The Bob Edwards Show, Jan 13-17, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014: The chief economist for Google says that the field of statistics is turning into a “sexy” discipline. In his book, Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data, Dartmouth professor Charles Wheelen explains how and why that’s changing – and why we all should care about the amount of data growing every year. Wheelen’s book is now out in paperback. Then, Bob talks to veteran documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman about his newest film, At Berkeley. It’s in select theaters now, and will be broadcast nationwide on PBS in January.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014: Filmmaker Patrick Creadon’s documentary, If You Build It, tells the story of designers and activists Emily Pilloton and Matt Miller’s “Project H Design.” Miller and Pilloton spent a year in a rural North Carolina high school teaching students how to help their struggling community. Bob talks with Creadon, Miller and Pilloton about their experiences. Then, John Wood left his job as an executive at Microsoft to start Room to Read, a nonprofit that builds libraries and schools in the developing world. The program is run on a business model as opposed to a traditional not-for-profit, and Wood joins Bob to explain why it works. Wood is the author of Creating Room to Read: A Story of Hope in the Battle for Global Literacy.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014: The cognitive and moral life of babies is the subject of Paul Bloom’s newest book, Just Babies. A leading experimental psychologist, Bloom examines the most amazing research in child psychology that helps explain why adults do the things they do. Then, LeVar Burton is back. The beloved host of Reading Rainbow, the children’s program that made books TV-friendly, is now debuting the Reading Rainbow App for kids of the digital age. Within 36 hours of its release, the Reading Rainbow app was the #1 educational app in the country. Burton will also discuss his pre-Reading Rainbow television career, starring in iconic roles on Roots and Star Trek.
Thursday, January 16, 2014: Bob talks to Egyptian-American filmmaker Jehane Noujaim about her newest documentary, The Square. It’s about the Egyptian revolution that began with the overthrow of 30 year dictator Hosni Mubarak in January of 2011, through the military coup against the country’s first elected President, Mohammed Mori of the Muslim Brotherhood, last June. Noujaim and her crew survived arrests, multiple beatings by police and the army, and injury to make the film. It’s told from the perspective of several protesters who became friends, including a young, unemployed college graduate, the Egyptian-Scottish actor who starred in the Kite Runner, and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Square has been shortlisted for an Oscar, and will premiere on Netflix January 19th.
Friday, January 17, 2014: Doyle McManus, Washington columnist for the Los Angeles Times, joins Bob to discuss the latest political news. Next, three time Caldecott Medal winner David Wiesner specializes in wordless fantasy picture books. The illustrator of the contemporary classics Tuesday, Sector 7, and Flotsam, his most recent book is Mr. Wuffles. Finally, the latest installment of our ongoing series This I Believe.