About this episode

David Baerwald discusses his new novel 'The Fire Agent', inspired by his grandfather's remarkable life and the impact of historical events.

Eight years ago, when wildfires threatened musician David Baerwald’s family home in Los Angeles. He salvaged all but forgotten boxes belonging to his grandfather. Among the discoveries inside them were a spy camera, a samurai sword, breathtaking photographs, and dairies and letters that will change his life forever. The platinum selling artist behind ‘Welcome to the Boom Town’ and ‘Come What May’ spent seven years and sold his music catalog to write the novel ‘The Fire Agent,’ based on his grandfather’s astonishing story. The result is a gripping chronicle, the rise of fascism in both the West and Japan.

People in this episode

Hosts: Joe Donahue, Sarah LaDuke

Guest: David Baerwald

Topics covered

• wildfires
• family history
• music
• fascism
• novel writing
• personal discovery

Keywords

• David Baerwald
• The Fire Agent
• wildfires
• family history
• fascism
• novel
• music

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Fire Agent, Welcome to the Boom Town, Come What May

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