There have been many books lately that deal with why we should or should not believe. But now Robert Wright, examines why we believe and how understanding the evolution of that belief parallels our archeological, theological, psychological and biological evolution. Robert Wright, acclaimed author of NonZero and The Moral Animal, has written an important new book in The Evolution of God
.My conversation with Robert Wright:
As we debate immigration and immigration reform in America, what can we learn from the contemporary European experience? How does that experience parallel our own, and how is it a part of better understanding the wider global conflicts between Islam and the West. Distinguished journalist Christopher Caldwell, of the Financial Times, The New York Times Magazine and the Weekly Standard, explains the scenario in his new book Reflections on the Revolution In Europe: Immigration, Islam, and the West.
On July 20, 1969 the world changed. When Neil Armstrong steped out on to the lunar surface, man truly broke the bonds of earth and aligned with the great explorers of history. Neil Armstrong understood this, but so to did the almost two dozen astronauts that would follow in his footsteps.Andrew Chaikin, considered the definitive biographer of the Apollo missions, has now chronicled the words, the poetry and heart of the men of Apollo in his new bookVoices from the Moon: Apollo Astronauts Describe Their Lunar Experiences.
My conversation with Andrew Chaikin:
He was a violin prodigy as a child and then a successful stand up comic
What started as an internal means of communication, not unlike "Watson, come here I need you," has become a cultural, political and economic phenomenon. The Blog has become the visual soundtrack of the 21st Century. It is a new kind of public square in which millions participate and millions more observe. How did it start? Who are its stars and what is its future? This is the subject Scott Rosenberg tackles in Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It's Becoming, and Why It Matters. My conversation with Scott Rosenberg.
Twenty Years ago, this November, the Berlin Wall came down and with it the end of the Cold War. For the next twelve years, we entered what some called "the end of history." Then on September 11th, 2001 all of that changed. How did the events of those twelve years lead to 9/11 and how did it shape the world we live in today? James Goldgeier, professor at The George Washington University and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations explains, in his new book America Between the Wars: From 11/9 to 9/11, what happened and why. My conversation with James Goldgeier:
We get much of our music on line, for free; but it has devastated the music business. We've seen classified ads on Craigslist undermine the economics of newspapers and journalism. With You Tube, free is jeopardizing the very fabric of the movie and television business. How can the free business model of the Internet coexist with our desire for new, better and quality content? This discussion is at the center of a new book by Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired Magazine and the author of the international bestseller The Long Tail. Now in his new book Free: The Future of a Radical Price he compels us to think in new ways, as Internet users and consumers. My conversation with Chris Anderson.
It is the fastest growing and most violent gang in the country. Formed by Salvadorian immigrants on the streets of Los Angeles in the l980's, the Mara Salvatrucha has now grown to more than 60,000 members worldwide. It combines the best organizational elements of La Cosa Nostra and Al-Qaeda. The FBI has created a special task force to curb its expansion. None the less, it continues to grow, seeping deeper into the neighborhoods of America and bringing with it extreme violence, extortion, fear and crime. Investigative journalist Samuel Logan has spent the past five years, reporting on gang activity across the US, Mexico and Central America. His book This Is for the Mara Salvatrucha: Inside the MS-13, America's Most Violent Gang tells the brutal tale. My conversation with Sam Logan.
Previously we talked to California's preeminent historian, Kevin Starr about the '50s and the golden age of abundance in California. Today we have a state whose economy is in shambles, and yet there are politicians who still want to be the Governor of California. It's a little like asking to captain the Titanic? New York Times Washington Correspondent Mark Leibovich, in his NY Times Magazine cover story last week, looks at Newsom, Brown, Campbell, Whitman and Poizner and their quest to replace Arnold. My conversation with Mark Leibovich:
Joan Didion wrote of California, that "the dream was always teaching the dreamers how to live." Never was that California Dream more evolved than during the '50's. It was a time when the Golden State's population doubled. It was a time when California's Freeways, Disneyland, Water Projects and Universities were the envy of the world. It was a time of unfettered abundance. But was it sustainable? Arguably from what we are seeing today, maybe not. The distinguished California historian Dr. Kevin Starr, in his eighth volume of California history, Golden Dreams: California in an Age of Abundance, 1950-1963, looks at this dynamic period from 1950 to 1963. My conversation with Kevin Starr.
