About Books, January 1, 2010

Keith Jeffrey, a professor of Bristish History at Queen's University in Belfast, was commissioned by the Secret Intelligence Service to write its history. The result is The Secret History of MI6, 1909-1949. The SIS's purpose was to increase public understanding without endangering national security. Therefore, although he had complete access to the archives, Jeffrey had to agree to a few restrictions (not revealing agent's names, for example). The book is a treasure to anyone interested in how clandestine services work and their effect on history.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, December 18, 2010

Tim Slover believes in Christmas and his book, "The Christmas Chronicles: The Legend of Santa Claus," may just have you believing too. It's a delightful story that begins when Klaus is a young man in the Black Forest in 1343. You'll learn about his first delivery of presents to children. You'll learn about his laugh, his red suit, the reindeer and how he can deliver around the world in one night. It's a fascinating story, one you may want to read as a family each year.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, December 11, 2010

Ammon Shea explores the history of the telephone and the telephone book in The Phone Book: The Curious History of the Book That Everyone Uses But No One Reads. In it you'll learn about the first telephone company in New Haven that had their switchboard in someone's kitchen as well the development of telephone etiquette, early numberless phone books, telephone operators and the yellow pages.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, December 4, 2010

Geoffrey O'Brien, editor in chief of the Library of America, wrote "The Fall of the House of Walworth: a Tale of Madness and Murder in Gilded Age America" after visiting an exhibit about the Walworth family in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The book begins with the murder of the novelist Mansfield Walworth by his son Frank. This crime leads the author in an exploration of generations of the Walworth family and their fall from prominence.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, November 27, 2010

Gary Stuart is the author of Innocent Until Interrogated: The True Story of the Buddist Temple Massacre and the Tucson Four. This is an eye-opening book revealing how police interrogations can lead to false confessions...even false confessions of murder. Stuart is an attorney and this University of Arizona Press book shows how sloppy police work and severe interrogations can undermine justice.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, November 20, 2010

Michael Kammen, a Pulitzer Pize winner, has written a book on a rather quirky subject: Digging Up the Dead:a History of Notable American Reburials. In it you'll read about the the reburial of Edgar Allen Poe from an unmarked grave to a prominent site. Other persons whose remains are moved include Sitting Bull, Jefferson Davis, Daniel Boone, Abraham Lincoln, Frank Lloyd Wright etc. Along the way you'll learn lots about our history and about changing burial practices. Fascinating.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, November 13, 2010

Heidi Cullen, a senior research scientist with Climate Central, often reports on climate change for the PBS News Hour. Her book, The Weather of the Future: Heat Waves, Extreme Storms, and Other Scenes from a Climate-Changed Planet, explains the extreme weather we have been experiencing like the flooding Red River and Hurricane Katina. She gives a thought provoking look at what our world will be like in 2050 if we do not change the levels of carbon emissions.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, November 6, 2010

Sam Kean's The Disappearing Spoon and Other Tales of Madness, Love and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements is delightful. Read it to discover fascinating stories about carbon, neon, silicon, gold and other elements and their influence on our history.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, October 30, 2010

R. Tripp Evans has written a new and revealing biography: Grant Wood: a Life. Wood is such an integral part of our image of the midwest. This book has great value not only in insisting that he was not a simple, rural painter but in the extensive analysis of many of his works.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, October 23, 2010

Julie Flavell's When London Was Capital of America tells the story of the years before the Revolutionary War when American colonists traveled to London, their capital city. Through the stories of Carolinian Henry Laurens and his family; his slave, Scipio; Stephen Sayre, a New England merchant and Benjamin Franklin, we learn about London in the 1760's.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, October 16, 2010

Paul Greenberg discusses the issues around the domestication of seafood in his book, Four Fish: the Future of the Last Wild Food. He has traveled all over the world to research the history of salmon, sea bass, cod and tuna. He writes about overfishing, fish farms, and the challenges of healing the oceans and providing safe, sustainable seafood.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, October 9, 2010

William Powers tackles dependence on digital devices in Hamlet's Blackberry: a Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age. The book offers a little bit of memoir as well as a look back at seven philosophers (Plato, Seneca,Thoreau etc.) and how they handled technological change in their time.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, October 2, 2010

Terra Brockman writes about family farm life in The Seasons on Henry's Farm: A Year of Food and Life on a Sustainable Farm. The farm, owned by Brockman's brother Henry, is located in central Illinois and produces vegetables for the Evanston Farmer's Market as well as baskets for subscribers. Starting with the fall garlic planting and including favorite family recipes, Terra shares the entire year of sowing, cultivating and harvesting.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, September 25, 2010

