Gravitas

Presidential biographer and oral historian Michael Takiff is the author of several books, most notably two acclaimed volumes of American history.

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His biography of President Clinton, A Complicated Man: The Life of Bill Clinton as Told by Those Who Know Him (Yale University Press), earned First Prize, Biography/Auto-biography, at the Los Angeles Book Festival. Historian Rick Perlstein called the book “an outstanding accomplishment. . . .  A historic contribution to the biographical record which will stand for generations.” AND Magazine called A Complicated Man "the best oral-history book ever written about a President of the United States."

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Michael also authored Brave Men, Gentle Heroes: American Fathers and Sons in World War II and Vietnam (William Morrow/HarperCollins), praised by Kirkus as “a superb oral history [that] would do Studs Terkel proud.”

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Michael’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, Salon, The Nation, CNN.com, and HuffingtonPost. He has appeared on MSNBC and Fox News, and is the only person in Hardball history not to have been interrupted by Chris Matthews.

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Michael lives in New York City with his wife and son. In his next life he hopes to play center field for the Mets.