Book Talk with Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Kai Bird: American Scoundrel

From McCarthyism to the rise of Trump, how did Roy Cohn shape modern politics? Pulitzer Prize winner Kai Bird tells the story.
About this Event

Join us for a conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark about their new book, American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn's Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump.

Bird, an acclaimed historian, journalist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer whose American Prometheus served as the basis for the Academy Award-winning film Oppenheimer, turns his attention to one of the most influential and controversial figures in modern American history. Through a deeply researched and compelling narrative, Bird and Goldmark trace Roy Cohn's rise from prosecutor in the Rosenberg trial and aide to Joe McCarthy to political fixer, power broker, and mentor to Donald Trump, revealing how Cohn's tactics and influence helped shape American politics for generations.

This event is sponsored by the Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy, the Jacob Burns Center for Ethics in the Practice of Law, and the American Constitution Society.

"A narrative masterwork. Bird vividly creates the sinister web of charm and deceit that Cohn was able to spin through his decades at the very center of power.”
— Marie Brenner, award-winning writer-at-large for Vanity Fair

The conversation will be moderated by David Rudenstine,Sheldon H. Solow Professor of Law at Cardozo School of Law and former dean of the law school. A distinguished constitutional law scholar, Rudenstine is widely recognized for his work on free speech, freedom of the press, and national security.

Following the event, attendees are invited to a book sale and light reception.

Any questions, please email [email protected].