Camilla Lackberg, Swedish author of The Ice Princess, has written seven mysteries in seven years. All take place in a real town, Fjallbacka, and involve Erica Falck, a writer, and detective Patrik Hedstrom. Neither of these two are the dark characters we've come to expect from Scandanavian myster writers. Camilla says she is more interested in normal people. But the stories are absorbing. Be sure to check out Camilla's web page. She includes a tutorial on writing mysteries.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, September 18, 2010

Jennifer Steil is the author of The Woman Who Fell From the Sky: An American Journalist in Yemen. Steil accepted the position of editor of a Yemeni newspaper and her book is a wonderful account of her experience there. You will learn all about the culture, cuisine, treatment of women, politics, the press, etc. And her falling in love with the British Ambassador is the frosting on the cake.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, September 11, 2010

Lainey Salisbury and Aly Sujo have written a fascinating true story of art forgery titled Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art. It takes place in England from the mid 1980's until the mid 1990's. The con man is John Drewe and the forger is John Myatt. They successfully fooled art collectors from London to Manhattan to Paris.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, September 4, 2010

Nathaniel Philbrick, author of The Last Stand, says that he has long been interested in human behavior in a self-contained, structured community. Usually he has written about life aboard ship. Now he explores life in a nomadic Indian village and in a cavalry regiment. The result is one of the most interesting histories I have read.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, August 28, 2010

Evan Thomas is the author of The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst and the Rush to Empire, 1898. The three men in the subtitle wanted the United States to declare war on Spain for a variety of reasons explained by Thomas. Opposed were Willam James and Thomas Reed with President McKinley undecided. This is a thoughtful look at why nations choose war.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, August 21, 2010

Paul Stephenson has written a new biography, Constantine: Roman Emperor, Christian Victor. Using primary accounts as well as stautary, architecture and coinage, Stephenson credits Constantine's actions to the Roman army's influence and the Roman predilection of crediting the Gods for their victories. A fascinating account.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, August 14, 2010

Curtis Roseman and Kathleen Seusy are two members Heritage Documentaries, Inc. The group has published Echoes From Riverside Cemetery, the story of the historic Moline, Illinois cemetery and a DVD, When Farmers Were Heroes, the Era of National Cron Husking Contests.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, August 7, 2010

Elizabeth George is an American who writes one of the best British mystery series imaginable. Her latest Inspector Lynley novel is This Body of Death. This time Lynley has a new boss and a new love interest as well. The setting for much of the story is the New Forest, a wooded place where animals roam free. George is very interesting in her explanation of how she keeps up with English word useage and of how she constructs her novels.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, July 31, 2010

Craig Johnson's Junkyard Dogs is the latest in his Walt Longmire mystery series. I discovered the series last summer when visiting a store (owned by the author) in Sheridan, Wyoming. There on the counter were stacks of his books and I couldn't resist. Happily, I liked his work. Set in Wyoming, they feature Sheriff Longmire, Dog (his dog), his friend Henry Standing Bear and various detectives and local town folk. Junkyard Dogs is the sixth; you don't have to read them in order.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, July 24, 2010

Ellen Horan's 31 Bond Street is the perfect summer read. It is subtitled "A Novel of Murder, Innocence, and Power in New York City" and is the fictionalized account of the death of Dr. Harvey Burdell who lived at 31 Bond Street. His live-in house manager, Emma Cunningham, stands trial for the crime. The story provides a fascinating look at New York City, the way the justice system worked, the power of the press, racial conflicts and the status of men and women in 1857.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, July 17, 2010

Leo Damrosch's Tocqueville's Discovery of America let's the reader accompany Tocqueville and his friend, Beaumont, on their nine month journey through the United States of 1831-32. Ostensibley here to inspect our prison system, the adventurous young men used the opportunity to checkout many other aspects of our society. Among much else, they found our manners rather barbaric, couldn't understand the social freedom of unmarried women, and found Ohio to be the essence of the "new America."

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, July 10, 2010

Krista Tippett is well-known to WVIK listeners as the host of Speaking of Faith. Today she visits with me about her book, Einstein's God, a selection of interviews from her radio program.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, July 3, 2010

Michael O'Brien writes about an interesting adventure in Mrs. Adams in Winter: A Journey in the Last Days of Napoleon. Mrs. Adams is the wife of John Quincy Adams. She and her young son set off from St. Petersburg on a 2000 mile trip by horse and carriage to meet her husband in Paris. This was unheard of in 1815 and it did a lot to boost the confidence of this future first lady.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, June 26, 2010

