stiles won the national book award for non-fiction. about an hour and 15 minutes. >> thanks for coming, everyone. it is a pleasure to be here at the library at the coleman center. "the first tycoon" takes its place this year as the biography of record of one of the greatest figures. cornelius vanderbilt's career spanned an incredible epic in this nation. as t.j. stiles writes few 19th century businessman equal vanderbilt. of those who did arguably none proved to be so influential and so fundamental over the time so formative for so long. born in 1794 the commodore lived to be 82 and played a significant role in so many of the leading events in this tumultuous life from the very beginnings of steamboat travel to the seminal supreme court case establishing the federal government's right to regulate interstate commerce to trans-atlantic travel, the start of travel across central america, and the planting of the sea that was to become the panama canal. the crushing of the notorious american filibuster, william walker. the destruction of th

wednesday he won the national book award for non-fiction. >> coming up next book tv presents after words, an hourlong discussion between the host and the author of a new book. this week nomi prins former managing director at goldman sachs talks about her book "it takes a pillage." she discusses the book with senator bernie sanders, the author of the memoir "outsider in the house." >> let me begin by thanking c-span for the opportunity of interviewing nomi prins who is the author of "it takes a pillage: behind the bailouts, bonuses, and backroom deals from washington to wall street." when i was in the house for 16 years i served on the financial-services committee. the list to say i have been actively involved. they key very much for being with us. >> things you very much, and they do for taking the time to be here as well today, senator. >> let's begin with a that a bit of background. where were you born? what happened in your life to end up -- to have you end up on wall street. >> i was born in upstate new york. my father had at one point been a professor. he was very much with ibm at t

and i would explain this is non-fiction. and the second response was, what you're does it take place in and i would explain it is a modern story. so after repeating the same answers over i thought i ought to be more precise about what i'm working on so i don't have to keep answering the same questions so from then on whenever iran into somebody they would say so when are you working on i would say it is a nonfiction story about a modern-day rare but they and the man who spent three years tracking him down. and this would elicit a couple responses. so it's a novel you are writing? [laughter] and the second, what year does it take place? [laughter] so i want to clarify once and for all its nonfiction. it is true and it takes place in the last few years. a third question i was asked probably even more than the other two was how did you find your story. well, i found the story while i was visiting my friend one day. he unfortunately, his brother had died several months earlier and among his blogging as he had left a very old boo