• American Dreamer: Who Was Jay Gatsby?

  • By: Blanchard House
  • Narrated by: Joe Nocera
  • Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (67 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
American Dreamer: Who Was Jay Gatsby?  By  cover art

American Dreamer: Who Was Jay Gatsby?

By: Blanchard House
Narrated by: Joe Nocera
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $16.00

Buy for $16.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Was a real life 1920s crook the inspiration for one of the world's most iconic fictional characters, “The Great Gatsby”?

Just before the small-time bootlegger Max Gerlach died, he tried to reveal his secret: he was the inspiration for the mysterious Jay Gatsby. It’s a nice story, but was he telling the truth? Veteran reporter Joe Nocera and producer Poppy Damon investigate this century-old literary mystery and uncover untold secrets about the Great American Novel.

Content Warning:

The Great Gatsby is a book of its time so you will hear racist and anti-Semitic themes and language that some listeners might find offensive. There will also be references to alcohol and drug abuse, depictions of violence and reference to suicide.

Episode 1: Old sport

It’s July 1923 and a scrawled note from a local bootlegger gives celebrity author F Scott Fitzgerald a bright idea… Joe Nocera begins his quest investigating just who this Max Gerlach really was.

Episode 2: Then came the war

Jay Gatsby tells everyone he’s a military man, a war hero. Max Gerlach gives the same impression. But is Gerlach the man he says he is?

Episode 3: Some big bootlegger

Joe explores the shady world of bootlegging and the mob kingpin who bridges fact and fiction.

Episode 4: The golden girl

For many The Great Gatsby is first and foremost a love story. Joe goes looking for Max Gerlach’s “golden girl”. He finds a marriage – but all is not as it seems.

Episode 5: I love you now – isn’t that enough?

Fun fact: most of the ‘Great American Novel’ was written in France. What can the Fitzgeralds’ tempestuous stint on the Riviera reveal about Jay Gatsby and the man who may have inspired him?

Episode 6: He believed in the green light

Joe digs into how Max’s American Dream went sour. Meanwhile, F Scott Fitzgerald’s problems have only just begun.

Episode 7: Forty acres

Joe is forced to ask if he's had the wrong idea all along as he probes the investigation's biggest curveball.

Episode 8: Ceaselessly into the past

As Joe concludes his investigation, they follow every lead to try and get to the bottom of Max and Scott’s relationship. Just how much of Max Gerlach wound up in “The Great Gatsby”?

©2024 Blanchard House (P)2024 Audible Ltd.

American Dreamer: Who Was Jay Gatsby

Episode 1: Cocktails, flappers, jazz! Host Joe Nocera invites us into one of Jay Gatsby's legendary parties
-0.00
Episode 2: Spy The investigation takes a shadowy turn – was our real-life Gatsby a traitor to his country? Episode 2: Spy
-0.00
Episode 3: Our bootlegger protagonist Max Gerlach faces peril on the high seas
-0.00
  • American Dreamer: Who Was Jay Gatsby?
  • Episode 1: Cocktails, flappers, jazz! Host Joe Nocera invites us into one of Jay Gatsby's legendary parties
  • American Dreamer: Who Was Jay Gatsby?
  • Episode 2: Spy The investigation takes a shadowy turn – was our real-life Gatsby a traitor to his country? Episode 2: Spy
  • American Dreamer: Who Was Jay Gatsby?
  • Episode 3: Our bootlegger protagonist Max Gerlach faces peril on the high seas

About the Presenter

Joe Nocera is a veteran journalist and podcaster. He has been a columnist with The New York Times, Bloomberg, Esquire, and GQ. His 2019 podcast, The Shrink Next Door, won a Webby for best documentary podcast. His hit podcast The Pirate of Prague was released in 2023. His latest book, The Big Fail, recounts America's failed response to the pandemic. He lives in New York City with his wife and son.

About the Presenter

Poppy Damon is an award-winning podcast producer. Formerly the executive producer of the daily podcast for The Times newspaper, Poppy has created numerous narrative multi-part series. She has investigated death frauds ( Pseudocide), explored the true crime memorabilia industry ( Murderabilia), and tracked the rise of the biggest SoundCloud rappers ( Legends Fall in the Making). Her series Who Killed CJ Davis? won best true crime podcast at the British Podcast Awards in 2021.

What listeners say about American Dreamer: Who Was Jay Gatsby?

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    58
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    54
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    53
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it so much

The knowledge and enthusiasm and love of Gatsby made me smile and think about reading it again

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

If you like the book, you HAVE to listen to this!

Really interesting stuff! I'm so glad I listened to this. It makes the book so much better knowing all the background info about the author & the book that got worked into the walk through of the investigation.

I can't imagine how much effort it took to track down all that info from the early 1900s, but I'm really grateful they did it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great deep dive

Love this - a massive Fitzgerald fan (acknowledging all of his faults), I love how much time Joe and Poppy took with this, how many rocks they overturned.

I want more of this type of content. Excellent!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

good investment of time

they did such a good job with providing Facts. I couldn't stop listening!!! definitely recommend to those who like bios

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

Enjoyed learning about all these wonderful characters who made the 20’s so magical yet tragic.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Story and narration

Loved the back story for Gatsby. While a podcast, it seems like a book. I also liked the music and sound effects.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Just learning about the “Great Gatsby”

Not having read the book nor seen any version of the movies, and a who cares attitude about anything to do with the author or subject, i was extremely surprised about the whole thing. And really enjoyed knowing the back story and lives of everyone involved. Now I can hold up my end of any conversation about the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Wokeness

This was good! Aside from the woke race chapter. It was completely unnecessary and soured the listening experience. Even the African American historian interviewed said there was zero evidence Gatsby was black but the social justice narrator couldn’t let it go. Not everything talked about has to somehow tie to politics.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Great idea poor execution

The premise and exploration of whom F Scott Fritzgerald’s based Jay Gatsby upon was interesting enough for a listen. The narrators were very pleased with themselves and bantered about annoyingly to distraction of the whole story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!