Tucson Festival of Books

Clay Risen

Clay Risen is a reporter at The New York Times, a member of the Society of American Historians, and a fellow at the Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania. His new book is "Red Scare." He also wrote three previous works on American history, including "The Crowded Hour," a New York Times Notable Book of 2019 and a finalist for the Gilder-Lehrman Prize in Military History, "The Bill of the Century," a finalist for a 2014 NAACP Image Award, and "A Nation on Fire."

Scheduled events:

Friends and Sponsors Only: Hot Off the Press

Sponsors and Friends of the Festival are invited to a books launch party with authors in attendance.

Campus Store - HOTP (Seats 250, Wheelchair accessible)
Sat, Mar 15, 8:30 am - 9:30 am

Panelists: Sandra Brown, TJ Alexander, Omar El Akkad, Tess Gerritsen, J. A. Jance, Vanda Krefft, Vanessa Le, Megan Miranda, Clay Risen, Lucinda Scala Quinn

The Dangerous Manipulators

Misinformation and disinformation are hardly new tools for American politicians, and these three authors have come to the festival with tales about three master manipulators: Joseph McCarthy, Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell.

Integrated Learning Center Room 120 (Seats 300, Wheelchair accessible)

Sat, Mar 15, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Multigenre
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center (following presentation)

Panelists: Clay Risen, David Rohde, Michael Tackett
Moderator: Tom Çollins

Searching for the Truth

A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can put on its shoes, but these three authors come to the festival with shoes on and laces firmly tied. Each has a true story about lies and liars ... disinformation, misinformation, and the heroes who had the courage to push back.

Student Union Gallagher Theater (Seats 337)

Sun, Mar 16, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Multigenre
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - UA Campus Store Tent (on Mall) (following presentation)

Panelists: Renée DiResta, Jack Fairweather, Clay Risen
Moderator: David Bodney

Books:

Red Scare

Blacklists, McCarthyism and the Making of Modern America
Current Issues / Politics / Social Science
Scribner
March 2025
ISBN 9781982141806
480 pages

The Crowded Hour

Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century
History / Biography
Simon and Schuster
June 2020
ISBN 9781501144004
368 pages