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18547-1
Bob Woodward
The Commanders
Bob Woodward discussed his book, "The Commanders," which investigated the decision making process in the White House from the beginning of the Bush administration to the beginning of the Persian Gulf war. He discussed the research he conducted for the book and the journalistic philosophy he employs in covering the work...
1991-06-23T00:00:00
067176960X
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/18547-1
110971-1
Larry Tye
The Father of Spin: Edward L. Bernays & The Birth of Public Relations
The Father of Spin , by Boston Globe reporter Larry Tye, is the first full-length biography of the legendary Edward L. Bernays who, beginning in the 1920s, was one of the first and most successful practitioners of the art of public relations. This book tells of Bernay's classic campaigns including: A "Torches of Freedo...
1998-09-20T00:00:00
0517704358
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/110971-1
13601-1
Tad Szulc
Then and Now: How the World Has Changed Since WW 2
Tad Szulc discussed his book which focuses on Twentieth Century historical development. The book, Then and Now: How the World Has Changed Since World War II, examined the impact of nuclear power, technological growth and Third World development on global politics. Mr. Szulc is a former foreign correspondent for The New...
1990-08-19T00:00:00
0688075584
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/13601-1
41609-1
Douglas Davis
The Five Myths of Television Power
Mr. Davis talked about the research behind his book, The Five Myths of Television Power, or Why the Medium Is Not the Message, published by Simon and Schuster. He explained his exploration into the attitudes preserving the five commonly held assumptions about Americans and television, including the myth that political ...
1993-05-30T00:00:00
0671739638
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/41609-1
182346-2
Simon Sebag Montefiore
Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar (Part 2)
—from the publisher's website Fifty years after his death, Stalin remains a figure of powerful and dark fascination. The almost unfathomable scale of his crimes–as many as 20 million Soviets died in his purges and infamous Gulag–has given him the lasting distinction as a personification of evil in the twentieth century...
2004-06-27T00:00:00
1400042305
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/182346-2
50545-1
Madeline Cartwright
For the Children: Lessons from a Visionary Principal
Ms. Cartwright, a highly acclaimed principal of a Pennsylvania public school, discusses her book that recounts her trials and accomplishments in transforming that school. The dynamic and engaging black educator discussed her strategies and remedies in her efforts to combat teacher absences, to involve parents, and to c...
1993-09-19T00:00:00
0385423721
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/50545-1
171602-1
Zig Ziglar
Zig: The Autobiography of Zig Ziglar
—from the publisher's website Zig Ziglar, the motivational speaker who has galvanized audiences around the world and written more than a dozen perennially popular books, brings that same unbounded energy and clarity of vision to this candid, inspiring account of his own life and the forces that shaped it. Every year, Z...
2002-10-06T00:00:00
0385502966
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/171602-1
16381-1
Father Theodore Hesburgh
God, Country, Notre Dame
In his book, Father Hesburgh chronicled his work as a priest, university president, and a public servant in politics and government. This autobiography talks about his experiences on 14 presidential commissions, including the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and the development of Notre Dame into a strong Catholic univ...
1991-02-10T00:00:00
0268010382
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/16381-1
158365-1
Robert Coram
Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War
—from the publisher's website John Boyd may be the most remarkable unsung hero in all of American military history. Some remember him as the greatest fighter pilot in American history-the man who, in simulated air-to-air combat, defeated every challenger in less than forty seconds. Some recall him as the father of our ...
2003-01-26T00:00:00
0316796883
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/158365-1
165751-1
Daniel Pink
Free Agent Nation: New Independent Workers
The Organization Man is history. Taking his place is America's new economic icon: the "free agent"—the job-hopping, tech-savvy, fulfillment-seeking self-employed independent worker. Already 30 million strong, these new "dis-organization" men and women are transforming America in ways both profound and exhilarating. In ...
2001-11-18T00:00:00
0446525235
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/165751-1
111945-1
Dorothy Herrmann
Helen Keller: A Life
This full-scale biography takes readers beyond the image of Helen Keller as the young girl portrayed in The Miracle Worker and brings to life the complex woman whose private self has, until now, been shrouded in legend. Dorothy Herrmann's book takes us through Helen's long, eventful life, a life that would have crushed...
1998-10-25T00:00:00
0679443541
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/111945-1
68051-1
Evan Thomas
The Very Best Men: Four Who Dared: The Early Years of the CIA
The Very Best Men is the story of the CIA's early days as told through the careers of four glamorous, daring, and idealistic men who ran covert operations for the government from the end of World War II to Vietnam. Evan Thomas re-creates the personal dramas and sometimes tragic lives of Frank Wisner, Richard Bissell, T...
1995-12-17T00:00:00
0684810255
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/68051-1
89403-1
Howard Gardner
Extraordinary Minds
Fifteen years ago, Harvard educator and psychologist Howard Gardner challenged the existing premise that intelligence consists of verbal or logical abilities only—those that are tested by schools—and argued for a broader understanding of the intelligent mind: one that embraces creation in the arts and music, spatial re...
