What will Kentucky Book Festival visitors find on your table?
Kentucky Book Festival visitors will find copies of my latest two collaborations (of 25 total), The Situation Room by George Stephanopoulos with Lisa Dickey, and True Gretch by Gretchen Whitmer. Both came out in 2024 and hit the NYT best seller list. They will also find my 2017 book about Russia, Bears in the Streets, a deep dive into Russian people and places over a twenty-year period.
Whom do you invite to stop by? Who will benefit from reading your book?
Anyone who loves nonfiction and surprising true stories will find something of interest. The Situation Room takes you the behind the scenes of one of the most exciting and secretive spaces in the U.S. government. True Gretch is the honest, personal and very funny mini-memoir of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. And Bears in the Streets takes you on a rollicking trip across Russia — three times over two decades.
The Situation Room book is the main event, though. Readers will learn the inside history of the complex where presidents since Kennedy have made their most high-pressure decisions. It’s an inspiring look at the people behind the scenes who’ve supported presidents through close calls and dramatic moments that changed the course of history.
Could you please tell us something curious about you and/or your book?
George Stephanopoulos and I interviewed more than 120 people who served in the Situation Room over 12 presidencies. One of our favorite stories is from the Carter administration, when a young duty officer briefed the president and First Lady about a top secret U.S. Army program that employed psychics in intelligence work. We managed to track down the man who briefed Carter — now in his 80s! — and he led us down an unexpected and fascinating path exploring the role of paranormal psychology in U.S. intelligence. Uri Geller, the spoon-bending Israeli psychic, even makes an appearance in this chapter!
Is this your first time participating in Kentucky Book Festival? If yes – what are you looking forward to the most? If you’ve participated before – what was your favorite experience at the Festival?
It is my first time, and I always look forward to being among people who love books.
