Today, Matt speaks with New York Times bestselling biographer Brian Jay Jones, author of Becoming Dr. Seuss and the new book The Capitol: The Surprising Biography of an American Building. Brian traces Theodor Geisel’s unlikely path - from advertising man to the most beloved children’s author in America. They dig into the making of The Lorax: the cookie-cutter condos eating up La Jolla’s coastline that made Seuss furious, the nine months of writer’s block, and the Kenya trip where he drafted the whole story in 90 minutes on the back of a notepad. Brian also shares the story behind his new biography of the U.S. Capitol, and how he was inspired to write it after January 6, 2021.

This episode is part of our "250 for 250" series, marking America's 250th anniversary by revisiting the figures and stories in our history when ordinary people changed everything - from Dr. Seuss and the little orange creature who speaks for the trees, to the enslaved craftsman who cast the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol.

Check out Brian’s work here: brianjayjones.com

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Brian Jay Jones Bio:

Brian Jay Jones is a New York Times bestselling biographer known for chronicling the iconic creative figures who shaped American pop culture. He is the author of biographies of Jim Henson, George Lucas, Washington Irving, and Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, whose life he traced in Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination. His newest book, The Capitol: The Surprising Biography of an American Building, was published by Dutton in June 2026. A former U.S. Senate speechwriter and policy adviser, Jones is a past president of Biographers International Organization and lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Episode Resources

Brian Jay Jones website: brianjayjones.com
Becoming Dr. Seuss: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1524742783
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/565982/becoming-dr-seuss-by-brian-jay-jones
The Capitol (Dutton, June 2026): brianjayjones.com/book
A Climate Change on Apple: https://bit.ly/accapplepodcast
A Climate Change on Spotify: https://bit.ly/accspotifypodcast
A Climate Change on YouTube: https://bit.ly/ACCvids