1997-10-05T00:00:00
0465045154
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/89403-1
155183-1
Loung Ung
First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers
From a childhood survivor of the brutal Pol Pot regime comes an unforgettable narrative of tragedy and spiritual triumph. —from the publisher's website
2000-03-19T00:00:00
0060193328
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/155183-1
76259-1
Mikhail Gorbachev
Memoirs
Mr. Gorbachev talked about his new book, Memoirs, published by Doubleday. He talked about his career as a Communist party leader and his contributions to the break-up of the Soviet Union. He said he wrote the book to explain his reasons for deciding that reforms were needed in the Soviet Union. Other topics included Mr...
1996-11-24T00:00:00
0385480199
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/76259-1
25679-1
Paul Hollander
Anti-Americanism
Mr. Hollander discussed his two new books, Anti-Americanism: Critiques at Home and Abroad, 1965-1990, published by Oxford University Press, and Decline and Discontent: Communism and the West Today, published by Transaction. Anti-Americanism is divided into two parts with one looking at domestic critiques and the other ...
1992-04-19T00:00:00
019503824X
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/25679-1
23227-1
James Reston
Deadline: A Memoir
James "Scotty" Reston, former Washington bureau chief, columnist, and executive editor of The New York Times, discussed his book, Deadline: A Memoir. Mr. Reston reflected on his years as a journalist and discussed his relationships with policy makers and presidents from 1939, when he joined the Times' London bureau, un...
1991-12-08T00:00:00
0394585585
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/23227-1
183799-1
Stephen Greenblatt
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare
—from the publisher's website How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare A brilliant reading of Shakespeare's world yields a new understanding of the man and his genius. A young man from the provinces—a man without wealth, connections, or university education—moves to London. In a remarkably short time he becomes the greatest ...
2004-11-14T00:00:00
0393050572
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/183799-1
100801-1
Ernest Lefever
The Irony of Virtue: Ethics and American Power
This definitive anthology is the fruit of one of America's most respected neoconservatives. Trained in Christian ethics, Ernest Lefever has been an articulate public policy advocate. Both conservatives and liberals will ignore his views at their peril. In this first-ever anthology of his most important work, Lefever ta...
1998-03-22T00:00:00
0813368812
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/100801-1
78190-1
John Fialka
War By Other Means: Economic Espionage in America
Mr. Fialka talked about his new book, War By Other Means: Economic Espionage in America, published by W.W. Norton and Company. He recounts many real-world spy stories and warns U.S. industry about the risks of economic espionage. He talks about security and the theft of patents and software by electronic means.
1997-03-19T00:00:00
0393040143
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/78190-1
66346-1
Cartha Deke DeLoach
Hoover's FBI: The Inside Story by Hoover's Trusted Lieutenant
Mr. DeLoach, a former FBI Deputy Director under J. Edgar Hoover, talked about his recently published book, Hoover's FBI, published by Regnery. It focuses on the FBI during the controversial tenure of J. Edgar Hoover. It attempts to disprove the many allegations against Mr. Hoover, including his sexual behavior and secr...
1995-08-20T00:00:00
089526479X
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/66346-1
179038-1
Gail Collins
America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates and Heroines
—from the publisher's website America's Women tells the story of more than four centuries of history. It features a stunning array of personalities, from the women peering worriedly over the side of the Mayflower to feminists having a grand old time protesting beauty pageants and bridal fairs. Courageous, silly, funny,...
2003-12-14T00:00:00
0061227226
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/179038-1
8270-1
Roger Kennedy
Orders From France
Roger Kennedy talked about his book "Orders From France: The Americans and the French in a Revolutionary World, 1780 - 1820" (University of Pennsylvania Press). In the book he examines the ways in which France's artisans, architects, engineers, and craftsmen influenced Revolutionary America. During this period in Ameri...
1989-07-09T00:00:00
0812213289
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/8270-1
152229-1
Linda McMurry
To Keep the Waters Troubled: The Life of Ida B. Wells
When Frederick Douglass died in 1895, writes Linda O. McMurry, Ida B. Wells "was his logical heir apparent; they had collaborated closely on several projects. She was better known than W.E.B. DuBois and more ideologically compatible with Douglass than Booker T. Washington"—but it was considered too belittling to black ...
1999-09-26T00:00:00
0195139275
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/152229-1
115511-1
Philip Gourevitch
We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families
"Hutus kill Tutsis, then Tutsis kill Hutus—if that's really all there is to it, then no wonder we can't be bothered with it," Philip Gourevitch writes, imagining the response of somebody in a country far from the ethnic strife and mass killings of Rwanda. But the situation is not so simple, and in this complex and wren...
