Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Ace Atkins

About this episode

Author Ace Atkins discusses his Cold War spy novel set in 1985 Atlanta, inspired by real espionage history.

Author Ace Atkins joins us to discuss Everybody Wants to Rule the World , a Cold War spy novel set in 1985 Atlanta. We explore how real espionage history, including the story of KGB defector Vitaly Yurchenko, inspired this coming-of-age thriller about a teenager who believes his mother’s boyfriend is a Russian spy. If you love spy fiction, 1980s nostalgia, and Atlanta history, this episode reveals the surprising secrets behind the novel.

People in this episode

Guest: Ace Atkins

Topics covered

• Cold War
• spy fiction
• 1980s nostalgia
• Atlanta history
• coming-of-age thriller

Keywords

• spy novel
• Cold War
• Atlanta
• KGB
• Vitaly Yurchenko
• 1980s
• thriller

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Places: Atlanta

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