David Taylor from the Library of Congress speaks with Kai Bird, who will appear at the 2014 National Book Festival on August 30 in Washington, D.C.

Biography

Award-winning author and journalist Kai Bird is best known for his biographies of political figures. Recognized with fellowships from the Thomas J. Watson, Alicia Patterson Journalism and Guggenheim foundations, Bird also co-wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.” In his latest work, “The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames,” Bird uncovers the legacy of a remarkable operative in the CIA who held influential and effective intelligence on the Middle East.