1998-11-22T00:00:00
0374286973
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/115511-1
171132-1
Dennis Hutchinson
The Forgotten Memoir of John Knox
—from the publisher's website This book is the first of its kind-the personal memoir of a law clerk to a member of the Supreme Court of the United States. John F. Knox (1907-1997) served as private secretary and law clerk to Justice James C. McReynolds, arguably one of the most disagreeable justices ever to sit on the ...
2002-09-08T00:00:00
0226448622
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/171132-1
107917-1
John Lewis
Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement
Forty years ago, a teenaged boy named John Lewis stepped off a cotton farm in Alabama and into the epicenter of the struggle for civil rights in America. The ideals of nonviolence which guided that critical time of American history established him as one of the movement's most charismatic and courageous leaders. In Wal...
1998-07-12T00:00:00
0684810654
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/107917-1
174681-1
Dana Priest
The Mission: Waging War and Keeping Peace with America’s Military
—from the publisher's website Walk with America's generals, grunts, and Green Berets through the maze of unconventional wars and unsettled peace. Four-star generals who lead the military during wartime reign like preconsuls abroad in peacetime. Secretive Green Berets trained to hunt down terrorists and wage guerrilla w...
2003-03-09T00:00:00
0393010244
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/174681-1
53631-1
William Bennett
The Book of Virtues
Former Education Secretary Bennett described what he believes are the virtues that all children should be taught, such as friendship, courage, loyalty, self discipline, and others. He edited The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories, published by Simon and Schuster, in which he gathered together and commen...
1994-01-09T00:00:00
9780671683061
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/53631-1
167668-1
Steve Neal
Harry and Ike: The Partnership That Remade the Postwar World
Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower worked more closely between 1945 and 1952 than any other two American presidents of the twentieth century. They were partners in changing America's role in the world and in responding to the challenge of a Soviet Europe, yet they are remembered more for the acrimony that ended t...
2002-02-10T00:00:00
0684853558
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/167668-1
87476-1
Pauline Maier
American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence
Pauline Maier shows us the Declaration as both the defining statement of our national identity and the moral standard by which we live as a nation. It is truly "American Scripture," and Maier tells us how it came to be—from the Declaration's birth in the hard and tortuous struggle by which Americans arrived at Independ...
1997-08-17T00:00:00
0679454926
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/87476-1
167144-1
Joseph Persico
Roosevelt’s Secret War: FDR and World War II Espionage
Despite all that has already been written on Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Joseph Persico has uncovered a hitherto overlooked dimension of FDR's wartime leadership: his involvement in intelligence and espionage operations. Roosevelt's Secret War is crowded with remarkable revelations: -FDR wanted to bomb Tokyo before Pear...
2001-11-11T00:00:00
0375502467
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/167144-1
62117-1
Elizabeth Drew
On The Edge: The Clinton Presidency
Ms. Drew talked about her recent book, On the Edge: The Clinton Presidency, published by Touchstone Books. Ms. Drew discussed the President's first 18 months in office, as well as the transition prior to Inauguration Day. Ms. Drew noted that President Clinton possessed a coherent vision for the U.S. and had accomplishe...
1994-12-11T00:00:00
0684813092
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/62117-1
156478-1
James Perry
A Bohemian Brigade
Mr. Perry discussed his book The Bohemian Brigade: The Civil War Correspondents Mostly Rough, Sometimes Ready, published by Wiley, John, and Sons. The book details the emergence of modern American journalism during the Civil War. Pointing to the telegraph, steam-powered transport, the printing press, and the importance...
2000-05-21T00:00:00
0471320099
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/156478-1
71312-1
Noa Ben Artzi-Pelossof
In the Name of Sorrow and Hope
Noa Ben Artzi-Pelossof, only granddaughter of assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, discussed her book, “In the Name of Sorrow and Hope,” published by Alfred A. Knopf. She gained international recognition when she read her "last letter" to her grandfather at his funeral. In the book, written when she was o...
1996-05-26T00:00:00
0679450793
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/71312-1
81241-1
Walter Cronkite
A Reporter's Life
Many of this century's most crucial and momentous events have had one thing in common: Walter Cronkite. The word "anchorman" was actually coined for Walter Cronkite and in his more than sixty years in journalism he has truly covered the world and won the trust and respect of generations of Americans. So great has been ...
1997-06-29T00:00:00
0394578791
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/81241-1
12541-1
Dusko Doder
Gorbachev: Heretic in the Kremlin
Mr. Doder, co-author of Gorbachev: Heretic in the Kremlin, discussed his recent book in which focuses on Gorbachev's first five years in power. The book tells stories that show the Soviet leader's personal side.
1990-06-03T00:00:00
0140115358
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/12541-1
54712-1
Peter Arnett
Live from the Battlefield
Peter Arnett discussed his book, “Live From the Battlefield,” published by Simon and Schuster. He discussed his experiences as a war correspondent. The largest part of the book is dedicated to his life in Vietnam, the defining part of his life. He spoke about his work as a stringer in Vietnam during the early 1960s and...
