This hour, we’ll talk about if it will ever not be “too soon” to crack a joke about the Holocaust with Ferne Pearlstein. She explores one of comedy’s most taboo topics with Mel Brooks, Louis C.K., Chris Rock and other comedians in her documentary “The Last Laugh,” which screens Thursday as part of Videofest.
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This hour, we’ll talk about how Noel Field betrayed his country to become one of Joseph Stalin’s top spies – only to have the tables turned on him by the KGB. We’ll be joined by Kati Marton, who tells the story in “True Believer: Stalin’s Last American Spy.”
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This hour, we’ll talk about the invention – and ultimate failure – of Esperanto with Princeton professor Esther Schor, author of “Bridge of Words: Esperanto and the Dream of a Universal Language” (Metropolitan Books).
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This hour, we’ll talk about the integral role Marquis de Lafayette played in the American Revolution – and about his close friendship with George Washington – with Sarah Vowell. She’s the author of “Lafayette in the Somewhat United States.”
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This hour, we’ll talk about what the Black Panther Party was able to accomplish – and about its relevance in the age of Black Lives Matter – with Yohuru Williams, co-editor of “The Black Panthers: Portraits from an Unfinished Revolution.”
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This hour, we’ll talk with Lawrence Wright about shifts in power in the Middle East over the last decade, the subject of his new book, “The Terror Years: From al-Qaeda to the Islamic State.”
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This hour, we’ll talk about how early humans developed the skills to cross land and sea with Larry Klein. He’s the producer of the NOVA documentary “Great Human Odyssey,” which airs Wednesday night at 8 on KERA-TV.
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This hour, we’ll talk about how the passage of time has altered how we think about the attack on Pearl Habor with Craig Nelson, author of, “Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness.”
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This hour we’ll talk about how Churchill developed that toughness as a soldier fighting in South Africa with Candice Millard. She’s the author of “Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill” (Doubleday).”
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This hour, we’ll talk about how cotton and the labor that fueled it led to the Texas revolution – and about how Texas provided a blue print for the Confederacy – with UNT assistant history professor Andrew Torget.
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This hour, we’ll talk about the history of the chair with Witold Rybcznski, University of Pennsylvania emeritus professor of architecture. He writes about the topic in, “Now I Sit Me Down: From Klismos to Plastic Chair – A Natural History.”
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This hour, we’ll learn why some presidential names are carved into the bedrock of our country with Talmage Boston, author of “Cross-Examining History: A Lawyer Gets Answers From the Experts About Our Presidents.”
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