Dr. Michael Baden is one of the worlds leading forensic pathologists. He has been there to examine the forensic evidence for some of the most sensational cases of our time, including JFK, O.J., Van Bulow, John Belushi, and Phil Spector. He is the host of HBO's AUTOPSY and a best selling author. Recently we talked about the science of forensics and the publics overwhelming fascination with crime & death and his new book Skeleton Justice.
As the months have gone by since John McCain revealed his total cynicism and contempt for America's national security by selecting one Sarah Palin to be a potential vice-president of the United States, we Palinpregnant have learned that every single ghastly attribute we discovered in the campaign is worse than we thought at the time. The narcissism, the pathological and incessant lying, the viciousness, the delusions of grandeur, the vindictiveness, the fathomless and proud ignorance, the opportunism, the vanity, the white trash concupiscence and fraudulence in almost every respect: these are now indisputable. How an advanced democracy came that close to having this farce of a candidate running the most powerful country on earth reveals how deep the corruption of our politics and especially our media are.
, takes us into the Heart of Darkness in the Middle East. If Hunter Thompson were writing about Iraq, Israel and Palestine, it might look something like Hider's book. From hardcore Zionist settlers still fighting ancient Biblical battles to Shiite death squads; whether it's the misappropriation and martyrdom of Mickey Mouse by Gaza's Islamists, or a US president acting on God's orders, Hider sees the hallucinatory effect of what he calls the 'crack cocaine of fanatical fundamentalism' all around him. He wonders how can people not only believe in this madness, but die and kill for it too?
When we do talk about the issue of immigration, it's usually thorough the prism of preconception, politics and polemics. There is another side. The human side. A side with sociological complexities, real people, and even sometimes humor. This is the backdrop for LUIS ALBERTO URREA'S new novel Into the Beautiful North. Through it, we see all of these issues in a way that debates, or news stories or hearsay cannot capture. My conversation with Luis Alberto Urrea:
Philippe Bourgois and Jeff Schonberg, in their book Righteous Dopefiend, take us up close and personal into the world of homelessness and drug addiction in urban America. For more than two decades they followed two dozen heroin injectors and crack smokers in their scramble for survival on the streets of San Francisco. Most importantly, more than just painting a bleak landscape, they conclude with proposals for policy changes and interventions, and look at how and why the U.S. has produced this shelterless population, condemned to lives of distress and suffering.
From his conducting debut in 1943 until his death in 1990, Leonard Bernstein's star blazed brilliantly. But always twinkling within that star were the yearnings of a true progressive. In his new biography Leonard Bernstein: The Political Life of an American Musician, Barry Seldes, links Bernstein's real musical and theatrical achievements and some of his real setbacks, to to his involvement with progressive politics. We see the nexus between Bernstein's career and some of the twentieth century's most momentous events. His life shows us the unique intersection of American culture and political power.
Events in Iran are moving quickly, and any attempt by Westerners to fully understand the complexity and the dizzying array of actors and institutions is often met with frustration. One who does understand however, is Middle East and South Asia Expert Juan Cole. The author of the blog INFORMED COMMENT Professor of History at the University of Michigan and author of Engaging the Muslim World, provides some keen insights into what twitter, the blogs and a little of the MSM is bringing us.
My conversation this morning with Juan Cole.
Amidst the housing meltdown, rising energy costs and an increasingly dysfunctional health care system, America's poor are also battling hunger. Outside of the media sight-lines, all types of communities are struggling to put any type of food on the table. SASHA ABRAMSKY, a senior fellow at the New York think tank Demos, in his new book Breadline USA: The Hidden Scandal of American Hunger and How to Fix It sounds the alarm.
My conversation with Sasha Abramsky:
