{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"John Mutter: Fortune and Glass","description":"John Mutter joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about his debut novel, FORTUNE AND GLASS. The book, which received starred reviews from Library Journal, Kirkus and Booklist, is inspired by the true story of Fritz Kolbe, an anti-Nazi German Foreign Ministry official who smuggled nearly 2,000 top-secret documents to American spy Allen Dulles in Switzerland during WWII. John explains the novel's dual focus as a spy story and a love story, with the protagonist sheltering a Jewish former lover and maintaining a dangerous friendship with an SS officer. He had two primary motivations for writing the book: countering Holocaust denial and revisionism, and challenging the assumption that all Germans were committed Nazis. He also reflects on his personal connection to the subject matter, including a junior year abroad in Munich, German family heritage, and childhood friendships with Jewish families whose relatives were Holocaust survivors or victims. John is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of&amp;nbsp;Shelf Awareness, which provides a daily newsletter for the trade and a weekly publication for readers. He describes the process of writing and editing the book, which took place over 15 years. The title is from a Latin quote by Publilius Syrus and its German adaptation: \u201cGl\u00fcck und Glas, wie leicht bricht das\u201d (Fortune and glass, how easily they break). Our Latest \u201cBookreporter Talks To\u201d Interviews: Mary Beth Keane: https:\/\/youtu.be\/0bwgjN2zT1M Robert Kolker:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/youtu.be\/5Yl1L26ynDk Bonnie Garmus: https:\/\/youtu.be\/36MZitg0qkI Lisa See:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/youtu.be\/V3tkRy0OkVk Amanda Peters:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/youtu.be\/1ZpbCHCiD38 Jonathan Santlofer:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/youtu.be\/rUk_eqMBrgk Hank Phillippi Ryan:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/youtu.be\/6EjQPzlBOxw Shari Lapena:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/youtu.be\/AZykCEM0ojE Our Latest \u201cBookaccino Live\u201d Book Group Events: Kathryn Stockett: https:\/\/youtu.be\/Ye_NQmQY0z8 Bruce Holsinger: https:\/\/youtu.be\/wwQjtlPePBQ Wally Lamb:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/youtu.be\/-eMtMznKoVE Laura Dave:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/youtu.be\/RRWrSjdxyrc Lisa Ridz\u00e9n:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/youtu.be\/dleYdLoh0bY Patrick Ryan:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/youtu.be\/keazeWK1lto Sign up for newsletters from Bookreporter and Reading Group Guides here: https:\/\/tbrnetwork.com\/newsletters\/ FOLLOW US on Facebook:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bookreporter Website:&amp;nbsp;https:\/\/www.bookreporter.com Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald Edited by Jordan Redd Productions ","author_name":"Bookreporter Talks To","author_url":"https:\/\/www.bookreporter.com\/","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/43712464\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/item\/43712464"}