Jennet Conant is an American non-fiction author and journalist.
She has written seven books about World War II: Fierce Ambition: The Life and Legend of War Correspondent Maggie Higgins, The Great Secret: The Classified World War II Disaster that Launched the War on Cancer, Man of the Hour: James B. Conant – Warrior Scientist, Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science that Changed the Course of WWII, 109 East Palace: Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of Los Alamos, The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington, and A Covert Affair: Julia Child and Paul Child in the OSS.
Born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in Asia and America, she received a BA degree in Political Theory from Bryn Mawr College, and double-majored in Philosophy at Haverford College. She attended Columbia University’s School of Journalism and was awarded a John J. McCloy Fellowship. Jennet worked at Newsweek for 7 years where she covered business, technology and cultural affairs. Later she wrote profiles for GQ, Esquire, Vanity Fair and the New York Times. In 2004, her profile of James Watson was featured in The Best American Science & Nature Writing.
She was thrilled when her book 109 East Palace was awarded the Spirit of the West Award for Literary Achievement in non-fiction in 2006.
She is the granddaughter of James Bryant Conant, noted chemist and President of Harvard University, and one of the leaders of the Manhattan Project in World War II. Jennet is a member of Atomic Heritage Foundation’s Advisory Committee. Read more in her LA Times Op-Ed “My Grandfather and The Bomb“.
Jennet lives in New York City and in Sag Harbor, New York. She is married to the journalist Steve Kroft. They have one son and two golden retrievers.
Learn more about her new book, Fierce Ambition: The Life and Legend of War Correspondent Maggie Higgins, at W.W. Norton.
For information about her past books, go to Simon and Schuster.
For more information – See Television Interviews:
Brian Lamb – Book Notes
Charlie Rose
Today Show – Discussing The Irregulars
Today Show – Discussing A Covert Affair
Today Show – Discussing 109 East Palace
NPR – Churchill’s Dirty Tricks Squad
NPR – Discussing Tuxedo Park
Books by Jennet Conant
