Talking with Authors: George Packer, Our Man–Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century
32:37
Grades: 9 - 12
Video Description: In “Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century”, Atlantic writer George Packer explores the messy and fascinating life of one of the most famous diplomats of our time. Holbrooke is best known as the architect of the Dayton Peace Accord that ended the Bosnian War. But after his death in 2010, Packer discovered a man who reflected both the best and worst of America. Packer – who won the National Book Award for his last book, “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America”, gives “Our Man” the addictive intimacy of a novel. In this candid interview, he explains how he did that and why he believes non-fiction can and “should have the imagination, the creativity and the life of a good novel.”
Type of Video: Interview*
Unique Video ID: Biography-6**
Quick Ideas for Using the Video:
- Provide the video to students as a research source for their independent projects on recent world history, the Cold War, diplomacy, or other related subjects.
- Have students discuss or share in a journal entry insights they gained into the writing process of a biography.
*Interviews feature extended conversation exploring fascinating topics with fascinating people in the area of study.
**The unique Video ID can be used to quickly locate a single video in the ET collection. This search function is designed to let teachers assign students to watch a specific video and have only that video appear as a search result. Just click on Search and choose “By Video ID.” Then type in the Video ID as it appears above. Be sure to include the dash.
