Steve Inskeep, "Imperfect Union"

Steve Inskeep discusses his book, "Imperfect Union", at Politics and Prose.

In his new book, Inskeep, award-winning co-host of NPR’s Morning Edition and author of Instant City and Jacksonland, tells the riveting story of Wild West icons John and Jessie Frémont, whose lives embraced quintessentially American themes, from Westward expansion to the cult of celebrity. Combining history, biography, adventure, and a love story, Inskeep recounts John’s rags-to-riches rise from poverty to a career as an army officer, explorer, one of California’s early senators, and—in part due to his abolitionist stance—the first Republican Party candidate for president. Through all this he was assisted by his wife Jessie; a senator’s daughter, she used her connections to support her husband’s ambitions, served as his closest political advisor, joined his travels, and wrote several books on their experiences.

Inskeep is in conversation with Madhulika Sikka of the Washington Post.

Steve Inskeep is a cohost of NPR’s Morning Edition, the most widely heard radio program in the United States, and of NPR’s Up First, one of the nation’s most popular podcasts. His reporting has taken him across the United States, the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, Pakistan, and China. His search for the full story behind the news has led him to history; he is the author of Instant City: Life and Death in Karachi and Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab, both published by Penguin Press.

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Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, Politics and Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.'s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics and Prose offers superior service, unusual book choices, and a haven for book lovers in the store and online. Visit them on the web at

Produced by Tom Warren