The Bob Edwards Show, February 20-24, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012: Gil Scott-Heron’s memoir The Last Holiday is a testament to the extraordinary life of the activist, musician and poet. Scott-Heron is commonly known for his 1970’s hit “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”. His publisher, editor, and long-time friend, Jamie Byng tells Bob about the new book and shares the legacy of Gil Scott-Heron.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012: John Feinstein has written several books on golf, basketball, football and tennis — including A Season on the Brink, the bestselling sports book of all time. And Feinstein has interviewed some of the most enduring figures in sports – including college basketball coaches Bob Knight, Jim Valvano, Mike Krzyzewski, and Dean Smith – and athletes such as Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, and John McEnroe. Feinstein’s latest book is about his own experiences as a sportswriter, it’s called One on One: Behind the Scenes with the Greats in the Game.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012: Opposition research, “oppo” to insiders, has become a standard part of the political campaign process… and the slimiest. In politics, finding the dirt on a candidate is multi-million dollar business, and Alan Huffman has made his fair share of the money after nearly two decades as an opposition researcher. The former journalist has recently co-authored a tell-all book about how the process works. It’s titled We’re With Nobody: Two Insiders Reveal the Dark Side of American Politics. Then, in Allah, Liberty and Love: The Courage To Reconcile Faith And Freedom, Irshad Manji paves a path for Muslims and non-Muslims to transcend the fears that stop so many of us from living with honest-to-God integrity: the fear of offending others in a multicultural world as well as the fear of questioning our own communities. Among the most visible Muslim reformers of our era, Manji draws on her experience in the trenches to share stories that are deeply poignant, frequently funny and always revealing about these morally confused times.
Thursday, February 23, 2012: Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hedges was a foreign correspondent for The New York Times for fifteen years until he was reprimanded for denouncing President George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq. Now he’s a columnist, senior fellow at The Nation Institute, and has taught at Columbia, New York and Princeton universities. In his most recent book, The World As It Is: Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress, Hedges warns, “Brace yourself. The American Empire is over. And the descent is going to be horrifying.” Then, Bob chats with old friend James Cromwell who is currently starring in the surprise hit silent film and Oscar favorite, The Artist.
Friday, February 24, 2012: Doyle McManus, Washington columnist for the Los Angeles Times joins Bob to discuss the latest political news. Next, Bob talks Oscar nominations with The Daily’s Rich Juzwiak. Then, in this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, we hear the essay of Jodi Webb. We’ve all heard that you can’t just throw money at a problem, and hope it goes away. You also need some effort. Webb says a community is only as strong as its volunteers. Churches, after school programs, and all manner of service organizations rely on volunteers to complete their good works. And Webb’s family is always on the front lines. Webb says volunteering is something her mother taught, and now she thinks of it as a family trait, like blue eyes or bossiness.