To say that Donald L. Miller is a brilliant academic is the under-statement of all understatements. The John Henry McCracken Professor emeritus at Pennsylvania’s Lafayette College has authored seven notable books, among them Supreme City: How Jazz Age Manhattan Gave Rise to Modern America. The book chronicles the events and people who shaped the New York City Manhattan enclave’s growth in the twenties.
Aside from his work at Lafayette College, the University of Maryland alum has taught at the City University of New York, Cornell University, and Oxford University.
Perhaps Miller’s most commercial work is his historical tome Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany. The 2007 best-seller has become a best-seller once again thanks to its Apple TV+ adaptation brought to the small screen by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. The Hollywood power duo also gave audiences Band of Brothers and The Pacific.
In this episode, Tandy Culpepper talks with Miller about his exhaustive research hehind the book as well as his first-person interviews with people who were part of the air war, the heroes who took the fight to Nazi Germany. We also discuss his work as a consultant on the set of the streaming miniseries.
