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Keith Richburg, a native of Detroit, has been a print journalist for nearly his entire life. During his 30 years at the Washington Post he reported from countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. He is currently the director of the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at the University of Hong Kong. We chatted with Mr. Richburg about his career, his life in Hong Kong, China, the United...

After he became president in 1789, George Washington visited all thirteen former colonies to talk to citizens about the United States and what it meant to be an American. In 2018, historian Nathaniel Philbrick, along with his wife and dog, set out to retrace Washington's journey to find out how much has changed since then. He chronicled the trip in a new book, "Travels with George." We talked to M...

Erik Larson is the author six nationally bestselling nonfiction books, including "The Devil in the White City," which was on bestseller lists for years and "The Splendid and the Vile," published in 2020. His latest, available only as an audiobook, is a work of fiction, a ghost story based in 1905 called "No One Goes Alone." Mr. Larson joined us to talk about the new audiobook, his previous books,...

In 2019, through FOIA requests and lawsuits, the Washington Post obtained hundreds of interviews conducted by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) for its Lessons Learned Program. The interviews showed that behind the scenes, U.S. military and government officials in Afghanistan presented a far gloomier picture of the war and reconstruction efforts than was presente...

On February 25, 1956, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev delivered a secret speech to the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in which he denounced the crimes, bad decisions, and cult of personality of his predecessor, Joseph Stalin, who had died three years earlier. Georgetown University professor Kathleen Smith, author of "Moscow 1956," joined us to talk about the speech, what...

Joseph P. Kennedy, the patriarch of the Kennedy dynasty, served as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1938-1940. By the end of his tenure, he was despised by both governments. Historian Susan Ronald, author of "The Ambassador," describes Joseph Kennedy as a Fascist sympathizer and anti-Semite whose desire for power eclipsed his allegiance to his country. She joined us to talk about all of...

Twenty years ago on September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S. took the lives of nearly 3,000 people, over 2,600 of which were in New York City at the World Trade Center. On September 12th, the day after, eyewitnesses to the attacks in New York City called into C-SPAN to share their stories.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Theodore Bilbo (1877-1947) served twice as governor of Mississippi and was elected to the U.S. Senate three times. He was a liberal, a strong supporter of FDR's New Deal, and a member of the Ku Klux Klan. We talked with University of Southern Mississippi history professor emeritus Chester "Bo" Morgan, author of "Redneck Liberal," to find out more about Theodore Bilbo and his controversial politica...

George Washington University professor David Shambaugh has written nearly 30 books on the subject of Asia, a great majority of which focus on China. He talked with us about his latest, "China's Leaders," in which he profiles the five leaders of the People's Republic of China since 1949 and provides an analysis of their policies.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you research the origins of critical race theory, one of the names you'll find is Derrick Bell (1930-2011). Prof. Bell, Harvard Law School's first black tenured professor, appeared on Booknotes in 1992 to talk about his book "Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism." In this excerpt from that program, he talks about the status of blacks in America and his personal experiences...

British author Charles Dickens is credited with creating some of the world's best-known fictional characters. To find out more about Charles Dickens, his work, and his two visits to the United States, we spoke to Jenny Hartley, emeritus professor of English at the University of Roehampton in London. She has written three books about Dickens, including "Charles Dickens: A Very Short Introduction,"...

Veteran Canadian journalist Ken Cuthbertson talks about the life and work of American writer John Gunther (1901-1970), author of the popular "Inside" book series that provided an in-depth look at countries around the world. The series included the 1947 bestseller "Inside U.S.A.," in which Gunther provided observations, sometimes highly critical, from his visits to every state in the country.  Lear...

Historian and attorney David Stewart talks about the political career of George Washington and his evolution from an egotistical military hero to Founding Father of the United States.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The late columnist Robert Novak (1931-2009) was nicknamed "the prince of darkness" by friends and enemies alike in Washington, DC. He appeared on C-SPAN's "Q&A" program in 2007 to discuss his memoir, titled "The Prince of Darkness," in which he tells stories about his 50 years as a reporter, television personality, author, and conservative commentator. He also talked about many of the sources he h...

Longtime reporter, editor and publisher Peter Osnos has published books by four American presidents, two Russian presidents, George Soros, Natan Sharansky, and a host of other high profile figures. In his new memoir "An Especially Good View" he discusses his publishing history, Russia, reporting on the Vietnam War for the Washington Post, and more. Mr. Osnos was vice president and senior editor at...

The Washington Post's Carol Leonnig reports on the overall record, including serious failures, of the Secret Service from the assassination of John F. Kennedy to today. Ms. Leonnig first reported on the Secret Service in 2012, when agents working in Colombia engaged in a night of booze and prostitutes, a scandal that became known as "Hooker-gate." Ms. Leonnig talks to Brian Lamb about her new book...

Based on the Nixon tapes and the personal memoirs of Nixon administration officials, author and former Washington Post reporter Michael Dobbs tells the story of the Watergate scandal through the eyes of its participants in his new book "King Richard." Mr. Dobbs portrays what happened during the 100 days following President Nixon's second inauguration on January 20, 1973. Here's his conversation wi...

"I'd rather win a Pulitzer Prize than be President of the United States," said John F. Kennedy in 1953. In 1957 he was awarded the prize for "Profiles in Courage." In "JFK's Ghost," author and retired pastor David Stokes tells the story behind the publishing of "Profiles in Courage" (written mostly by speechwriter Ted Sorensen), Kennedy's all out pursuit of the Pulitzer Prize, and the impact that...

A longtime Washington, DC, legislator and official known for his humor and friendliness, Dan Glickman (D-KS), author of "Laughing at Myself," was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977-1995, served as US Secretary of Agriculture from 1995–2001 and was chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America from 2004–2010. He talked to Brian Lamb about his long political career, poli...

Reporter and speechwriter Liz Carpenter (1920-2010), known for her acumen, humor, and Texas drawl, served as executive assistant to Vice President Lyndon Johnson and press secretary for Lady Bird Johnson. During this selection from her appearance on Booknotes in 1994, she talked with Brian Lamb about the importance of storytelling and humor, covering FDR as a young reporter, working in the Johnson...

Historian and bestselling author Douglas Brinkley has written dozens of books spanning topics such as American presidents, politics and culture, World War II, Hurricane Katrina and Hunter S. Thompson. Recently, he sat down with Brian Lamb for six hours to talk about a wide-range of topics, everything from U.S. presidents and Neil Armstrong to Evel Knievel (EE-vuhl kuh-NEE-vuhl) and his trip to Cub...

University of Maryland professor Christopher Bonner discusses his book "Remaking the Republic," about free black Americans and the limits of legal change during the 19th Century. He also talks to Brian Lamb about his approach to teaching and his appearance on the six-part CNN series "Lincoln: Divided We Stand."   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wall Street Journal editorial board member and columnist Holman Jenkins joins Brian Lamb to talk about the media, politics, the COVID pandemic, global warming, and more. Mr. Jenkins' twice-weekly column appears in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesdays and Saturdays.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin appeared on Booknotes in 1994 to talk to Brian Lamb about her book, "No Ordinary Time," about the White House scene during FDR's presidency, and the intimate circle of friends surrounding Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt during that period. This is a brief selection from that interview.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Lamb talked with Jason Hershey, founder of David's Tent DC, a 24/7, inter-denominational ministry located on the National Mall, where Christians come together to worship through music and prayer. The 1,600 square foot tent has been a fixture on the Mall since 2015.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices