How and when did the West’s fascination with Chinese civilization and technology begin? According to acclaimed author Simon Winchester, it all began in 1937 with Cambridge biochemist Joseph Needham. We’ll talk with Winchester about his new book “The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the […]
How extensive is the global sex trade and who is fighting it? We’ll spend this hour with William Finnegan, staff writer for The New Yorker. His piece, “The Countertraffickers: Rescuing the Victims of the Global Sex Trade,” appears in the May 5, 2008, issue of The New Yorker.
How should Texas’ public lands be managed? We’ll explore the Christmas Mountains controversy and the policies of Texas land Commissioner Jerry Patterson this hour with S. C. Gwynne, whose article, “This Land Is His Land,” appears in the May issue of Texas Monthly Magazine.
Who really “discovered” America? Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tony Horwitz will join us to discuss his most recent exploration into the past and the resulting book “A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World” (Henry Holt, 2008).
What’s for lunch today? We’ll sample the Dallas street food scene – from tacos and snow cones to roasted corn and barbeque – this hour with writer and KERA commentator Rawlins Gilliland. His piece, “Street Food,” appears in the May issue of D Magazine.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was undoubtedly one of the greatest leaders in American History. But what do we know of his personal life? We’ll spend this hour with Joseph E. Persico, author of “Franklin and Lucy: President Roosevelt, Mrs. Rutherford, and the Other Remarkable Women in His Life” (Random House, 2008).
Who is “right” in America today? We’ll ask Arianna Huffington, the outspoken cofounder and editor in chief of The Huffington Post this hour. Her new book is “RIGHT IS WRONG: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe (and What You Need to Know to End the Madness)” […]
China is big news this year. With a rapidly expanding economy, devastating environmental issues, and (oh yeah) the Olympics just around the corner everyone’s talking about China. But how is the country changing politically and philosophically? We’ll spend this hour with Mark Leonard, Executive Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations and author of […]
What is the most enduring photographic image of the conflict in Iraq? Is it an image of a wounded soldier or an orphaned child, or is it the photo of a hooded Abu Ghraib detainee, balanced on a box with wires connected to his body? We’ll talk this evening with Academy Award-winning documentarian Errol Morris. […]
What makes America, America? Howard Fineman, Newsweek’s senior Washington correspondent and columnist has identified several key elements that characterize the American experience. We’ll talk with him this hour about his new book “The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates that Define and Inspire Our Country” (Random House, 2008).
