Who are the unknown heroes of the Revolutionary War? According to our guest this hour, City University of New York historian Edwin G. Burrows, they are the thousands of Americans captured by the British during the conflict. He’ll join us this hour to tell their stories. Burrows’ new book is “Forgotten Patriots: The Untold Story of American Prisoners during the Revolutionary War” (Basic Books, 2008).
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What motivates us to want products that we may not even need? We’ll explore the psychology behind consumption this hour with global marketing guru Martin Lindstrom whose new book is “Buy-ology: Truth and Lies about Why We Buy” (Doubleday, 2008).
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Can film conquer the demons of war? We’ll talk this hour with director Ari Folman who deconstructs nightmares, memories and the first Lebanon War of the early eighties in his new animated film “Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Classics).
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Where is America’s foreign policy headed? What can we expect from the Obama Administrations newly named national security team? We’ll talk this evening with Seyom Brown, the John Goodwin Tower Distinguished Chair in International Politics and National Security at SMU and author of the new book “Higher Realism: A New Foreign Policy for the United States” (Paradigm Publishers, 2008). Dallas actor Nye Cooper will join us during the Scene segment to preview his appearance in David Sedaris’ “The Santaland Diaries” at Contemporary Theatre of Dallas.
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How will last week’s Mumbai terror attacks affect the fragile relationship between India and Pakistan? We’ll talk this hour with Kamran Bokhari, Director of Middle East Analysis for Stratfor, a private intelligence company based in Austin, Texas.
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How is the ongoing media convergence changing American culture and society? We’ll explore the topic this hour with MIT Comparative Media Studies Director, Professor Henry Jenkins. Jenkins is also the author of “Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide” (NYU Press, Paperback, 2008).
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With all its idiosyncrasies, some might argue it’s a wonder that the English language actually exists as a working language. But how did the language develop? We’ll spend this hour with bestselling author, linguist, and Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow, John McWhorter. His new book is “Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English” (Gotham, 2008).
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Who was Patty Hearst and what does her story tell us about the confusing and turbulent 70s? We’ll spend this hour with William Graebner, author of the new book “Patty’s Got a Gun: Patty Hearst in 1970’s America” (University of Chicago Press, 2008).
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Many are familiar with poet Walt Whitman’s work as a nurse to the wounded soldiers of the Civil War. But did you know about the roles his brothers played? We’ll explore the Civil War through the lens of one family this hour with Robert Roper, author of “Now the Drum of War: Walt Whitman and his Brothers in the Civil War” (Walker and Co., 2008).
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Do you love your car but hate traffic, the expense of your vehicle and the environmental damage it does? According to Brian Ladd, this love-hate relationship is nothing new. We’ll talk with Ladd, author of “Autophobia: Love and Hate in the Automotive Age” (University of Chicago Press, 2008) this hour.
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What does “biologically normal” really mean and what can we learn from abnormalities? We’ll spend this hour with the University of Iowa’s Professor Mark S. Blumberg, author of the new book “Freaks of Nature: What Anomalies Tell Us about Development and Evolution” (Oxford 2008).
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What role did the Indian Nations of the Southern Plains play in America’s 19th Century conflict with Mexico? We’ll talk this hour with University of Colorado historian Brian DeLay. His new book on the subject is “War of a Thousand Deserts: Indian Raids and the U.S.-Mexican War” (Yale, 2008).
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