Yearly Archives: 2016

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Historian Donna Murch on The Clintons’ War On Drugs, Mass Incarceration & The Black Vote

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Professor Donna Murch

Rutgers University historian Donna Murch speaks with Francesca about the impact of the 1994 crime bill passed by President Clinton and its devastating impact on communities of color.

Murch’s essay, “The Clintons’ War on Drugs: When Black Lives Didn’t Matter” appeared in the New Republic and is re-printed in False Choices: The Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton, a collection of essays by left feminists and edited by Liza Featherstone.  Continue reading →

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Is Hillary Clinton Good For Women?

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Liza Featherstone talks about the collection of essays she’s edited, False Choices: The Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton (Verso Press, June 2016). Then we talk with one of the contributors to False Choices, Rutgers history professor Donna Murch. Her essay is titled, “The Clintons’ War on Drugs: When Black Lives Didn’t Matter.” Continue reading →

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Backyard Building & The Soul of Shelter

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America’s First Couple of do-it-yourself building projects David and Jean Stiles talk about their latest book, Backyard Buildings: Tree Houses, Sheds, Arbors, Gates and Other Garden Projects. Then we replay our 2013 interview with Howard Mansfield about his profound and delightful book, Dwelling in Possibility: Searching for the Soul of Shelter. Continue reading →

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Ellen Meeropol: On Hurricane Island & Cecelia Tichi: Jack London

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Ellen Meeropol talks about her new novel, On Hurricane Island. It’s about what happens when an innocent American citizen is abducted to a domestic black site and tortured. Meeropol also discusses how being married to one of the sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg has influenced her writing.

Then, a look back at one of the greatest writers and critics of America’s first Gilded Age and his relevance for today, Jack London: Cecelia Tichi talks about her biography of the great writer and democratic socialist, Jack London: A Writer’s Fight For a Better America.
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Katy Simpson Smith, Mary Costello & Poet Amy Dryansky

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Katy Simpson Smith talks about her new novel, Free Men. Then in the second half of the show, we replay our 2014 interview with Smith about her acclaimed first novel, Story of Land And Sea. Also, we review Academy Street by Mary Costello and hear two poems by Amy Dryansky. Continue reading →

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Cicero’s End, Dust Up over Sanders’ Plan, & Remembering Quentin Young

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We talk with novelist Robert Harris about the last book in his trilogy about the Roman statesman Cicero, Dictator. Then, economist James Galbraith tells us why he disagrees with the attacks on Gerald Friedman’s analysis of Senator Bernie Sanders’ economic plan. And finally, we pay tribute to Dr.Quentin Young, who passed away this week, with a clip from an interview Francesca did with him in 2009. Continue reading →

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Lauret Savoy, TRACE: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape

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We talk with environmental earth scientist and writer Lauret Savoy about her stunning new book, Trace: Memory History, Race & The American Landscape. In it, Savoy examines how the country’s still unfolding history, and ideas of “race,” have marked her and the land — and what that history says about our relationships to each other and the places we inhabit. Continue reading →

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The Koch Bros. & Their Billionaire Web

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We talk with New Yorker reporter Jane Mayer about her acclaimed book about the Koch Brothers and the network they’ve mobilized for political influence, Dark Money:The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right.

Then, we replay our 2013 interview with filmmaker Tia Lessin, about the documentary she co-directed with Carl Deal, Citizen Koch. It’s about how the Koch Bros. and their rightwing advocacy organization, Americans For Prosperity, helped Wisconsin governor Scott Walker beat back a recall campaign after he devastated public employee union rights. Continue reading →

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Linda Coleman: Radical Descent & Greg Guma on Bernie

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Linda Coleman talks about her memoir Radical Descent: The Cultivation of an American Revolutionary. Then, Vermont political writer Greg Guma gives WV his take on Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid. He’s been writing about the Senator since the late 1980’s (and you’ll find out why Sanders calls himself a socialist — it’ll surprise you.)

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Greg Guma on Bernie Sanders’ “Insurgent” Run

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Most Americans have just been getting to know Bernie Sanders in the last few months, as his presidential bid has gathered a full head of steam. But journalist and author Greg Guma has known him since the 1980’s.  He talks about Sanders’ previous campaigns and and how Bernie Sanders’ current insurgent run has matured him as a candidate. Continue reading →

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Simon Winchester, PACIFIC & Pamela Rotner Sakamoto, MIDNIGHT IN BROAD DAYLIGHT

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Are we seeing the dawning of Pacific century? And what can its past teach us about its future? We talk with two authors today that feature the Pacific Ocean: first, Simon Winchester talks about his award-winning book, Pacific.

Then we talk with Pamela Rotner Sakamoto about  Midnight in Broad Daylight. It’s the true story of a Japanese-American family sundered by the Pacific Ocean during World War II. Continue reading →

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Gerald Friedman: A Bernie Sanders Presidency Boosts Incomes & Jobs

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We talk with economist Gerald Friedman about presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders’ economic proposals and their impact on income, jobs, economic growth, taxes, the federal deficit, international trade, poverty and moving to a sustainable, more equitable economy. Continue reading →

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Paul Theroux, DEEP SOUTH & Ted Rall, BERNIE

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The great travel writer Paul Theroux talks about his latest book, Deep South. It recounts his travels through the back roads of the rural South, talking with people both ordinary and extraordinary about their lives and their communities.

Then political cartoonist Ted Rall talks about his new political biography, Bernie. It examines Bernie Sanders as an agent for change working within the political system. Continue reading →

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Doug Henwood, MY TURN: Hillary Clinton Targets the Presidency

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Journalist Doug Henwood talks about his new book, My Turn: Hillary Clinton Targets the Presidency. It’s an in-depth examination of Hillary Clinton’s record and its implications for her current run for the Presidency. Henwood questions whether Clinton is as progressive as she claims as she runs against a strong challenge from the left. Continue reading →