1994-02-20T00:00:00
9780671755867
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/54712-1
60633-1
Henry Louis Gates
Colored People
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. talked about the life of an African American between 1950 and 1970, when "colored" was the name used by both outsiders members of the race themselves to self identify. Dr. Gates talked about the black vernacular and said that he would like to write a book about each subsequent name, such as "Negr...
1994-10-09T00:00:00
067973919X
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/60633-1
160904-1
Maurizio Viroli
Niccolo's Smile: A Biography of Machiavelli
In Niccolò's Smile, Maurizio Viroli brings to life the fascinating writer who was the founder of modern political thought. Niccolò Machiavelli's works on the theory and practice of statecraft are classics, but Viroli suggests that his greatest accomplishment is his robust philosophy of life—his deep beliefs about how o...
2001-02-18T00:00:00
0374221871
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/160904-1
152623-1
Thomas Keneally
The Great Shame, Part 1
Based on unique research among little-used sources, this masterly book surveys 80 years of Irish history as seen through the eyes of political prisoners—some of whom were the author's ancestors, who served time in Australia. —from the publisher's website
2000-01-02T00:00:00
0385476973
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/152623-1
8465-1
Jeanne Simon
Codename: Scarlett
Jeanne Simon, wife of Senator Paul Simon of Illinois, discusses the ups and downs of life on the presidential campaign trail for the 1988 election in her book entitled Codename: Scarlett, taken from Senator Simon's codename assigned by the Secret Service. Mrs. Simon candidly discusses campaigning strategies and analyze...
1989-07-23T00:00:00
0826404375
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/8465-1
179318-1
John Seigenthaler
James K. Polk
—from the publisher's website The story of a pivotal president who watched over our westward expansion and solidified the dream of Jacksonian democracy James K. Polk was a shrewd and decisive commander in chief, the youngest president elected to guide the still-young nation, who served as Speaker of the House and gover...
2004-01-18T00:00:00
0805069429
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/179318-1
70144-1
Hillary Rodham Clinton
It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Our Children Teach Us
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton talked about her recently published book It Takes a Village, and Other Lessons Children Teach Us. The book focuses on factors that influence children and the environment in which children will best grow and develop. Ms. Clinton writes that there are an unbelievable amount of resources ...
1996-03-03T00:00:00
0684818612
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/70144-1
168964-1
Gordon Wood
The American Revolution: A History
“An elegant synthesis done by the leading scholar in the field, which nicely integrates the work on the American Revolution over the last three decades but never loses contact with the older, classic questions that we have been arguing about for over two hundred years. -Joseph J. Ellis, author of Founding Brothers . A ...
2002-04-21T00:00:00
0679640576
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/168964-1
50306-1
Ronald Kessler
The FBI: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Enforcement Agency
Ronald Kessler talked about his book "The FBI: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Enforcement Agency," published by Pocket Books, which reveals details and activities of the FBI from an inside perspective. Mr. Kessler's examination of the bureau begins with J. Edgar Hoover's death in 1972. Mr. Kessler’s book details ...
1993-09-12T00:00:00
9780671786571
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/50306-1
178806-1
Jill Jonnes
Empires of Light
—from the publisher's website In the final decades of the nineteenth century, three brilliant and visionary titans of America’s Gilded Age—Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse—battled bitterly as each vied to create a vast and powerful electrical empire. In Empires of Light , historian Jill Jonnes portr...
2003-10-26T00:00:00
0375507396
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/178806-1
12443-1
Bette Bao Lord
Legacies: A Chinese Mosaic
Ms. Bao-Lord discussed her book, "Legacies: A Chinese Mosaic," in which she examines the culture and history of her native China. In particular, she examines the effect of television on the Chinese. Ms. Bao-Lord left China to live in the United States when she was eight years old. She returned in 1985, when her husband...
1990-05-27T00:00:00
0449906205
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/12443-1
105430-1
Ron Chernow
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
John D. Rockefeller, Sr.—history's first billionaire and the patriarch of America's most famous dynasty—is an icon whose true nature has eluded three generations of historians. Now Ron Chernow, the National Book Award-winning biographer of the Morgan and Warburg banking families, gives us a history of the mogul "etched...
1998-06-21T00:00:00
1400077303
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/105430-1
112317-1
Christopher Dickey
Summer of Deliverance: A Memoir of Father and Son
Summer of Deliverance is a powerful and moving memoir of anger, love, and reconciliation between a son and his father; between the journalist Christopher Dickey and the renowned poet and novelist James Dickey. Chris, best known for his reporting on wars around the world, takes us back to his childhood in his father's u...
1998-10-18T00:00:00
0684812035
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/112317-1
154711-1
Cornel West
The Cornel West Reader
An invaluable introduction to the writings of one our most prominentand prolific public intellectuals. West ( Restoring Hope, 1997, etc.) is one of those rare African-American scholars who has been able to break out of the Black Studies ghetto not only in the academy but also in his widely and often popularly published...
