Ill Literacy: Books with Benson

Latest Episodes:

Authority and Freedom: A Defense of the Arts (Guest: Jed Perl) Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Jed Perl of the New School of Social Research and long-time art critic for The New Republic to discuss his new book, “Authority and Freedom: A Defense of the Arts”. They discuss how the interplay between authority and freedom are the lifeblood of the arts, how the essence of the arts is their ability to free us from fixed definitions and categories, and what is the future of the arts in a democratic society.

Get the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/673724/authority-and-freedom-by-jed-perl/

Show Notes:

The Bulwark: Daniel Lelchuk – “A Defense of Art for Art’s Sake”
https://www.thebulwark.com/a-defense-of-art-for-arts-sake/

First Things: Kyle Smith – “Great Art Can Be Propaganda”
https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2022/02/great-art-can-be-propaganda

Law & Liberty: Mark Judge – “Art Without Tradition is Dead”
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/art-without-tradition-is-dead/

Literary Hub: Jed Perl – “How Artists Navigate the Interplay of Authority and Freedom”
https://lithub.com/how-artists-navigate-the-interplay-of-authority-and-freedom/

The New Criterion: Michael Mosbacher – “Art versus anachronism”
https://newcriterion.com/issues/2022/3/art-versus-anachronism

The New York Review of Books: John Banville – “The Imaginative Imperative”
https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/04/21/the-imaginative-imperative-authority-and-freedom-jed-perl/

The New York Times: John Adams – “Does Art Have to Be Relevant? One Prominent Critic Says No.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/12/books/review/authority-and-freedom-a-defense-of-the-arts-jed-perl.html

Quillette: Franklin Einspruch – “Authority and Freedom: A Defense of the Arts—A Review”
https://quillette.com/2022/01/12/authority-and-freedom-a-defense-of-the-arts-a-review/

Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War, 1931-1945 (Guest: Richard Overy) Aug 18, 2022

Show notes

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Richard Overy, Professor of History at the University of Exeter, to discuss his new book, “Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War, 1931-1945.” They discuss why the Second World War should be considered the last imperial war, why the war needs to be looked at with a broader, more global perspective, and why it’s protracted, messy aftermath goes far beyond 1945.
Get the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/529350/blood-and-ruins-by-richard-overy/
Show Notes:
The Atlantic: Daniel Immerwahr – “A New History of World War II”
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/world-war-ii-empire-colonialism/629371/
The Critic: Rana Mitter – “Truly global view of World War II”
https://thecritic.co.uk/issues/october-2021/truly-global-view-of-world-war-ii/
Irish Times: Geoffrey Roberts – “Blood and Ruins: Masterly overview of the ‘long’ second World War”
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/blood-and-ruins-masterly-overview-of-the-long-second-world-war-1.4643053
Literary Hub: Andrew Keen – “Has the Second World War Ended Yet? Richard Overy in Conversation” (AUDIO)
https://lithub.com/has-the-second-world-war-ended-yet/
Literary Review: Adam Zamoyski – “The World Ablaze”
https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-world-ablaze
New York Times: Josef Joffe – “World War II, Ukraine and the Future of Conflict”
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/04/books/blood-and-ruins-richard-overy.html
The Times: Saul David – “Blood and Ruins by Richard Overy review — the Second World War began in 1931. Discuss”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/blood-and-ruins-by-richard-overy-review-bkfhbslvx
Times Literary Supplement: John Darwin – “End of empires”
https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/blood-and-ruins-richard-overy-book-review-john-darwin/
Wall Street Journal: Michael F. Bishop – “‘Blood and Ruins’ Review: World War II and the Ends of Empires”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/blood-and-ruins-book-review-history-world-war-ii-and-the-ends-of-empires-11648217702

Splintered: Critical Race Theory and the Progressive War on Truth (Guest: Jonathan Butcher) Aug 16, 2022

Show notes

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Jonathan Butcher, the Will Skillman Fellow in Education in the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation, to discuss his new book, “Splintered: Critical Race Theory and the Progressive War on Truth”. They discuss the hijacking of K–12 education by Critical Theorists, what exactly is and what isn’t Critical Race Theory, and how this battle over our national identity is a cultural battle. They also chat about the best methods for parents and policymakers to fight back against CRT.
Get the book here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Splintered/Jonathan-Butcher/9781637582664
Show Notes:
C-SPAN: “Discussion on Critical Race Theory and Victimhood” (VIDEO)
https://www.c-span.org/video/?519180-1/discussion-critical-race-theory-victimhood#!
The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal: George Leef – “The Origins and Impact of Racially Divisive Curricula”
https://www.jamesgmartin.center/2022/07/the-origins-and-impact-of-racially-divisive-curricula/
Washington Free Beacon: Alex Nester – “The Plot To Undermine America’s Institutions”
https://freebeacon.com/culture/the-plot-to-undermine-americas-institutions/

The Georgians: The Deeds and Misdeeds of 18th-Century Britain (Guest: Penelope J. Corfield) Aug 03, 2022

Show notes

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Penelope J. Corfield, professor emeritus of history at Royal Holloway, London University and president of the International Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, to discuss her new book, “The Georgians: The Deeds and Misdeeds of 18th-Century Britain.” They discuss many aspects of Georgian life, including politics and empire, culture and society, love and violence, religion and science, and industry and towns. They also discuss the elements of deep continuity that persisted even within major changes in Georgian society.

