Ep. 455: The Wager with David Grann

Published: 2023-07-03 09:00:00

Description Show ▼

Steve Rinella talks with David Grann, Janis Putelis, and Corinne Schneider.

Topics include: All of David Grann's best selling books; when your books get turned into films; the nautical terms we use in daily life; how history shapes us but we're oblivious about it; infighting at the Audubon society over a name change; a great idea for a new book; the last stitch; the prize of all the oceans; building a ship out of 4,000 oak trees; inspecting fingernails for tar; the natural particles of land; scurvy, the great killer of seamen; why you should bring limes to sea; human bodies acting as concave sails; visiting Wager Island; stranded with nothing but wild celery; the Minnesota Starvation Experiment; forced to proceed to extremities; when the manuscript is so old you have to rest it on a pillow; interpretive vs. fact based; and more.

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Referenced Books

The Lost City of Z

by David Grann

Steve Rinella introduces David Grann and mentions this as one of his books, describing it as a New York Times bestselling book that he was 'most jealous of because it was one of those books you just see so much you get sick of seeing it' due to its huge success.

Referenced at 00:00:48

Killers of the Flower Moon

by David Grann

Another book by David Grann mentioned during the introduction, described as being about 'the Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI.' The book is noted as becoming a movie directed by Martin Scorsese with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.

Referenced at 00:01:10

The Wager

by David Grann

David Grann's latest book, which is the main subject of the podcast interview. It's described as 'A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder' and the entire conversation revolves around this book's content about a maritime disaster in the 1700s.

Referenced at 00:02:06

Wild New World

by Dan Flores

Steve Rinella mentions reading this book, describing it as 'Dan Floy's very great book, Wild New World, which is an ecological history of the continent.' He discusses how the book begins with the Chicxulub asteroid strike and traces ecological history through time, including sections on Audubon.

Referenced at 00:07:11

Moby Dick

by Herman Melville

David Grann mentions listening to an audible recording of Moby Dick during his treacherous boat journey to Wager Island in Patagonia, humorously noting it was 'the stupidest thing' to listen to because it was 'completely unsoothing' given the maritime peril he was experiencing.

Referenced at 00:45:00

Son of the Morning Star

by Evan S. Connell

Steve Rinella describes this as 'one of my favorite books of all time,' explaining it's about the Battle of Little Big Horn and Custer's death. He praises how the author handles what people include and leave out of their accounts, giving an example of a physician's journal that omits an unflattering incident.

Referenced at 01:14:56