AbrahamVerghese's Cutting for Stone is a story of love and betrayal, medicine and healing, parents and children, brothers and twins. Beginning is Addis Ababa, where the author is from, and moving on to New York, Marion and Shiva Stone's story unfolds. I guarantee once you begin you will not be able to put the book down. It is truly a work of art.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, June 19,2010

Ellen Fitzpatrick brings back many memories in "Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation." In the aftermath of John Kennedy's assassination over 800,000 letters were received. They all were read and answered by volunteers. Many are archived but have received little attention from scholars until now. Fitgerald has selected about 250 letters to share. She even has contacted the senders and includes a short sketch about each.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, June 12,2010

Thomas Asbridge's The Crusades is the result of six years of researh. It is a comprehensive look at war in the holy land from two points of view: Muslim and Christian. Among the things you'll discover are the reasons for the crusades, where the word came from, how religions justified violence in the name of God, who were the men who led the armies and what the long term effect of these struggles are to this day.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, June 5, 2010

Rebecca Skloot is a science journalist. Her book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, tells the story of an African American woman whose cancer cells were harvested by doctors without her knowledge. These cells lived and multiplied and were instrumental in many medical breakthroughs. Henrietta's family discovered the truth twenty years after their mother's death and the impact is profound. This is an amazing book about family, poverty, education and lack of education, medical ethics, and cultural differences.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, May 29, 2010

Erin Bried's How to Sew a Button and Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew is a delightful how-to guide. Bried interviewed many grandmothers including Iowa's Mildred Kalish, author of Little Heathens. From these conversations the author has collected tons of tips from how to polish shoes to how to use vinegar and baking soda to clean your house.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, May 22, 2010

Jordan Goodman tells the little known story of the brutality of early rubber barons in The Devil and Mr. Casement: One Man's Battle for Human Rights in South America's Heart of Darkness. Roger Casement is a British diplomat sent to investigate Julio Arana (the Devil) and the Peruvian Amazon Company. It has loads of adventure, politics and biographical detail.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, May15, 2010

Adam Kaul, an anthropologist who teaches at Augustana College, is the author of Turning the Tune: Traditional Irish Music, Tourism, and Social Change in an Irish Village. The village is Doolin and Adam spent a year there doing "field work" for this book. Read it and learn about the "old days" before tourism discovered the pubs of Doolin and how the economic boom of the 1990's has changed the town and its music.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, May 8, 2010

Jo Nesbo's new Harry Hole mystery is The Devil's Star. Nesbo invented Harry on a flight to Australia. The first two book are not yet in English, but Redbreast, Nemesis, and now The Devil's Star are. Three more will follow. The Devil's Star is a very complex story of serial killings as well as of Harry's shambles of a personal life. You don't have to start at the beginning; you can start with The Devil's Star but I encourage you to read all the titles available. His last, The Leopard, won the Danish Crime Writing Academy's Prize for Best Novel in 2009.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, May 1, 2010

Michael Moran is the author of A Country in the Moon: Travels in Search of the Heart of Poland. Moran is an Australian who went to Poland in 1991 for business reasons and became intrigued with its history, culture, music. His book is part amusing memoir, part travelogue and part cultural survey. All of it is immensely interesting and you will find yourself planning a trip, at least in your mind, to Poland.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, April 24, 2010

Marilyn Johnson's This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All is an ode to the library profession and all librarians. Johnson dispels the myth that libraries and librarians are becoming obsolete. She tells stories of the great courage librarians display in these times of the Patriot Act and ever changing technology. Read it and then go to the library and thank whoever is on duty.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, April 17, 2010

David Allen's book, Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and the Business of Life, is a guide to successfully handling the pressures of a busy work and home life. His methods will help you take charge of your commitments and develop a plan to realize your goals.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, April 10, 2010

Jami Attenberg's novel, The Melting Season, introduces readers to two interesting women: Catherine and Valka. It's a quirky story of friendship and of self-discovery. Catherine has left her husband (taking his money) and sets off on the road in a pick-up truck. In Las Vegas, she meets Valka, an older somewhat damaged woman, who supports and encourages Catherine in her search.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, April 3, 2010

John Price, born and raised in Iowa, has written a lovely memoir, Man Killed by Pheasant and Other Kinships. From his Swedish grandparents to his years at the University of Iowa to his respect for land and place, this is a beautiful contribution to Iowa literature. John will be visiting the Scott County Area from April 12-15 as part of Scott County Reads Together. Check for details at your local public library.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, March 27, 2010

Godfrey Hodgson is a British journalist who first met Martin Luther King during the Birmingham bus strikes. At that time Hodgson was a college student. He later returned to the states for work and again sought out King. His book, Martin Luther King, is a wonderfully written refresher on King's life and the Civil Rights movement.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, March 20, 2010