Get the book here: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300253573/the-georgians/

Show Notes:

Financial Times: Ruth Scurr – “The Georgians — the age that shaped Britain, for good and bad”
https://www.ft.com/content/5802c43c-5548-4a96-a527-b8b55dd16e95

History Today: Penelope J. Corfield – “The Lure of the Georgian Age”
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/lure-georgian-age

Lapham’s Quarterly: Penelope J. Corfield – “What Driveling Times Are These!”
https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/what-driveling-times-are-these

Literary Review: Freya Johnston – “Squalor & Sublimity”
https://literaryreview.co.uk/squalor-sublimity

The Spectator: Wynn Wheldon – “The Georgians feel closer to us now than the Victorians”
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-georgians-feel-closer-to-us-now-than-the-victorians

Sunday Times: Dominic Sandbrook – “The Georgians by Penelope J Corfield review — a colourful history of life in Georgian England”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-georgians-by-penelope-j-corfield-review-a-colourful-history-of-life-in-georgian-england-2tz92lpmd

Times Literary Supplement: Judith Hawley – “The age of light, libel, levity and lead”
https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/the-georgians-penelope-corfield-book-review-judith-hawley/

Gin, Jesus, and Jim Crow (Guest: Brendan J.J. Payne) Jul 18, 2022

Show notes

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Brendan J.J. Payne, chair of the Department of History at North Greenville University, to discuss his new book, “Gin, Jesus, and Jim Crow: Prohibition and the Transformation of Racial and Religious Politics in the South.” They discuss how prohibition helped realign the racial and religious order in the South by linking restrictions on alcohol with political preaching, the disfranchisement of black voters, and how prohibition only retreated from the region once the racial and religious order it helped enshrine had been secured.
Get the book here: https://lsupress.org/books/detail/gin-jesus-and-jim-crow/

The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives' War on Fun (Guest: Noah Rothman) Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Noah Rothman, associate editor of Commentary magazine to discuss his new book, “The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives' War on Fun.” They discuss how progressives have returned to their shrewish and humorless norm after an interregnum of free-spirited hippiedom. They also chat about how progressives are sucking the joy out of food, sports, hobbies, fashion, movies, and television in their pursuit of a better world. Limiting happiness is a feature, not a bug, of 21st Century progressivism.

Get the book here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-rise-of-the-new-puritans-noah-rothman?variant=39727623471138

A House Built by Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House (Guest: Jonathan W. White) Jul 07, 2022

Show notes

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Jonathan W. White, associate professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University, to discuss his new book, A House Built by Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House. They discuss how Lincoln’s unprecedented welcoming of African American men and women to the White House transformed the trajectory of race relations in the United States and how African Americans used the White House as a national stage to amplify their calls for equality.

Get the book here: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538161807/A-House-Built-by-Slaves-African-American-Visitors-to-the-Lincoln-White-House

Show Notes:

Claremont Review of Books: Lucas Morel – “Overcoming the House Divided”
https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/overcoming-the-house-divided/

C-SPAN: A House Built by Slaves (VIDEO)
https://www.c-span.org/video/?519281-1/a-house-built-slaves

The Guardian: Martin Pengelly – “Why Abraham Lincoln’s meetings with Black Americans matter”
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/feb/12/abraham-lincoln-race-slavery-black-americans-jonathan-white-book-michell-obama

Law & Liberty: Andrew F. Lang – “Meeting Mr. Lincoln”
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/meeting-mr-lincoln/

Los Angeles Review of Books: Ronald White – “Calling on Lincoln”
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/calling-on-lincoln/

National Review: Allen C. Guelzo – “Guests of the Great Emancipator”
https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2022/04/04/guests-of-the-great-emancipator/

Smithsonian Magazine: Jonathan W. White – “Black Lives Certainly Mattered to Abraham Lincoln”
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/black-lives-certainly-mattered-abraham-lincoln-180976963/

U.S. National Archives: A House Built by Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House (VIDEO)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqUgsyeeWyE

White House Historical Association: A House Built by Slaves - African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House (VIDEO)
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/videos/a-house-built-by-slaves-african-american-visitors-to-the-lincoln-white-house

The Fall of Robespierre: 24 Hours in Revolutionary Paris (Guest: Colin Jones) Jul 05, 2022

Show notes

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Colin Jones, Professor of History at Queen Mary University of London and Visiting Professor at the University of Chicago, to discuss his new book, The Fall of Robespierre: 24 Hours in Revolutionary Paris. They discuss how Maximilien Robespierre went from completely secure in his person to awaiting the guillotine in the course of a day, who were the major players in the plot against him, and how they achieved their coup. They also discuss what everyday life in Paris was like during the Terror for the average Parisian and how many of those people would have to make a fateful choice on 9 Thermidor.

