The Bob Edwards Show, November 5-9, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012: Once they were called robber barons; today it’s job creators. In her new book, Plutocrats, Chrystia Freeland writes about the rise of the new global super-rich, exploring the economics and psychology of the society that created them. Bill Moyers calls Freeland’s book “the definitive examination of inequality in our time.” Then, Kentucky inspired Stephen Foster, America’s first professional songwriter, and gave birth to Bill Monroe, Lionel Hampton, Rosemary Clooney and scores of headlining artists in every genre of music. Jason Howard’s A Few Honest Words illustrates Kentucky’s harvest of gifted musicians continues well into the era of hip-hop, jam bands and all your various indies and alts.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012: As voters head to their polling stations on election Tuesday, Bob hosts a discussion about the many races at stake. Susan Davis is Senior Congressional Reporter for USA Today and Bill Allison is the Editorial Director for the Sunlight Foundation, where they have been tracking the campaigns that received the most money this year. Then, Seth Reiss is head writer for The Onion. He’ll join Bob to discuss the importance of this year’s election and The Onion Book of Known Knowledge.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012: Doyle McManus, Washington columnist for the Los Angeles Times, joins Bob to discuss the results of the presidential election and the latest political news. Then, in the summer of 1962, recording devices were installed at several locations in the White House. They were put there at the request of President Kennedy and only he, his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and the technicians who installed them knew of their existence. They were likely intended to be used later for his memoirs, but instead they have been a rich resource for historians. Recently, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation released a collection of those secret recordings, and historian Ted Widmer curated the most compelling for Listening In, a book and two CD combination that includes 2.5 hours of original audio.
Thursday, November 8, 2012: Bach’s music is ubiquitous, from commercials to ring tones, and it still sells out concert venues worldwide. Paul Elie reexamines the life of one of the greatest composers of all time in his new book Reinventing Bach. Next, Mary Sharratt’s book Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen gives a secular look into the life of this twelfth-century abbess who welcomed controversy and nearly died an outcast. Bob and Sharratt discuss this book and von Bingen’s reason for rebellion. Then, Bob talks sports with John Feinstein, Washington Post columnist and co-host of SiriusXM’s “Beyond the Brink” (Mad Dog Radio, channel 86).
Friday, November 9, 2012: Journalist Scott Christianson latest book, 100 Diagrams That Changed The World: From the earliest cave paintings to the Innovation of the iPod, charts human evolution from the Babylonian days of Pythagoras’ Theorem to the construction of our very own World Wide Web. Bob talks to Christianson about his influential 100 Diagrams and our human need to create more. Next, A Royal Affair portrays the insane Danish King Christian VII, his young Queen Caroline Mathilda, and their physician Struensee, a man of enlightenment and idealism. The royal couple finds Struensee’s ideas irresistible and the result is a ramshackle attempt to reform the European nation with progressive laws. Writer and director Nikolaj Arcel and co-screenwriter, Rasmus Heisterberg, will discuss the true story and the film’s production. Then, in this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, we’ll hear from the family of a service member who is stationed overseas.