THE BOB EDWARDS SHOW HIGHLIGHTS – December 10-14, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012: Anne Applebaum won the Pulitzer Prize for her last book, Gulag, about the history of the Soviet Union labor camp. Now the columnist for The Washington Post and Slate takes a wider look at the brutality of Communist rule with her new book title, Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1945 – 1956. Applebaum uses recently released archives to detail the daily lives of people as they succumbed and then adjusted to life under the brutal communist regimes. Then, in the course of his work, Indian journalist Aman Sethi met Mohammed, an educated and talented man living on the streets. In his debut book, A Free Man: A True Story of Life and Death in Delhi, Sethi tells Mohammed’s story, giving readers a picture not just of one man but of Indian society.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012: This year marks the 200th anniversary of writer Charles Dickens’s birth. The author of A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities and others, Dickens was the Victorian era’s most beloved writer. Biographer Claire Tomalin’s book, Charles Dickens: A Life, sheds light on the life of this famous writer.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012: Bill Ayers is a former Catholic priest who answered a different call when he left the church to start an organization dedicated to the eradication of hunger. WhyHunger is partnering with Sirius XM this year for their annual Hungerthon. Then, the son of Bucky Pizzarelli, jazz guitarist and banjoist, John Pizzarelli grew up surrounded by music royalty. Benny Goodman and Les Paul were regular guests in their home, and John has played with some of the most memorable: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, James Taylor and Paul McCartney. Still performing and hosting a weekly radio program with his wife, Pizzarelli will share his stories as written in World on a String: a musical memoir.
Thursday, December 13, 2012: Football is the most popular sport in the United States, from the NFL all the way down to the Pop Warner leagues. In Belle Glade, Florida, high school football is more than a popular pastime; it’s a path to salvation. In the new book, Muck City, Bryan Mealer tells the history of Belle Glade. It rose from swampland, carried an empire of sugar, collected thousands of migrant laborers from several countries, and now produces a bumper crop of talented football players.
Friday, December 14, 2012: Doyle McManus, Washington columnist for the Los Angeles Times, joins Bob to discuss the latest political news. Next, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Timothy Egan recounts the life and career of the turn-of-the-century’s most famous photographer, Edward Curtis, in his book Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis. Then, the latest installment of our ongoing series This I Believe.
Hope that both the Bill Ayers and the John Pizzarelli interviews wind up on Bob Edwards Weekend for me to hear. Pizzarelli and his wife Jessica Mulaskey have a delightful weekly radio show which I very much enjoy.