The Bob Edwards Show, September 1-5, 2014
Monday, September 1, 2014: Bob talks to Wired magazine columnist Clive Thompson about his book Smarter than You Think. It’s about the different ways technology and the internet is changing the way we think and process information. Then, “Oriental” became a derogatory classification for people when cultural studies scholar Edward Said educated us on its divisive implications. Bob talks to his daughter Najla Said about her relationship with the unconventional thinker and her memoir Looking for Palestine: Growing Up Confused In An Arab-American Family. Both books are now available in paperback.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014: If you’re looking for the perfect walking partner, look no further than writer and cognitive scientist Alexandra Horowitz… or if she’s unavailable, you can take along her book, On Looking: A Walker’s Guide to the Art of Observation. Here Horowitz teaches readers what it means to be an expert observer. On Looking is now available in paperback. Then, Bob talks to author and journalist Joshua Wolf Shenk about his latest book Powers of Two: Finding the Essence of Innovation in Creative Pairs.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014: In 1920, James Howard “Billy” Williams took a job in the teak business so he could work with elephants. He believed that just living with them made him a better man. Over time, Williams developed a rapport with the elephants that earned him the nickname Elephant Bill. During World War II, Elephant Bill built a company of elephants that helped build bridges and evacuate refugees. Vicki Croke tells his remarkable story in a new book, Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II. Then, Miss Anne in Harlem: The White Women of the Black Renaissance is the latest work from Northwestern University scholar Carla Kaplan. She joins Bob to discuss her book on these unconventional women and her interest in cultural studies. Kaplan’s book is now available in paperback.
Thursday, September 4, 2014: Bob talks to novelist Julie Schumacher about her new book, Dear Committee Members. It’s about a year in the life of a beleaguered, misanthropic English professor, told in the form of letters of recommendation he writes for his students and colleagues. Schumacher teaches creative writing at the University of Minnesota. Then, Bob talks to William Deresiewicz about why people shouldn’t send their kids to Ivy League schools. His new book is Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life.
Friday, September 5, 2014: Doyle McManus, Washington columnist for the Los Angeles Times, joins Bob to discuss the latest political news. Next, Bob talks anew with country music legend and five time GRAMMY-winner Marty Stuart on the eve of the release of his new double album Saturday Night & Sunday Morning (out 9.30). Marty started his career as a teenager backing Lester Flatt and played in Johnny Cash’s band for six years before launching his solo career. It was during his time with Flatt that Stuart began photographing country musicians. An exhibit of his photographs, including the last known photograph of Johnny Cash, is currently on display at Nashville’s Frist Center for the Visual Arts. Finally, we hear a new commentary from children’s book writer and illustrator Daniel Pinkwater.