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Ep. 27 Susan Ronald, "The Ambassador" Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

Joseph P. Kennedy, the patriarch of the Kennedy dynasty, served as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1938-1940. By the end of his tenure, he was despised by both governments. Historian Susan Ronald, author of "The Ambassador," describes Joseph Kennedy as a Fascist sympathizer and anti-Semite whose desire for power eclipsed his allegiance to his country. She joined us to talk about all of that and more.

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Ep. 26 20th Anniversary of 9/11 Sep 07, 2021

Show notes

Twenty years ago on September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S. took the lives of nearly 3,000 people, over 2,600 of which were in New York City at the World Trade Center. On September 12th, the day after, eyewitnesses to the attacks in New York City called into C-SPAN to share their stories.

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Ep. 25 Chester Morgan, "Liberal Redneck" Aug 31, 2021

Show notes

Theodore Bilbo (1877-1947) served twice as governor of Mississippi and was elected to the U.S. Senate three times. He was a liberal, a strong supporter of FDR's New Deal, and a member of the Ku Klux Klan. We talked with University of Southern Mississippi history professor emeritus Chester "Bo" Morgan, author of "Redneck Liberal," to find out more about Theodore Bilbo and his controversial political career.

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Ep. 24 David Shambaugh, "China's Leaders: From Mao to Now" Aug 24, 2021

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George Washington University professor David Shambaugh has written nearly 30 books on the subject of Asia, a great majority of which focus on China. He talked with us about his latest, "China's Leaders," in which he profiles the five leaders of the People's Republic of China since 1949 and provides an analysis of their policies.

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Ep. 23 Derrick Bell, "Faces at the Bottom of the Well" Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

If you research the origins of critical race theory, one of the names you'll find is Derrick Bell (1930-2011). Prof. Bell, Harvard Law School's first black tenured professor, appeared on Booknotes in 1992 to talk about his book "Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism." In this excerpt from that program, he talks about the status of blacks in America and his personal experiences with racism.

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Ep. 22 Jenny Hartley, "Charles Dickens: A Very Short Introduction" Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

British author Charles Dickens is credited with creating some of the world's best-known fictional characters. To find out more about Charles Dickens, his work, and his two visits to the United States, we spoke to Jenny Hartley, emeritus professor of English at the University of Roehampton in London. She has written three books about Dickens, including "Charles Dickens: A Very Short Introduction," published in 2019.

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Ep. 21 Ken Cuthbertson, "Inside: The Biography of John Gunther" Aug 03, 2021

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Veteran Canadian journalist Ken Cuthbertson talks about the life and work of American writer John Gunther (1901-1970), author of the popular "Inside" book series that provided an in-depth look at countries around the world. The series included the 1947 bestseller "Inside U.S.A.," in which Gunther provided observations, sometimes highly critical, from his visits to every state in the country.

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Ep. 20 David Stewart, "George Washington" Jul 27, 2021

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Historian and attorney David Stewart talks about the political career of George Washington and his evolution from an egotistical military hero to Founding Father of the United States.

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Ep. 19 Robert Novak, "The Prince of Darkness" Jul 20, 2021

Show notes

The late columnist Robert Novak (1931-2009) was nicknamed "the prince of darkness" by friends and enemies alike in Washington, DC. He appeared on C-SPAN's "Q&A" program in 2007 to discuss his memoir, titled "The Prince of Darkness," in which he tells stories about his 50 years as a reporter, television personality, author, and conservative commentator. He also talked about many of the sources he had during that time.

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Ep. 18: Peter Osnos, "An Especially Good View" Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

Longtime reporter, editor and publisher Peter Osnos has published books by four American presidents, two Russian presidents, George Soros, Natan Sharansky, and a host of other high profile figures. In his new memoir "An Especially Good View" he discusses his publishing history, Russia, reporting on the Vietnam War for the Washington Post, and more. Mr. Osnos was vice president and senior editor at Random House from 1984-1996 and publisher & CEO at PublicAffairs, which he founded, from 1997-2005.

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