Biography
American author and talk radio host Dennis Prager was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 2, 1948. After completing his Bachelor's Degree at Brooklyn College, Prager pursued a graduate degree at Columbia University and overseas at the University of Leeds. Focusing on Russian and Jewish history, he traveled to the Soviet Union during the Cold War to hear first-hand accounts of the repression of Jewish people. Earning a reputation as a public speaker and defender, Prager traveled around the world as the national spokesman of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry. He co-wrote his first book, "The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism" (1975) with Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, which became a significant best seller. In 1982, he began his career in talk radio in Los Angeles hosting interfaith discussions on topics such as morality, social conservatism, and antisemitism. By 1999, Prager's radio show was popular enough to be nationally syndicated. A prolific writer, he began publishing his own journal in the 80s, which became known as "The Prager Perspective" (formerly "Ultimate Issues"). He frequently penned nationally syndicated newspaper columns and has won numerous accolades including the American Jewish Press Association's Excellence in Commentary Award in 2005. In 1996, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws from Pepperdine University. He authored "Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual" (1998) which peaked in the top spot of the Los Angeles Times bestseller list. Breaking into visual media, Prager produced the documentary "Israel in a Time of Terror" (2002) examining the Israeli perspective of the Intifada. In 2009, he began producing videos for his foundation PragerU. The nonprofit advocacy group produces content promoting his conservative social and economic values and has faced criticism for spreading misleading and inaccurate information under the guise of an academic institution. His book series "The Rational Bible" started in 2018 and was a national bestseller.
