Eric Moskowitz, author of THE HARDEST, LONGEST RACE, in conversation with Andrew Walsh

Join us to welcome author and Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Eric Moskowitz in conversation with local podcaster and public radio veteran Andrew Walsh and celebrate Eric's debut nonfiction book THE HARDEST, LONGEST RACE - a riveting story of the first true coast-to-coast automobile race in U.S. history!

ABOUT THE BOOK:
In 1909, America was home to 253 automakers, a landscape of visionaries, schemers, and would-be barons of the new century. But when playboy millionaire M. Robert Guggenheim announced an audacious “Ocean to Ocean” contest from New York City to the Seattle World’s Fair, only three companies were brassy enough to show up at the starting line: Acme, Ford, and Shawmut.
Oddsmakers favored the Acme and Itala, a pricy import also joining the race, while dismissing the pint-sized Ford — a homely little number called the Model T— and the long-shot Shawmut, struggling to survive after a factory fire. In fact, many didn’t believe any of the cars would reach Seattle at all, as they would need to forge a 4,106-mile course of mountain ranges, mud bogs, washed-out wagon bridges, and harrowing canyon trails, long before the era of asphalt highways, seatbelts, and service stations.
But Henry Ford was intent on proving that the Model T could go the distance and beat out the muscular luxury cars---and he didn’t plan to leave it to chance. Indeed, a little over three weeks after the race began, a Ford crossed the line hours ahead of the Shawmut.
Except that victory was a fraud.
PREORDER LINK: www.brickandmortarbooks.com/item/pAG4rDFNcozY7qF3DWipZw

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Eric Moskowitz spent 12 years at The Boston Globe, where he covered transportation and was part of the team that received the Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing. He has written for The Atlantic and The New York Times, and his work has appeared in The Best American Sports Writing and The Best American Newspaper Narratives anthologies. He studied American history at the University of Pennsylvania and lives near Boston with his wife and children.
Andrew Walsh hosts a podcast about cleaning called Spotless, a podcast about TV commercials called After These Messages, and a podcast about everything else called Too Beautiful To Live. Prior to a life of podcasting, Andrew was a public radio producer and show creator. He's worked at KUOW in Seattle, KCRW in Los Angeles, and New Hampshire Public Radio. He lives in North Seattle and doesn’t like cheese, for the most part.