2000-02-22T00:00:00
0465091091
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/154711-1
12648-1
Thomas Sowell
Preferential Policies: An International Perspective
Thomas Sowell discussed his book, "Preferential Policies: An International Perspective," published by William Morrow and Company. The book addresses the effects of government-mandated affirmative action programs. Mr. Sowell's analysis includes plans that have been implemented in developed and under-developed countries ...
1990-06-10T00:00:00
0688085997
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/12648-1
157823-1
Ted Gup
The Book of Honor: Covert Lives & Classified Deaths at the CIA
CIA agents who lost their lives, only to remain anonymous and hidden by the agency, are profiled in this expo by a legendary investigative reporter who once worked under Bob Woodward at The Washington Post. Gup interviewed over 400 CIA officers and pored over official records and personal diaries to tell the agents' st...
2000-08-27T00:00:00
055352741X
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/157823-1
23038-1
Gary Sick
October Surprise
Former National Security Council member Gary Sick discussed his book, "October Surprise: America's Hostages in Iran and the Election of Ronald Reagan." In his book, Mr. Sick explored the theory that the 1980 Reagan/Bush campaign negotiated with the Iranian government to delay the release of 52 American hostages until a...
1991-12-01T00:00:00
9991529136
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/23038-1
61780-1
Melba Pattillo Beals
Warriors Don't Cry
Ms. Beals discussed her book, Warriors Don't Cry, which details her experiences as part of the first integrated class of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The author recalls how she and eight other black teenagers integrated the school as a result of the Brown v. Board of Education segregation case decision...
1994-11-27T00:00:00
0785752528
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/61780-1
175052-1
Mona Charen
Useful Idiots
—from the publisher's website In Useful Idiots: How Liberals Got it Wrong in the Cold War and Still Blame America First , Mona Charen holds liberals accountable and reveals the horrifying crimes that these liberals helped defend and cover up for the Communists. Meet the useful idiots: Jane Fonda, Dan Rather, Al Gore, T...
2003-03-30T00:00:00
0895261391
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/175052-1
159774-1
Harvey Mansfield
Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America
Alexis de Tocqueville's book he wrote on his return to France from America in 1831 remains the most often quoted book about the United States. Harvey Mansfield and Delba Winthrop's new translation is the first to appear in three decades, and the only one to provide notes identifying events and allusions no longer famil...
2000-12-17T00:00:00
0226805328
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/159774-1
66925-1
Andrew Sullivan
Virtually Normal: An Argument About Homosexuality
Andrew Sullivan discussed his book, "Virtually Normal: An Argument about Homosexuality," published by Alfred A. Knopf. It focuses on the debate over the "normalcy" of being homosexual and how this affects the role of homosexuals in U.S. society. He also talked about his career in journalism and the discrimination he ha...
1995-10-01T00:00:00
0679423826
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/66925-1
157619-1
Elizabeth Taylor
American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley
The story of legendary Chicago mayor Richard J. Daly and his pivotal role in building Chicago into a major metropolis while fighting against racial integration, the anti-Vietnam War movement, and President Johnson's War on Poverty. —from the publisher's website
2000-07-23T00:00:00
0316834033
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/157619-1
62796-1
Donald Kagan
On the Origins of War
Professor Kagan talked about his book, "On the Origins of War," published by Doubleday, which examines the common causes of war throughout history. The original idea came from a seminar course for advanced high school students in the 1960s. He discussed the causes of five conflicts: the Peloponnesian War between Athens...
1995-03-12T00:00:00
0385423756
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/62796-1
27217-1
David McCullough
Truman
David McCullough discussed his book, "Truman," published by Simon and Schuster. He discussed his research for the book, which is an exhaustive biography of the former president, spanning from a brief overview of the Truman family, his early years in farming, small business and politics, to his career after his presiden...
1992-07-19T00:00:00
0671456547
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/27217-1
159943-1
Peter Hitchens
The Abolition of Britain: From Winston Churchill to Princess Diana
A surprise best seller in England, The Abolition of Britain is bitingly witty and fiercely argued, yet also filled with somber appreciation for what "the idea of England" has always meant to the West and to the world at large. One English critic called The Abolition of Britain "an elegant jeremiad" in which Peter Hitch...
2000-12-31T00:00:00
189355418X
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/159943-1
125934-1
Dan Rather
Deadlines & Datelines: Essays at the Turn of the Century
Ranging from the Iraq conflict to poverty in China, tragedies like the Oklahoma City bombing to triumphs in courage, Deadlines & Datelines offers readers a unique chance to share the insights of one of America's premier newsmen. With his distinctive blend of frontline determination and a journalist's knack for a good s...
