Next Week’s Shows

THE BOB EDWARDS SHOW HIGHLIGHTS – October 13-17, 2008

 

Monday, October 13, 2008  

Bob talks politics with  David Broder  of  The Washington Post . Then,  Owen Matthews  aims to humanize Russia and its people with his new book,  Stalin’s Children . It’s a family memoir, filled with amazing stories of betrayal, survival and perseverance including his mother’s childhood spent in a series of orphanages and his Welsh father’s obsession with Soviet Russia.  Matthews also recounts his own experiences working as a journalist in Russia, resulting in one of our most complete pictures of the Russian psyche.  Next, Salon.com book critic  Laura Miller  talks with Bob about new fall fiction.

 

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Red Grange was a three-time All-American running back at Illinois in the 1920’s when the college game was the only football that fans respected. Indeed, it was only when Grange joined the Chicago Bears that anyone paid attention to professional football. In 1969, when the Football Writers Association selected its all-time All-American team, Red Grange was the only player chosen unanimously. Writer  Gary Andrew Poole  joins Bob to talk about The Galloping Ghost , Poole’s new biography of the man who may have been the best player in football history.  Then, musician  Jenny Lewis  started her career as a child actress, but it didn’t take long for her to firmly establish herself as one of indie music’s best-known female rockers.  Acid Tongue is Lewis’ second solo album, and this time she’s joined by musical guests like Elvis Costello on a few of the tracks.

 

Wednesday ,  October 15, 2008

During his lifetime,  Christopher “Kit” Lukas ‘s mother, brother and two other family members have killed themselves. Suicide is his family legacy, and bipolar disorder is passed down along with other genetic traits.  Lukas is still trying to figure out why he has survived and his brother, a two-time Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, did not.  He talks with Bob about his book  Blue Genes, A Memoir of Loss and Surviving .  Then, Bob talks with director  Mike Leigh  whose  latest film  Happy-Go-Lucky  follows the story of 30-year-old school teacher Poppy played by Sally Hawkins. Poppy’s cheery outlook on life is challenged by her driving instructor who has anger management issues.

 

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Bob talks with  Rebecca Roberts  of POTUS ’08 about the latest news from the campaign trail.  Then, Associated Press political reporter  Jesse J. Holland  seeks to answer a big question about notable tourist attractions in the nation’s capital – “Where’s the Black history?” Holland walks and talks with Bob on Capitol Hill about the contributions that African Americans have made to historic sites discussed in his book  Black Men Built the Capitol: Discovering African American History In and Around Washington, D.C.  Next , the folklorists of the  Library of Congress  share historic musical field recordings from the archives that served as the basis of hits when they were later covered by more famous, contemporary artists.

 

Friday, October 17, 2008

Wynona Ward drove eighteen-wheelers for fifteen years. Then she went to law school after the helplessness she felt watching a family member deal with sexual abuse.  Now, with law degree in hand, she operates Have Justice Will Travel which is part law office, part counseling service, part taxi and helps victims of abuse isolated in rural areas.  Ward’s story is one collected by  John Siceloff  and the producers of the PBS program NOW for a book called  Your America: Democracy’s Local Heroes .   Then, Bob talks with Academy Award-winning actress  Jennifer Hudson  and director  Gina Prince-Bythewood  about the new movie  The Secret Life of Bees , adapted from the New York Times best-selling novel.  The story, set in South Carolina in 1964, centers around 14-year old Lily Owens’ journey into the lives of three women who show her the true meaning of life and love.  The movie also stars Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Alicia Keys, and Sophie Okonedo.