Nancy Groce is a folklorist at the Library of Congress's American Folklife Center. Her book, "Lox, Stocks and Backstage Broadway: Iconic Trades of New York City," reveals the various occupations (wigmaker, bagel make, subway driver, water tower builder, broker) that are at the heart of New York City. The one common denominator that this Smithsonian project has is that no matter the ethnic or social background, all the interviewees are proud of their work.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, March 13, 2010

Alicia Weisberg-Roberts is co-editor of "Mrs. Delany and Her Circle." Delaney (1700-1788) was an amateur artist who, late in life, created a series of nearly 1000 paper botanicals which not only survived but are now on exhibit at the Sloan House Museum in London. The book is incredibly beautiful with color plates of the flowers as well as Delany's embroidery designs and drawings. The essay reveal what life was like among 18 century aristocrats from fashions to closets.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, March 6,2010

Michael Williams, along with co-author Richard Cahan, have produced the most beautiful of books: "Edgar Miller and the Handmade Home: Chicago's Forgotten Renaissance Man." Miller, a native of Idaho, came to Chicago to study at the Art Institute and stayed to build homes in the 1920's and 30's that are still lived in today. He was a painter, woodcarver, sculptor, and prominent stained glass designer. He employed all his talents in the creation of his homes and the results are living "lessons in beauty, creativity and honesty." Signed copies of the book are available at Cityfilespress.com or Amazon.com for unsigned copies.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, February 27, 2010

Jeffrey Siger's lastest mystery is "Assassins of Athens." Siger's detective is hunky Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis who solves the murder of a young son of one of Greece's most prominent families. Because he lives half the year on Mykonos, Siger's book has colorful details of Greek society, culture and life styles including clans, corruption, fishing, prejudices and politics. Be sure to catch his first mystery: "Murder in Mykonos."

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, February 20, 2010

Nancy Goldstone brings to light a forgotten figure from the Middle Ages in "The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily." Joanna survived the murder of her husband and a papal trial to reign for thirty more years and to wed several more husbands.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, February 13, 2010

Toby Lester's book, "The Fourth Part of the World: the Race to the Ends of the Earth and the Epic Story of the Map That Gave America Its Name," is a geographical and intellectual history of the discovery of the Americas. The story centers on the Waldseemuller map, now owned by the Library of Congress, which was lost for centuries. It is the first map, dated 1507, to use the name America.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, February 6, 2010

Harriet Reisen's "Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women" is the companion book to the PBS film of the same name. She first discovered Alcott when her mother gave her a copy of "Little Women" when she was a child. When Harriet moved to Boston she made sure to visit the Alcott home, Orchard House. Eventually she wrote and produced both the film and the book.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, January 30, 2010

Mitch Omer, owner of the Minneapolis restaurant Hell's Kitchen has published 157 of his recipes in a book called "Damn Good Food." I invited friends over to sample his lemon ricotta hotcakes and we all agreed with the title. The book, published by the Minneapolis Historical Society's Borealis Press, it both a biography of Mitch, written by Ann Bauer, many photos and luscious recipes. This is good home cooking. Mitch's favorite is his Aunt Fran's chicken and noodles.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, January 23, 2010

Jan Keessen has a lively new book called "Cardinal Men and Scarlett Women: a Colorful Etymology of Words That Discriminate." An added bonus are the illustrations by Bill Hannan. Jan began doing word stories on this very radio program several years ago. She selected and enlarged some of them into a book. Her premise is that etomology can reveal prejudices and that we keep these biases alive in our use of certain words.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, January 16, 2010

Carole Seymour-Jones has written a wonderful book called "A Dangerous Liaison: A Revelatory New Biography of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre." Each is fascinating in their own right; as a pair their story is compelling. Seymour-Jones' research led her to new information about their philosphies of free love and de Beauvoir's lesbiansim. Their relationship with each other, their relationships with others and their politics make the book absorbing.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

Aout Books, January 9, 2009

Ted Leeson, who teaches at Oregon State University, has written about his summers away in "Inventing Montana: Dispatches from the Madison Valley." The book is a literary look at a group of friends who spend time each year fly fishing and conversing in the beauty of Montana. You'll enjoy them.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm

About Books, January 2, 2010

Bruce Feiler, author of "America's Prophet: Moses and the American Story" maintains that the one person who inspired American leaders more than anyone else is Moses. In fact, he says that one can't understand American history without understanding Moses. Feiler travels to the major places of our history to visit with historians, scholars and regular people about Moses' influence.

Listen to the interview at http://www.wvik.org/listings-aboutbooks.htm