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"The Return of George Washington" with Edward Larson Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward J. Larson recovers a crucially important—yet almost always overlooked—chapter of George Washington's life, revealing how Washington saved the United States by coming out of retirement to lead the Constitutional Convention and serve as our first president.

After leading the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War, George Washington shocked the world: he retired. In December 1783, General Washington, the most powerful man in the country, stepped down as Commander in Chief and returned to private life at Mount Vernon. Yet as Washington contentedly grew his estate, the fledgling American experiment floundered. Under the Articles of Confederation, the weak central government was unable to raise revenue to pay its debts or reach a consensus on national policy. The states bickered and grew apart. When a Constitutional Convention was established to address these problems, its chances of success were slim. Jefferson, Madison, and the other Founding Fathers realized that only one man could unite the fractious states: George Washington. Reluctant, but duty-bound, Washington rode to Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 to preside over the Convention.

Although Washington is often overlooked in most accounts of the period, this masterful new history from Pulitzer Prize-winner Edward J. Larson brilliantly uncovers Washington's vital role in shaping the Convention—and shows how it was only with Washington's support and his willingness to serve as President that the states were brought together and ratified the Constitution, thereby saving the country.

Edward Larson is University Professor of History and holds the Hugh & Hazel Darling Chair in Law at Pepperdine University. His numerous books include Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion, for which he received a Pulitzer Prize in History. Larson splits his time between Georgia and California.

"Retreat from Gettysburg" with Kent Masterson Brown Feb 10, 2016

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"Retreat from Gettysburg"
Kent Masterson Brown's "Retreat from Gettysburg: Lee, Logistics, and the Pennsylvania Campaign" offers the first comprehensive history of General Robert E. Lee's logistical nightmare following the Army of Northern Virginia's defeat at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. The book follows Lee through enemy territory, moving tens of thousands of troops, many of whom are wounded, and an almost equal amount of livestock, and more than fifty-seven miles of supply trains over mountains, through rain and deep mud, to safety. Gettysburg is placed in a broad historical perspective, situating the battle as the culmination of Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania.

Kent Masterson Brown is an attorney in Lexington, Kentucky. He is author of "Cushing of Gettysburg: The Story of a Union Artillery Commander" and editor of "The Civil War in Kentucky."

"The Quiet Don" with Matt Birkbeck Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

Secretive—even reclusive—Russell Bufalino quietly built his organized crime empire in the decades between Prohibition and the Carter presidency. His reach extended far beyond the coal country of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and quaint Amish farms near Lancaster. Bufalino had a hand in global, national, and local politics of the largest American cities, many of its major industries, and controlled the powerful Teamsters Union. His influence also reached the highest levels of Pennsylvania government and halls of Congress, and his legacy left a culture of corruption that continues to this day.
A uniquely American saga that spans six decades, The Quiet Don follows Russell Bufalino's remarkably quiet ascent from Sicilian immigrant to mob soldier to a man described by a United States Senate subcommittee in 1964 as "one of the most ruthless and powerful leaders of the Mafia in the United States."

Matt Birkbeck is an award winning investigative journalist and author of "A Deadly Secret: The Strange Disappearance of Kathie Durst." His work has appeared in Reader's Digest, People magazine, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, among others.

"The Quartet" with Joseph Ellis Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

We all know the famous opening phrase of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this Continent a new Nation." The truth is different. In 1776, thirteen American colonies declared themselves independent states that only temporarily joined forces in order to defeat the British. Once victorious, they planned to go their separate ways. The triumph of the American Revolution was neither an ideological nor a political guarantee that the colonies would relinquish their independence and accept the creation of a federal government with power over their autonomy as states.

The Quartet is the story of this second American founding and of the men most responsible—George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison. These men, with the help of Robert Morris and Gouverneur Morris, shaped the contours of American history by diagnosing the systemic dysfunctions created by the Articles of Confederation, manipulating the political process to force the calling of the Constitutional Convention, conspiring to set the agenda in Philadelphia, orchestrating the debate in the state ratifying conventions, and, finally, drafting the Bill of Rights to assure state compliance with the constitutional settlement.

Joseph Ellis is the author of many works of American history including Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize; and American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, which won the National Book Award. He recently retired from his position as the Ford Foundation Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College and lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with his wife and their youngest son.

"The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia, Second Edition" with David Finoli & Bill Ranier Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the most storied histories in the annals of baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia captures these fabulous times through the stories of the individuals and the collective teams that have thrilled the Steel City for 125 years. The book breaks down the team with a year-by-year synopsis of the club, including biographies of more than 180 of the most memorable Pirates through the ages as well as a look at each manager, owner, general manager, and announcer who has served the club proudly.

Now updated through the 2014 season, The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia will provide Pirates fans as well as baseball fans in general a complete look into the team's history, sparking memories of glories past and hopes for the future.

David Finoli is a sports writer from Monroeville, PA. The Duquesne University graduate has penned seventeen other books, including The Pittsburgh Pirates and The Birthplace of Professional Football: Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Bill Ranier is the co author, with David Finoli, of When the Bucs Won It All: The 1979 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates and When Cobb Met Wagner: The Seven-Game World Series of 1909.

"Pickett's Charge in History and Memory" with Carol Reardon Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

"Pickett's Charge in History and Memory"

If, as many have argued, the Civil War is the most crucial moment in our national life and Gettysburg its turning point, then the climax of the climax, the central moment of our history, must be Pickett's Charge. But as Carol Reardon notes, the Civil War saw many other daring assaults and stout defenses. Why, then, is it Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg--and not, for example, Richardson's Charge at Antietam or Humphreys's Assault at Fredericksburg--that looms so large in the popular imagination?

