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When I heard that Jamie Malanowski had penned a book about the days leading up to the American Civil War, I assumed it would be something along the lines of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. You know – something absurdist that could read, if well-crafted, as if it were true. Instead, the former SPY magazine writer and editor has produced something that is true and we can only wish it chronicled something absurdist instead of reminding us that Obama vs. the Tea Party is not unlike Lincoln vs. the Confederacy. JAMIE MALANOWSKI audio excerpt: "I was confronted more clearly than I ever expected with just how fiercely (Southerners) believed in slavery. And how strongly determined they were to keep their property."  And the War Came: The Six Months That Tore America Apart originally appeared online in serialized form in The New York Times “Opinionator” web pages. It is a mesmerizing, week-by-week account from the day of Abraham Lincoln’s election, through the secession of the Southern states, on up to the start of the Civil War. The book is currently available as an e-book, but a print-on-demand edition is in the works. As for Jamie Malanowski, he’s enjoyed one of those careers guys like me can only envy from afar. Writer and editor for SPY magazine, managing editor of Playboy – we could stop there – and he is also the author of a political novel, The Coup. More recently he’s been doing ghostwriting and private editorial consultation. It’s a real pleasure to welcome him to the show. Jamie Malanowski • • • •