocking when writing about Joe Kennedy is a massive understatement. Of course, I knew about his womanizing (but didn’t know about Babe Paley)—a predatory trait … Read the article
When I decided that I wanted to write about a woman in the 1950s, who was struggling with motherhood against the backdrop of the Cold War, the idea of her being a spy started to form. I’ll … Read the article
The greatest heroes of the Second World War are rightly celebrated for their acts of extraordinary daring on the battlefields of Nazi-occupied Europe. Rather less well known are the heroes of the early Cold War—American and British—who … Read the article
In 1914, the hot ticket on Broadway was On Trial, a play that employed the daring film technique of the “flashback.” You could catch the moody John Barrymore in Kick In, Douglas Fairbanks in He Comes Up … Read the article
True Raiders: The Untold Story of the 1909 Expedition to Find the Legendary Ark of the Covenant tells the story of Monty Parker, a British rogue nobleman who, after being dared to do so by Ava Astor, … Read the article
Benedict Arnold was one of the Revolutionary War’s most aggressive and courageous soldiers. It’s possible that without him, American patriots would have lost the Revolutionary War.
Daniel Boone heard the piercing shrieks coming from the river and recognized them as only a parent could. He was too late to see a group of Native Americans carry off his daughter Jemima … Read the article
In the following excerpt from Revolution, Peter Ackroyd transports readers to England in 1714, where Prince George of Germany is about to be crowned King George I of Great Britain.