1999-07-25T00:00:00
0688165664
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/125934-1
87455-1
James Tobin
Ernie Pyle's War: America's Eyewitness to World War II
James Tobin discussed his book, "Ernie Pyle's War: America's Eyewitness to World War II," published Alfred A. Knopf. His book examines war correpsondent Ernie Pyle's life and work and the contradictory feelings of depression and exhiliration over the war action. The book also profiles Pyle's personal life and his death...
1997-08-10T00:00:00
0684836424
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/87455-1
54339-1
Stanley Weintraub
Disraeli: A Biography
Historian Stanley Weintraub discussed his book, "Disraeli: A Biography," published by Dutton Publishing. The book deals with Disraeli who was a novelist, prime minister, and one of the major political figures in England during the 19th century. Professor Weintraub mentioned his admiration for Disraeli and said that his...
1994-02-06T00:00:00
0525936688
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/54339-1
179670-1
Brenda Wineapple
Hawthorne: A Life
—from the publisher's website Handsome, reserved, almost frighteningly aloof until he was approached, then playful, cordial, Nathaniel Hawthorne was as mercurial and double-edged as his writing. “Deep as Dante,” Herman Melville said. Hawthorne himself declared that he was not “one of those supremely hospitable people w...
2004-01-04T00:00:00
0375400443
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/179670-1
62334-1
Glenn Frankel
Beyond the Promised Land: Jews and Arabs on a Hard Road to a New Israel
Mr. Frankel talked about his book Beyond the Promised Land: Jews and Arabs on a Hard Road to a New Israel, published by Simon and Schuster, which focuses on the changes in the Middle East. Mr. Frankel used his access to Israeli senior officials and young Palestinian street fighters to describe what was then the current...
1994-12-25T00:00:00
0684823470
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/62334-1
168061-1
Bill Press
Spin This!: All The Ways We Don’t Tell the Truth
We're all familiar with the warning, "Don't believe everything you see or hear." Bill Press, the popular co-host of CNN's Crossfire, will have you wondering whether you should believe anything at all. Spin -- intentional manipulation of the truth -- is everywhere. It's in the White House, in the courtrooms, in headline...
2002-01-06T00:00:00
0743442679
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/168061-1
40763-1
George Ball
The Passionate Attachment
Former Deputy Secretary George Ball discussed his book, “The Passionate Attachment: America's Involvement in Israel, 1947 to the Present,” published by W.W. Norton and Company. He discussed his research for the book, and reflected on his experiences concerning American foreign policy during his lengthy Washington caree...
1993-05-23T00:00:00
0393029336
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/40763-1
121919-1
Max Frankel
The Times of My Life and My Life with the Times
In this remarkable memoir, The New York Times's Max Frankel tells his life story the way he lived it—in tandem with the big news stories of our time. "I escaped into America, and beyond it. The idea of America became my proud passport. A passion to conform made me a patriot. The discovery of words turned me into a skep...
1999-04-18T00:00:00
0679448241
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/121919-1
9108-1
Gen. Ariel Sharon
Warrior: An Autobiography
Ariel Sharon, former defense minister, discusses his personal history and commitment to the modern Israeli state in "Warrior: An Autobiography." Born in Israel of Soviet parentage, he discusses his childhood and youth in a small village, giving insight to life in Israel before the the 1948 declaration of independence. ...
1989-09-17T00:00:00
074322566X
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/9108-1
55567-1
John Corry
My Times: Adventures in the News Trade
Mr. Corry discussed his recent book, My Times: Adventures in the News Trade, which was intended as a memoir of his work at The New York Times. He described his interactions with the newspaper, the ways these interactions changed both him and the newspaper, and the ways these changes affected the world around him. He al...
1994-03-27T00:00:00
0399138862
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/55567-1
54899-1
Stephan Lesher
George Wallace: American Populist
Stephan Lesher discussed his book, "George Wallace: American Populist," published by Addison-Wesley. He discussed populism and why Mr. Wallace fits this description. The focus of his book is the political activity and accomplishments of Mr. Wallace.
1994-02-27T00:00:00
0201622106
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/54899-1
86445-1
Robert Hughes
American Visions: The Epic History of Art in America
Writing with all the brilliance, authority, and pungent wit that have distinguished his art criticism for Time magazine and his greatly acclaimed study of modern art, The Shock of the New, Robert Hughes now addresses his largest subject: the history of art in America. The intense relationship between the American peopl...
1997-07-20T00:00:00
0679426272
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/86445-1
93482-1
Jeff Shesol
Mutual Contempt
A fascinating portrait of two giants of twentieth-century politics locked in a conflict that defined their era. Lyndon Johnson and Robert Kennedy loathed each other. Politics, of course, is full of heated rivalry, and the nature of the game is more often defined by power and personality than by ideas. But the animosity...
