Utah Public Radio (UPR), a member of the National Public Radio network (NPR), interviewed George Hirthler, the author of The Idealist, about his novel and the Olympic Movement of today.

Listen to the full interview here:

And you can read the related article, Discussing The Olympics And George Hirthler’s Book “The Idealist”, on UPR’s website. Here’s an excerpt, describing the interview:

George Hirthler’s new historical novel, “The Idealist,” is the inspiring and tragic story of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the French visionary who founded the modern Olympic Games.

We’ll talk with Hirthler about the fascinating life of Baron de Coubertin and the beginnings of the modern Olympic Games. We’ll also talk about the Olympic Movement today: the inspiring stories (including Salt Lake City’s generally positive experience) as well threats to the movement such as cost overruns and the growing number of cities refusing to bid on Games.