Hi, I'm Jonathan Kapart, and welcome to Cape Up.

Future Face, a family mystery, an epic quest, and the secret to belonging is number one

on President Obama's summer reading list.

Its author is Alex Wagner, contributing editor to the Atlantic and

co-executive producer of The Circus on Showtime.

Think of her book as a three-act opera where Wagner, half white, half Burmese, untangles

her family's history. But the power of her story comes from the revelations it gives her

for our country today.

The other piece about tracing your ancestry is it makes you, I think, slightly more empathetic

about what happens today.

I am, I think, more forgiving because I realize that all of our family history is definitely mine.

It's populated with thieves and liars and incompetent people who weren't bad people and who I'm not ashamed of but who are my family.

This conversation was originally recorded at the Aspen Ideas Festival on June 26th in Aspen, Colorado. This episode has been edited for

content and clarity. Thank you Alex Wagner for being the reason why we are here.

Alex Wagner is the co-host and executive producer of The Circus on Showtime.

The National Affairs Correspondent was CBS News, but also anchor, and the author of Future Face,

A Family Mystery and Epic Quest and the secret to belonging. I read it it's so

Alex Wagner the way it's written. I heard her voice in every word on every page that I read but as I was reading it I kept

wondering Alex where did this book come from at what point did you decide I want to write this book and how long did it take?

So in my like strange television and I also write for the Atlantic. Things happen very quickly, right?

Well, the life cycle of a story and a news piece

is pretty short.

...