With lyrics “written by God”, the Battle Hymn of the republic has inspired American hearts and minds for generations. A ballad sung since the civil war by soldiers, slaves, and social justice activists alike, its history tells a story of our country. We talk to Harvard historian John Stauffer about his book, The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Around 1900, bubonic plague struck San Francisco and threatened to wipe out huge numbers of people. David K. Randall‘s new book, Black Death at the Golden Gate, tells the gripping story of the doctors who had both to fight the disease and convince the public of the threat.
Before Erica Elliott decided to become a physician, she worked as a teacher on the Navajo reservation–where she also experienced being a shepherd, going into trance in peyote ceremonies, and being kissed by a mountain lion. We talk about her new memoir.
Imagine you’ve been living in a place for countless generations and suddenly you’re told it belongs to the King of Spain. Pueblo people learned quickly how to fight to keep their land and water. We talk to historians Malcolm Ebright and Rick Hendricks about their new book, Pueblo Sovereignty.
Is money the root of all evil? A former monk says no–at least not if you use it in a way that is respectful of life. Doug Lynam talks about his new book and about walking the middle path between greed and self-denial.
Our immune system has evolved over millions of years into extraordinarily effective forces for fighting off illness. But they’re not perfect. New York Times reporter Matt Richtel tell us how they work, what can go wrong, and what we can do to stay as healthy as possible.
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Anne Hillerman’s new book The Tale Teller is the fifth book in the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series. We talk about the story, the craft of mystery writing, and the cultural/historical background.
Rabbi Nahum Ward-Lev is author of the new book, The Liberating Path of the Hebrew Prophets: Then and Now. We talk about the relevance of the teachings of the Torah to our lives today, and the continuities between ancient and modern social and political problems.
Are you distracted, unable to read deeply or for more than a few minutes? Are you continually checking your devices? If so, you’re one of millions whose brains have changed because of our technologies. Nicholas Carr is one of the world’s leading experts on how this works–and what we can do.
Neal came from sharecroppers in Louisiana, and made his way to the air force and then Las Vegas, NV, where he became the first and longest-serving African American state senators in the state’s history–always fighting for justice and equality.