World's #1 Thriller Writer: "STOP SCROLLING and BE HUMAN AGAIN" - David Baldacci

World's #1 Thriller Writer: "STOP SCROLLING and BE HUMAN AGAIN" - David Baldacci

From Open Book with Anthony Scaramucci by SALT & Goalhanger

April 14, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

David Baldacci discusses his writing, the importance of reading, and his latest book on Open Book with Anthony Scaramucci.

David Baldacci has sold 150 million books, and when I picked up his first novel — Absolute Power — I was a 32-year-old lawyer who thought he had life figured out. What I didn't expect was to walk away from a thriller feeling like a different person. That's what David does. He doesn't just write stories — he holds up a mirror to humanity, all the mess and the greatness of it, and he dares you to look. Today on Open Book, we're getting into the new book, the craft, and why one of the greatest storytellers alive thinks reading books might be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. David Baldacci is an award-winning global #1 bestselling author and one of the world’s favorite storytellers. His books are published in over forty-five languages and in more than eighty countries, with over 200 million copies sold worldwide. Support his brilliant charity, Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America: https://www.wishyouwellfoundation.org/ David has written so many amazing books over the years, and his latest, Hope Rises, does not disappoint: https://amzn.to/48w4h7n Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of…

People in this episode

Host: Anthony Scaramucci

Guest: David Baldacci

Topics covered

  • thriller writing
  • storytelling
  • literacy
  • humanity
  • books

Keywords

  • David Baldacci
  • thriller
  • literacy
  • storytelling
  • Hope Rises

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Wish You Well Foundation

Books & works: Absolute Power, Hope Rises, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump

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