The Bob Edwards Show, November 18-22, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013: Writer Chris West is best known for his China Quartet, a crime series set in contemporary China. He turns his attention closer to home with his latest book A History of Britain in Thirty-Six Postage Stamps. Then, Bob talks with Jimmy Carter and other members of The Blind Boys of Alabama about the Grammy-winning gospel group’s new album called I’ll Find a Way. It was produced by Justin Vernon of the indie folk group Bon Iver and features guest appearances by a new generation of fans of the Blind Boys.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013: Writer Stephan Talty’s (Agent Garbo) new book, The Secret Agent: In Search of America’s Greatest World War II Spy, tells the story of wealthy oil man Eric Erickson, who spied against the Nazis, won the Medal of Freedom, and saving thousands of Allied lives. Then, former Poet Laureate Billy Collins is out with his first volume of new and selected poetry in twelve years. Aimless Love includes fifty new poems that touch on themes of love, loss, joy and poetry itself.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013: What if John F. Kennedy had taken the advice of some of his aids and left the top of his car on that fateful day in Dallas fifty years ago? Journalist Jeff Greenfield explores how America and the world might have been different in his new book If Kennedy Lived. Then, a capella group Pentatonix won season three of NBC’s The Sing-Off then released its first album in 2012. Since, the quintet has received over ten million YouTube hits and is ready to release another album. Vocalists Avi Kaplan and Kevin Olusola join Bob to discuss their sophomore album PTX Volume 2.
Thursday, November 21, 2013: English writer, adventurer, historian, and traveler Patrick Leigh Fermor gained early notoriety for his war-time exploits in Greece, and later became known as the author of a 20th century’s travel classic. A Time of Gifts details Fermor’s walk from Amsterdam to Istanbul in the 1930s and is one of the events featured in Artemis Cooper’s new biography Patrick Leigh Fermor: An Adventure.
Friday, November 22, 2013: Doyle McManus, Washington columnist for the Los Angeles Times, joins Bob to discuss the latest political news. Then, Long-time PBS newsman Jim Lehrer has penned a novel rooted in one of American history’s great “what ifs.” TOP DOWN: A Novel of the Kennedy Assassination tells the story of two men haunted by their role in the events leading up to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Finally, the latest installment of our ongoing series This I Believe.