1997-11-30T00:00:00
039304078X
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/93482-1
174432-1
Joy Hakim
Freedom: A History of US
—from the publisher's website Master storyteller Joy Hakim has excited millions of young minds with the great drama of American history in her award-winning series A History of US . Hailed by historians, educators, and parents for its exciting, thought-provoking narrative, the books have been recognized as a break-thro...
2003-02-23T00:00:00
0195157117
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/174432-1
9190-1
George Gilder
Microcosm
Economist and author George Gilder takes an intriguing look at the future of technology and the world economy in his most recent work, Microcosm: The Quantum Revolution in Economics and Technology. As opposed to the macrocosm, he explains, where Newtonian laws of physics apply, the microcosm is governed by the laws of ...
1989-09-24T00:00:00
067170592X
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/9190-1
153861-1
Edmund Morris
Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan
Why did Pulitzer-winning Theodore Roosevelt biographer Edmund Morris controversially choose to write his authorized biography of Ronald Reagan in the form of a historical novel? There's a clue in a quote the book attributes to Jane Wyman, Reagan's first wife. As Ronnie speechified about the Red Menace at a 1940s Hollyw...
1999-12-05T00:00:00
0394555082
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/153861-1
166459-1
Kirkpatrick Sale
The Fire of His Genius: Robert Fulton and the American Dream
None of the well-dressed crowd that gathered on the Hudson River side of Lower Manhattan on the hot afternoon of August 17, 1808, could have known the importance of the object they had come to see and, mostly, deride: Robert Fulton's new steamboat, the North River, the boat that is frequently—and wrongly—remembered as ...
2001-11-25T00:00:00
068486715X
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/166459-1
160742-1
Frank Rich
Ghost Light: A Memoir
There is a superstition that if an emptied theater is ever left completely dark, a ghost will take up residence. To prevent this, a single "ghost light" is left burning at center stage after the audience and all of the actors and musicians have gone home. Frank Rich's eloquent and moving boyhood memoir reveals how thea...
2000-12-10T00:00:00
0679452990
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/160742-1
39818-1
Douglas Brinkley
The Majic Bus: An American Odyssey
Professor Brinkley discussed his book, The Majic Bus: An American Odyssey, the record of a two-month cross-country tour with eleven Hofstra students. The American culture-humanities "class" travelled in a specially-outfitted bus, stopping in Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago and many other cities, visiting historic sites...
1993-04-18T00:00:00
1560254963
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/39818-1
7575-1
James Fallows
More Like Us: Making America Great Again
In More Like Us: Making America Great Again, James Fallows examines the cultural differences between the U.S. and Japan. Mr. Fallows celebrates the uniqueness of American culture and believes its strength lies in its diversity and tolerance. Mr. Fallows also discusses the political and economic relationship between Ame...
1989-05-14T00:00:00
0395498570
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/7575-1
176507-1
Eric Schlosser
Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market
—from the publisher's website In Reefer Madness, the best-selling author of Fast Food Nation investigates America's black market and its far-reaching influence on our society through three of its mainstays -- pot, porn, and illegal immigrants. The underground economy is vast; it comprises perhaps 10 percent -- perhaps ...
2003-06-15T00:00:00
0618334661
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/176507-1
171497-1
Beppe Severgnini
Ciao America! An Italian Discovers the U.S.
In the wry but affectionate tradition of Bill Bryson, Ciao, America! is a delightful look at America through the eyes of a fiercely funny guest one of Italy’s favorite authors who spent a year in Washington, D.C. When Beppe Severgnini and his wife rented a creaky house in Georgetown they were determined to see if they ...
2002-07-28T00:00:00
0767912357
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/171497-1
88272-1
Brian Burrell
The Words We Live By
In The Words We Live By , Brian Burrell, a lecturer in mathematics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, turns his father's passion for words into a spirited study of the ideals and principles recorded in America's key texts. While Brian Burrell was growing up, his father began collecting mottoes, oaths, and c...
1997-09-07T00:00:00
0684830019
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/88272-1
35014-1
Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf
It Doesn't Take a Hero
General Schwarzkopf, chief commander of the coalition forces in the Persian Gulf War, discussed his autobiography It Doesn't Take A Hero, published by Bantam Books. The general talked about his decisions in the Persian Gulf War, as well as other moments in his long military career, including his experiences in Vietnam.
1992-11-22T00:00:00
0553563386
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/35014-1
22933-1
James Stewart
Den of Thieves
Mr. Stewart discussed his book, Den of Thieves, in which he discussed insider trading of stocks and bonds on Wall Street. He looks specifically at four men: Martin Segal, Dennis Levin, Ivan Boesky, and Michael Milkin, all of whom were convicted of insider trading.
1991-11-24T00:00:00
067179227X
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/22933-1
182346-1
Simon Sebag Montefiore
Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar (Part 1)
From Publisher's Website - Fifty years after his death, Stalin remains a figure of powerful and dark fascination. The almost unfathomable scale of his crimes–as many as 20 million Soviets died in his purges and infamous Gulag–has given him the lasting distinction as a personification of evil in the twentieth century. B...
