Books

I have written and published a dozen non-fiction books — some written solo, others as collaborations. Here’s a rundown of the books I’m free to talk about. (Sometimes a ghostwriter needs to stay ghostly.)

The VICTIM’s FORTUNE

The Victim’s Fortune is the extraordinary tale of how some of Europe’s biggest businesses ended up paying billions of dollars in compensation to the Nazi’s victims.

It tells the story of a half-principled and half-rogue group of activists, lawyers and officials, who traveled the world to pursue a full accounting of the plunder of World War Two. Before the unspeakable events of the camps, there was a systematic campaign to steal the fortunes – the property, bank accounts, art and labor – of those who would die. For half a century, little was known about this plunder, or about the stonewalling and cover-up which confronted the survivors.

As the truth emerged, along with huge new sums of cash, the moral crusade descended into petty squabbling. Almost lost amid the threats, tears and abuse, were the painful and complex questions about justice and how to put a price on suffering.

The Victim’s Fortune was the result of several years of reporting with my co-author at the Financial Times, John Authers. It was published in 2002 by HarperCollins.

COOKBOOKS

After the fraught story of The Victim’s Fortune, it was time for a book to celebrate life, family, friends – and food.

Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America was a long-planned project with one of my best friends in Washington: Spanish chef José Andrés.  José was a neighbor and we would go shopping together at a local farmer’s market on Sundays, then return to his home to cook for our families. At the end of the day, he would knock on my door for help writing stories and columns for food magazines. It seemed like a fair trade to me. After a few of these stories, I suggested we collaborate on a book.

José was and is Spain’s unofficial culinary ambassador: an evangelist for modern and traditional Spanish cooking. With his wildly successful restaurants in the DC area and LA, tapas seemed the right way to introduce Spanish dishes to American cooks. The key was to make it accessible. We wanted to use everyday ingredients that you could buy at your local supermarket (supplemented by a couple of uniquely Spanish products). So there’s a chapter on tomatoes; another on eggs; another on potatoes.

Nothing too fancy or complex, but everything works outstandingly well even for home cooks with little experience and technique. Believe me. I tested everything in this book many times over.

Tapas was published in 2005 by Clarkson Potter.

Tapas was too successful.

We were soon talking to PBS producers about how to take Spanish cooking to public television. The result was a 26-part show called Made In Spain, with an accompanying book.

This time, instead of small dishes, we looked at bigger plates, and organized them around ingredients with regional themes, just like the show. So rice dishes sit alongside a short explanation of the food and ingredients of Valencia, for instance. Each section features stories about regional cooking and produce, often drawn from the unusual experiences of shooting so many shows on the road in Spain.

Again, this is simple, fresh and easy food. Or as we call it in the subtitle, Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen. The book was published in 2008 by Clarkson Potter

THE OBAMA TRILOGY

I wrote three books about President Obama. The first was about his historic presidential campaign in 2007 and 2008, called Renegade. The book was published the following year and became an instant New York Times bestseller. You can read more about how that book came together here.

I followed that up with a book about President Obama in office during the battle for healthcare reform that almost crushed him and his party. Revival was published in 2011. Obamacare still exists, despite so many efforts to abolish it.

The last book in the series focused on the second Obama presidential campaign in 2012, which could not have been more different from the 2008 election. The Message was published in 2013. The three books really cover the arc of the Obama years — from his emergence on the national stage, to the triumphs and near-disasters of the presidency, to the long struggle for successful re-election. Across the trilogy, I think you get a clearer idea of the singular political force of Obama and his team.

COLLABORATIONS

I have written two non-fiction narrative books for José Andrés. The first, We Fed An Island, told the incredible story of his response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The aftermath of the devastating storm really set the path for his non-profit World Central Kitchen in countless disasters and war zones for years to come. The book became an instant New York Times bestseller in 2019.

My second narrative book for José is Change The Recipe, to be published in 2025. It’s part memoir, part advice book for young and old about how to cope with everything life throws at you.

In between those two books, I worked with Senator Jeff Merkley on his book about Trump’s policies of separating migrant families: America Is Better Than This.

And I loved writing the life story of Luis Miranda, political strategist extraordinaire. Relentless tells the story not just of the Miranda family but about Latino communities across the United States — and how they are changing our culture and politics.