Jonathan Alter, author of The Promise: President Obama, Year One, was born and raised in Chicago, “six blocks from Wrigley Field.” His political roots in the city go back to his mom, “the first woman ever elected to public office in Cook County, in 1972,” Alter said. Below, Alter, who has worked spent 27 years covering politics for Newsweek, tells us more about himself.
Q. What is the last habit you tried to kick?
A. Going to the refrigerator too often to look for something to eat between meals.
Q. Who was your childhood hero?
A. One of my childhood heroes was a journalist and author named Theodore White, who wrote The Making of the President series, and a number of other books. He was a longtime journalist for Time magazine who also moved into book writing, and he wrote memorable books on how politics works.
Q. What do you consider to be the greatest simple pleasure?
A. Sitting around and listening to my kids talk to each other.
Q. Where would we find you at 10 a.m. on a typical Saturday?
A. At home, reading a newspaper.
Q. What do you to do clear your mind?
A. Try to run.
Q. What do you wish you had the nerve to do?
A. Run for public office.
Q. What do you wake up to in the mornings?
A. The sound of my youngest daughter getting ready to go to school. She manages to wake up before me.
Q. What is your favorite word?
A. Idealism.
Q. Who is your favorite fictional character?
A. Marty Funkhouser on “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.
Q. What is your favorite cocktail?
A. It’s a new cocktail I had recently called the Colbert Bump.
Q. What is your most prized material possession?
A. My wedding ring, which was made by a sculptor. My wife and I watched him pound out gold rings and shape them before our eyes 24 years ago.
Q. Who is the one person living or dead you most want to meet for dinner?
A. Abraham Lincoln.
To read more about Alter’s talk, click here.
*Photo by Aaron Salcido.