2004-06-20T00:00:00
1400042305
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/182346-1
24448-1
Al Gore
Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit
Mr. Gore discussed the importance of environmental protection as described in his book, Earth in the Balance: Ecology & the Human. He also commented on how his son's near death experience inspired him to write the book. Mr. Gore described his wide traveling experiences that were necessary for his extensive research. Th...
1992-02-16T00:00:00
0618056645
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/24448-1
159444-1
Connie Bruck
When Hollywood Had a King
—from the publisher's website In When Hollywood Had a King , the distinguished journalist Connie Bruck tells the sweeping story of MCA and its brilliant leader, a man who transformed the entertainment industry— businessman, politician, tactician, and visionary Lew Wasserman. The Music Corporation of America was founded...
2003-07-20T00:00:00
0375501681
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/159444-1
79045-1
Claude Andrew Clegg III
An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad
Mr. Clegg talked about his recent book, An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad, published by St. Martin's Press. Elijah Muhammad founded the Nation of Islam. He talked about his influence on many African-American leaders, such as Malcolm X, and the private and public lives of Muhammad.
1997-03-30T00:00:00
0312181531
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/79045-1
9046-1
Thomas Friedman
From Beirut to Jerusalem
Thomas Friedman, chief diplomatic correspondent for the New York Times, discusses his best-selling book, From Beirut to Jerusalem. Friedman was the first Jewish correspondent to be sent by the Times to cover Middle East politics. He was assigned to Beirut and Jerusalem from the late seventies through the mid-eighties. ...
1989-09-10T00:00:00
0374158959
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/9046-1
63336-1
Lynn Sherr
Failure is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony in Her Own Words
The author discussed her book Failure Is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony In Her Own Words, published by Times Books. Marking the 175th anniversary of Ms. Anthony's birth and the 75th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote, the book depicts the most famous suffragist through her o...
1995-03-05T00:00:00
0812927184
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/63336-1
30441-1
Gilbert Fite
Richard B. Russell, Jr.: Senator from Georgia
Mr. Fite discussed his book, Richard B. Russell, Jr.: Senator from Georgia. He commented on Mr. Russell's political career, including 38 years in the U.S. Senate, and personal life. Mr. Fite also remarked on the reasons Mr. Russell never married and the special characteristics that made him such a hard worker. Publishe...
1992-08-02T00:00:00
0807819379
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/30441-1
168649-1
Jon Ronson
Them: Adventures with Extremists
Islamic fundamentalists, Ku Klux Klansmen, Christian separatists, and certain members of British Parliament would seem to have very little in common, but they do in fact share one crucial belief: that the world is secretly controlled by an elite group -- in a word, Them. This shadowy elite starts the wars, elects heads...
2002-03-24T00:00:00
0743227077
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/168649-1
18418-1
Dixy Lee Ray
Trashing the Planet
Dixie Lee Ray, former governor of Washington and former Atomic Energy Commission chairman, discussed her book Trashing The Planet: How Science Can Help Us Deal With Acid Rain, Depletion of the Ozone and Nuclear Waste (Among Other Things). The book deals with scientific means of environmental management and media distor...
1991-06-16T00:00:00
0060974907
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/18418-1
17829-1
Nicholas Lemann
The Promised Land
Nicholas Lemann, correspondent for Atlantic Monthly, discussed his book, "The Promised Land: The Great Black Migration and How It Changed America." The book details the movement of blacks from the rural South to the industrial cities of the North from 1940 to 1970. Mr. Lemann discussed the origins of the migration, whi...
1991-05-05T00:00:00
0679733477
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/17829-1
65259-1
Peter Brimelow
Alien Nation: Common Sense About America's Immigration Disaster
Mr. Brimelow discussed his book Alien Nation: Common Sense About America's Immigration Disaster, published by Random House. The book focuses on U.S. immigration policy and cycles of control on immigration. Mr. Brimelow argues that legislation passed in 1965 has resulted in negative trends in immigration to the United S...
1995-06-11T00:00:00
0060976918
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/65259-1
51949-1
Andrew Nagorski
The Birth of Freedom
Andrew Nagorski discussed his book, "The Birth of Freedom: Shaping Lives and Societies in the New Eastern Europe," published by Simon and Schuster. He is married to a Polish woman, and lived in Warsaw for three years during the past 15 years. He described the changes in people's lives in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Repu...
1993-10-31T00:00:00
0671782258
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/51949-1
165452-1
Tom Philpott
Glory Denied
One of the most powerful books to emerge about Vietnam the unforgettable story of America's longest-held prisoner-of-war, his family, and a country at war with itself. He had dreamed of being a military man as a youngster during World War II. Marrying shortly after high school, he was drafted by the Army in 1956 and se...
2001-08-05T00:00:00
0393020126
https://booknotes.c-span.org/Watch/165452-1