Michael Dobbs

As a former Washington Post reporter who covered the collapse of communism, I have long been fascinated by historical turning points. How a political leader confronts the gravest challenges of modern times, and how his decisions affect the rest of us, is a recurring theme of my seven books.

One Minute to Midnight focused on possibly the gravest crisis ever, in October 1962, when John F. Kennedy stepped back from the nuclear brink at the last possible moment. The Unwanted looked at Franklin Roosevelt's handling of the Jewish refugee crisis that preceded the Holocaust. Six Months in 1945 examined how FDR and Truman negotiated the perilous transition from World War to Cold War. My latest book, King Richard, relates the Shakespearean tale of the self-made man who scrambled his way to the top only to see his dreams turn to nightmares because of tragic character flaws.