The Associated Press Interview of Mark Whitacre

Please go here.

A blog radio interview

Dear Friends,

Just a friendly reminder that you can listen to an excellent interview of me at Pagereaders.com. Just go to and either scroll down until you find the interview or type “floyd perry” into the search bar.

There are lots of other interesting interviews of authors to listen to. Page Readers is a growing and informative source of information about books from the author’s mouth.
Best regards,
Floyd Perry

A YouTube Video

This YouTube video may help you understand why the FBI calls Mark Whitacre a national hero and why I had to write MARK WHITACRE AGAINST ALL ODDS. The GOOD he did (exposing the price-fixing at ADM) far outweighs the BAD (embezzling $9 million) that got him nine years in prison:

Mark Whitacre & NPR: The Radio Interview That Started It All

How did Mark Whitacre’s story get made into the movie, The Informant?  A great question, and here’s the answer.

Screenwriter, Scott Z. Burns (who later wrote the screenplay for Bourne Ultimatum, which Matt Damon also starred in), was rumored to have been driving down the road in his car and listening to NPR’s “This American Life” a popular radio program on National Public Radio hosted by Ira Glass.  On September 15, 2000, Glass’s program, “The Fix Is In,” aired.  Mr. Burns is rumored to have been so captivated by what he heard that he pulled his car over to the side of the road to listen to the rest of the radio show without distraction.  The rest, as they say, is history.

In “The Fix Is In,” Mr. Glass interviews (a) Mark Whitacre, who was by then already in prison, (b) Kurt Eichenwald, the former investigative reporter for THE NEW YORK TIMES who wrote THE INFORMANT (Broadway Books, 2000), which became the basis for the screenplay which in turn became the basis for the movie, (c) Robert Herndon, the FBI agent who was one of Whitacre’s handlers, and (d) James Mutschnik, the Chicago-based U.S. Attorney who initially brought the price-fixing case against ADM. Burns allegedly (I have not confirmed it) called his friend Matt Damon and said, “we gotta make a movie out of this.”

Enjoy listening to this fascinating podcast/audio stream here.

Upcoming Whitacre Events

The protagonist of my latest book Mark Whitacre Against All Odds is a busy man in the months of September and October.

He is speaking at a company event in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Monday, September 14th.  The next day, Tuesday, September 15th, he & wife Ginger are scheduled to attend the premiere of the film The Informant! in New York City at the Ziegfield Theater.  If they make it on time, they will walk the red carpet.  Many people are curious to meet the real Mark and Ginger Whitacre.  This will be their first really big coming out.  However, the scheduling is so tight, the distance so great, and the New York traffic so unpredictable that they might not make NY in time for that walk on the red carpet.

By the way, the movie The Informant! is based on an excellent book that was published in 2000 and written by Kurt Eichenwald, the former New York Times journalist. As I have been saying for some time, both the movie and Eichenwald’s book cover but a small slice in time.  By contrast, Mark Whitacre Against All Odds covers the man in full and his wife Ginger and their three children.  The ADM years of Eichenwald’s book comprise only one small part of a much fuller and more interesting 4-part life story of my book.

I’d say buy them both, as well as Jim Lieber’s RATS IN THE GRAIN, to get the full story from A to Z.

Matt Damon, who plays Mark in the film, will of course be at the premiere, as will the rest of the ensemble and a bunch of heavy-hitters from Hollywood. For complete information about the movie and the cast, as well as a trailer, synopsis, and several reviews, see IMDB’s coverage of THE INFORMANT! movie here. The pre-buzz on the film is absolutely terrific.

Radio Interview of Mark Whitacre

Mark Whitacre gave an excellent interview to Warren Smith on the American Family Radio Network on August 28th. You can listen to it by clicking just to the right of the word “Title” here.

.

Whitacre Speaks In New York For Hope Unlimited

Mark Whitacre answered questions for two hours on Wednesday before an audience of over 500 at King’s College in Manhattan on behalf of Hope Unlimited. Visit King’s College website here.

Now downloadable to your Kindle

Mark Whitacre Against All Odds is now available for instant download if you own a Kindle or a Kindle DX. The price is $9.99.

It’s available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble!

My new book about FBI informant Mark Whitacre is now available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. By next week, those of you with Kindles will be able to download it to your Kindle for $9.99.

The Press Release Came Out Today

You can cut and paste this to see the press release:

http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-05-2009/0005072193&EDATE=