Get the book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-fall-of-robespierre-9780198715955?q=fall%20of%20robespierre&lang=en&cc=us

Show Notes:

Financial Times: Tony Barber – “The Fall of Robespierre by Colin Jones — a revolutionary end”
https://www.ft.com/content/12f33c91-5b7b-45fa-a295-afdfea735eec

History Today: Colin Jones – “The Fall of Robespierre”
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/fall-robespierre

Literary Review: John Adamson – “Night of the Guillotine”
https://literaryreview.co.uk/night-of-the-guillotine

London Review of Books: Caroline Webber – “Much more than a Man”
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n06/caroline-weber/much-more-than-a-man

New York Review of Books: David A. Bell – “The End of the Terror”
https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/03/10/the-end-of-the-terror-robespierre-jones-bell/

The Spectator: Ruth Scurr – “The men of blood get their comeuppance in Revolutionary France”
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-men-of-blood-get-their-comeuppance-in-revolutionary-france

The Sunday Times: Dominic Sandbrook – “The Fall of Robespierre by Colin Jones review — the day he met the guillotine”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-fall-of-robespierre-by-colin-jones-review-the-day-he-met-the-guillotine-bljwsjx0k

Savage Journey: Hunter S. Thompson and the Weird Road To Gonzo (Guest: Peter Richardson) Jun 29, 2022

Show notes

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Peter Richardson to discuss his new book, “Savage Journey: Hunter S. Thompson and the Weird Road To Gonzo.” They discuss how Thompson’s literary formation occurred in San Francisco in the mid- ‘60’s, how his celebrity has obscured his literary achievements, and why Richardson believes Thompson was one of the most important American voices in the second half of the Twentieth Century.

Get the book here: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520304925/savage-journey

Show Notes:

Alta: Sophia Stewart – “The Weird Turn Pro”
https://www.altaonline.com/books/nonfiction/a38804340/peter-richard-savage-journey-book-review/

Houston Press: Tom Richards – “Plenty of Fear, Plenty of Loathing in New Hunter S. Thompson Biography”
https://www.houstonpress.com/arts/new-bio-analyzes-the-legend-of-hunter-s-thompson-12789622

Literary Hub: Peter Richardson – “On the Legacy of Hunter S. Thompson and Gonzo Journalism”
https://lithub.com/on-the-legacy-of-hunter-s-thompson-and-gonzo-journalism/?fbclid=IwAR2R_VdzBb47DKBmXSXfkX_oXqRpKzgSr0jyxct1WMaMvlY-algv-Feb-AA

Los Angeles Review of Books: Peter Richardson – “Strange Rumblings: The Prickly but Productive Friendship Between Hunter Thompson and Oscar Acosta”
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/strange-rumblings-the-prickly-but-productive-friendship-between-hunter-thompson-and-oscar-acosta/

The Nation: Peter Richardson – “5 Lessons From Hunter S. Thompson”
https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/hunter-thompson-rolling-stone/

The New Republic: Peter Richardson – “Hunter S. Thompson and the Four Secrets to Gonzo Journalism’s Success”
https://newrepublic.com/article/165172/hunter-s-thompson-gonzo-journalisms-four-secrets

Times Literary Supplement: Matt Sturrock – “Not-so-micro-aggressions”
https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/savage-journey-hunter-s-thompson-peter-richardson-book-review-matt-sturrock/

Wall Street Journal: Benjamin Shull – “‘Savage Journey’ Review: Hunter S. Thompson’s Wild Ride”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/savage-journey-book-review-hunter-s-thompson-biography-wild-ride-hells-angels-fear-loathing-11646321130

Washington Independent Review of Books: Daniel de Visé – “Savage Journey: Hunter S. Thompson and the Weird Road to Gonzo”
https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/index.php/bookreview/savage-journey-hunter-s-thompson-and-the-weird-road-to-gonzo

Washington Post Magazine: Jason Vest – “The gonzo journalist who forever changed political campaign coverage”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/05/10/hunter-thompson-campaign-coverage/

The Economics of the Parables (Guest: Father Robert Sirico) Jun 14, 2022

Show notes

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Father Robert Sirico, co-founder of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, to discuss his new book, The Economics of the Parables. They discuss the enduring financial truths of the parables, whether Jesus intended the parables to have an economic message, and why they prefer the King James Version even though they’re both Catholic.

Get the book here: https://www.regnery.com/9781684512423/the-economics-of-the-parables/

Show Notes:

Acton Line (AUDIO): “The Economics of the Parables”
https://www.acton.org/audio/economics-parables

Law & Liberty: Clara Piano – “Economics as an Antidote to Envy”
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/economics-as-an-antidote-to-envy/

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