You all know I love talking to journalists, right?

As a former journalist, I know that we never really give it up. It’s who we are, something that’s in our blood. It feels like a society of sorts, which is so juicy.

My guest today, Peter Sacks, has a long, impressive career as a journalist and nonfiction author, and now he’s writing fiction - as we do. His first novel, Libertyland, is a political thriller that is as much cultural commentary as it is action packed - and I just love talking to journalists who’ve seen so much of the world and then turn those experiences into fiction.

Peter has been nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize, including one for his book, Tearing Down the Gates, an examination of the role that social class plays in American education and society.

It also won Book of the Year from the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Peter has worked as a newspaper journalist on both coasts, as an economist, and as a college instructor in English and Journalism. His essays have appeared in many national publications, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Nation. He’s been a keynote speaker at colleges and universities around the United States.

Libertyland is his first fiction novel.

We talk about:

• Journalism as a calling - and life training

• Exploring bigger societal themes through fiction writing

• Taking on capitalism in his thriller

• Using fiction to expose what’s happening in the real world, in real time

And so much more.

You can check out Libertyland here: https://www.amazon.com/Libertyland-Peter-Sacks/dp/1922329576/

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