Podcast by Mark Perzel
Best Part of the Book
Mark Perzel hosts engaging conversations with authors of nonfiction books published by McFarland.
Best Part of the Book
Latest episodes
17 July 2026
Rich Teahan and Bob Ward: Face to Face with Whitey Bulger
This month marks 15 years since the FBI finally captured James "Whitey" Bulger — and Mark sits down with two people at the heart of that story: Rich Teahan, the FBI agent who led the Bulger Task Force, and Bob Ward, the Boston reporter who covered Whitey for 30 years. Their book Face to Face with Whitey Bulger (Exposit/McFarland) goes inside the 16-year manhunt, the breakdown of trust between agencies that let Whitey slip away, the PSA that finally flushed him out, and the six-hour debrief Teahan conducted with him on the jet back to Boston. It's history, true crime, and a surprisingly human story all at once.
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03 July 2026
Roy Sucholeiki: The Sand Art Bottles of Andrew Clemens
You've probably seen a sand art bottle in a tourist souvenir shop but Andrew Clemens' work is nothing like that. Mark talks with author Roy Sucholeiki about his book "The Sand Art Bottles of Andrew Clemens (2d ed)," the story of a deaf, 19th-century artist from McGregor, Iowa who built impossibly detailed eagles, locomotives, and flowers inside glass bottles using nothing but naturally colored sand he gathered near his hometown. Learn how he did it and why some of his bottles now sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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19 June 2026
Brian Patrick Duggan: General Custer, Libbie Custer and Their Dogs
If you think you know everything about General Custer, Brian Patrick Duggan is about to prove you wrong—and he's going to do it through the dogs. Duggan's book "General Custer, Libbie Custer and Their Dogs" traces the remarkable story of the Custers through their lifelong passion for hounds and one very sheet-wrecking English greyhound named Byron. Mark Perzel and Brian dig into how Libby Custer (sheltered judge's daughter turned frontier army wife) became every bit as devoted to the dogs as her famous husband. There's history, myth-busting and stories that didn't make it into any history book. Worth a listen if you ever wondered what General Custer was like when he wasn't being, well, General Custer.
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05 June 2026
Brian C. Baer: How He-Man Mastered the Universe
If you ever wondered how a plastic barbarian with a battle axe became a pop culture phenomenon and somehow led to one of Hollywood's most chaotic movie productions—Brian C. Baer has done the research. Mark Perzel talks with Brian about "How He-Man Mastered the Universe: Toy to Television to Big Screen," tracing the wild journey of Masters of the Universe from a recycled toy mold to a billion-dollar franchise. Along the way, Brian gets into cartoon morals, a pyramid scheme film company, a sword fight that nearly didn't happen, and why the director had to pay out of his own pocket just to finish the movie. You don't have to be a He-Man fan to enjoy this one—though you might become one.
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15 May 2026
Don Doxsie: How Tall Are You?
Mark Perzel has a confession: he's been hitting his head on doorframes his entire life, and Don Doxsie finally gave him a book to explain why. In this episode, Mark talks with Don about "How Tall Are You? The Pros and Cons of Exceptional Height"—a decades-in-the-making look at what it's actually like to move through a world that wasn't built for you. They cover everything from shrinking airplane legroom to why the taller presidential candidate almost always wins, to a six-foot-nine Shakespearean actor whose greatest role was Lurch. It's funny, relatable, and surprisingly illuminating—even if you're not the tallest person in the room.
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01 May 2026
Don Fox: Welcome to Firehouse!
Mark Perzel talks with author Don M. Fox about his book, "Welcome to Firehouse! Building a Billion Dollar Brand in America’s Most Competitive Industry." Turns out, building a successful restaurant chain isn’t just about the food—it’s branding, culture, timing, and a fair amount of learning things the hard way. Done gets into the early days of Firehouse Subs, what separates a good brand from a great one, and how a sandwich shop ended up saving lives. Worth a listen if you’ve ever wondered what actually goes on behind your favorite place to eat.
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