Baime
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A. J. Baime (born July 24, 1971) is an American author, journalist, and public speaker. He is a regular contributor to ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', and he is best known for his books ''The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months that Changed the World'' (2017), ''Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans'' (2009) and ''The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War'' (2014).


Biography

Baime was born and raised in suburban
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, where he attended West Essex High School. He earned a B.A. from the
University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, mo ...
in 1994, and an M.A. from
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...
in 1997. Soon after, he broke into journalism by working as a freelance fact checker at magazines such as '' GQ'', ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', and ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
''. In 1998, Baime started his first full-time writing job, at '' Maxim'' magazine. Over the next 15 years, he worked at various publications, becoming an executive editor at ''
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
'', ''Maxim'', and ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...
'' magazines, respectively. During that time, he began writing for other publications, notably ''The Wall Street Journal'', where he currently writes the weekly "My Ride" column, about people who have a passion for a specific kind of automobile or motorcycle. Baime is known for his work as an automotive journalist; he is currently a contributing editor to ''
Road & Track ''Road & Track'' (stylized as ''R&T'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. It is owned by Hearst Magazines and is published 6 times per year. The editorial offices are located in New York, New York. History ''Road & Track'' (often ab ...
'', and he was on the launch team of Time Inc.'s online car magazine ''TheDrive''. A longtime New Yorker, Baime now lives in
northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...
, focusing mainly on his work as a book author.


Writings

In 2003, Baime published his first book, ''Big Shots: the Men Behind the Booze''. But his 2009 book ''Go Like Hell'' is the one that launched his career as an author. The book covers the Ford vs.
Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
rivalry to win the
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
in the 1960s. It was developed into the 2019 film ''
Ford v. Ferrari ''Ford v Ferrari'' (titled ''Le Mans '66'' in some European countries) is a 2019 American sports drama film directed by James Mangold and written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, and Jason Keller. It stars Matt Damon and Christian B ...
'', directed by
James Mangold James Allen Mangold (born December 16, 1963) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for the films ''Cop Land'' (1997), '' Girl, Interrupted'' (1999), ''Walk the Line'' (2005), '' 3:10 to Yuma'' (2007), '' The Wolverine'' (2013) and '' Logan'' ...
, with
Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, including ...
and Matt Damon in leading roles. Baime's 2014 book ''The Arsenal of Democracy''—about the Detroit car companies' contributions to World War II, notably the
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
—is also in development for film. Both ''Go Like Hell'' and ''The Arsenal of Democracy'' won the Ken Purdy Award for best writing in the automotive space (the award is given by the International Motor Press Association).


Film work

Baime has appeared on the TV shows '' Jay Leno's Garage'' and ''One of a Kind: Cars'', and he is featured prominently in ''The 24 Hour War'', a feature-length documentary film produced by Adam Carolla and Nate Adams in 2016.


Selected publications

* ''Big Shots: The Men Behind the Booze''. New York: New American Library, 2003. * ''Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans''. Boston: Mariner Books, 2010. * ''The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War''. Boston: Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, c2014. * ''The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World''. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. * ''Dewey Defeats Truman: The 1948 Election and the Battle for America's Soul''. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. * ''White Lies: The Double Life of Walter F. White and America's Darkest Secret''. Mariner Books, 2022 * ''Survival of the Fastest - Weed, Speed, and the 1980's Drug Scandal that Shocked the Sports World'' with Randy Lanier. Hachette Books, 2022.


References


External links

*
"Getting the Tire Tracks on Paper"
''New York Times'', June 8, 2009
Ken Purdy Award Winners
, International Motor Press Association
Twitter account
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baime, A. J. 1971 births Living people 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male journalists American male non-fiction writers New York University alumni People from Essex County, New Jersey University of New Hampshire alumni West Essex High School alumni