As this innovative study reveals, by examining the events of 3 July 1863 through the selective and evocative lens of 'memory' we can learn much about why Pickett's Charge endures so strongly in the American imagination. Over the years, soldiers, journalists, veterans, politicians, orators, artists, poets, and educators, Northerners and Southerners alike, shaped, revised, and even sacrificed the 'history' of the charge to create 'memories' that met ever-shifting needs and deeply felt values. Reardon shows that the story told today of Pickett's Charge is really an amalgam of history and memory. The evolution of that mix, she concludes, tells us much about how we come to understand our nation's past.

"The Philadelphia Nativist Riots" with Kenneth Milano Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

The outskirts of Philadelphia seethed with tension in the spring of 1844. By May 6, the situation between the newly arrived Irish Catholics and members of the anti-immigrant Nativist Party took an explosively violent turn. When the Irish asked to have their children excused from reading the Protestant version of the Bible in local public schools, the nativists held a protest. The Irish pushed back. For three days, riots scorched the streets of Kensington. Though the immigrants first had the upper hand, the nativists soon put the community to the torch. Those who fled were shot. Two Catholic churches burned to the ground, along with several blocks of houses, stores, a nunnery and a Catholic school. Local historian Kenneth W. Milano traces this tumultuous history from the preceding hostilities through the bloody skirmishes and finally to the aftermath of arrests and trials. Discover a remarkably intimate and compelling view of the riots with stories of individuals on both sides of the conflict that rocked Kensington.

Kenneth Milano is a historical and genealogical researcher with over twenty years experience in the history of Philadelphia's neighborhoods of Fishtown and Kensington, as well as the metropolitan area of Philadelphia. He was born and raisedin Kensington and still lives in that section of Philadelphia, where his mother's German ancestors first arrived from Unterleichtersbach, Bavaria in 1844.

"Philadelphia Freedoms" with Michael Awkward Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

Michael Awkward's Philadelphia Freedoms captures the disputes over the meanings of racial politics and black identity during the post-King era in the City of Brotherly Love. Looking closely at four cultural moments, he shows how racial trauma and his native city's history have been entwined. Awkward introduces each of these moments with poignant personal memories of the decade in focus, chronicling the representation of African American freedom and oppression from the 1960s to the 1990s. Philadelphia Freedoms explores NBA players' psychic pain during a playoff game the day after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination; themes of fatherhood and black masculinity in the soul music produced by Philadelphia International Records; class conflict in Andrea Lee's novel Sarah Phillips; and the theme of racial healing in Oprah Winfrey's 1997 film, Beloved.

Awkward closes his examination of racial trauma and black identity with a discussion of candidate Barack Obama's speech on race at Philadelphia's Constitution Center, pointing to the conflict between the nation's ideals and the racial animus that persists even into the second term of America's first black president.
Michael Awkward, Gayl A. Jones Professor of Afro-American Literature and Culture at the University of Michigan, is the author, most recently, of Burying Don Imus: Anatomy of a Scapegoat and Soul Covers: Rhythm and Blues Remakes and the Struggle for Artistic Identity.

"The Pennsylvania Reserves in the Civil War" with Uzal Ent Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

Until its soldiers mustered out of service in mid–1864, the Pennsylvania Reserve Division was one of only a few one-state divisions in the Union army. Known as the Pennsylvania Reserves, or simply the Reserves, the division saw action in most of the major battles of the Civil War, including Mechanicsville, New Market Crossroads, Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. This history chronicles the division's service from its organization in May 1861 through June 1864, when most of its soldiers reached the end of their service commitment. The book includes short biographical sketches, most with photographs, of the Reserves leadership. Throughout, excerpts from letters, journals, diaries, and books from more than 150 members of the Reserves provide a personal perspective on the action and reveal the human side of battle.

Uzal Ent, a brigadier general retired from a 34 year military career, is the author of three books and has published work in 19 magazines and five encyclopedias. He lives in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

"Paterno Legacy: Enduring Lessons from the Life and Death of My Father" with Jay Paterno Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

This biography of Joe Paterno by his son Jay is an honest and touching look at the life and legacy of a beloved coaching legend. Jay Paterno paints a full picture of his father's life and career as well as documenting that almost none of the horrific crimes that came to light in 2012 took place at PennState. Jay Paterno clear-headedly confronts the events that happened with cool facts and with passion, demonstrating that this was just one more case of an innocent man convicted by the media for a crime in which he had no part. Noting that the scandal itself was but a short moment in Joe Paterno's life and legacy, the book focuses on Paterno's greatness as a father and grandfather, his actions as a miraculous coach to his players, and his skillful dealings with his assistant coaches. A memorial to one of the greatest coaches in college football history, the book also reveals insightful anecdotes from his son and coaching pupil.

Jay Paterno is the son of Joe Paterno and was on Penn State's coaching staff for 17 seasons, 12 of which he served as the quarterback coach. He is a writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including the Centre Daily Times, the Penn Stater, and USA Today. His columns for StateCollege.com have been cited by Sports Illustrated and ESPN. He lives in State College, Pennsylvania. Phil Knight is the cofounder and chairman of Nike, Inc. and one of America's most well-known entrepreneurs in the sporting world. Nike is the official athletic supplier of Penn State football's jerseys and shoes. He lives in Beaverton, Oregon.

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