C-SPAN Bookshelf

The New York Times' Ernesto Londono looked at the use of psychedelics in mental health treatment & described his own experience with them.  He was interviewed by Politico Health Care reporter Erin Shumaker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"June 6, 1944, is the most famous single day in all human history." Those are the words of Garrett Graff in his author's note in his book "When the Sea Came Alive." This month is the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landing in World War II. As Graff introduces the reader to his oral history of D-Day, he writes: "The official launch of Operation Overlord, the long-anticipated invasion of Western Eu...

Author and actor George Takei talks about growing up in internment camps in the U.S. during World War II, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Mr. Takei and his family were four of the 120,000 Japanese Americans to be forcibly removed from their homes and relocated to military-run camps during the war on the orders of President Franklin Roosevelt. Mr. Takei has recent...

Health reporter Shefali Luthra looks at what impact the 2022 Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is having on patients seeking an abortion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Independent Book Publishers Association CEO Andrea Fleck-Nisbet discussed her trade association's work to promote small and mid-sized presses and author-published books. About Books also reported on the latest publishing industry news and current non-fiction books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first week of publication of Erik Larson's latest book "The Demon of Unrest," sales put it at the very top of the bestseller list. It's about the start of the Civil War, with a focus on the five months between Abraham Lincoln's election and the day of the first shot fired on Fort Sumter which is off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. That was April 12, 1861. In his introduction, Erik...

We sat down with two World War II veterans – former U.S. Navy gunnery officer Steve Ellis and former U.S. Army Air Force B-24 navigator Rolf Slen – to talk about their experiences during the war. Mr. Ellis, age 99, and Mr. Slen, age 100, both served in the Pacific Theater. Of the 16.4 million Americans who served in uniform in World War II, 119,550 were still alive as of 2023. Learn more about you...

NBC investigative reporter Mike Hixenbaugh looked at how issues of race and identity are playing out in school districts around the country. He was interviewed by Chalkbeat editor and author Cara Fitzpatrick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glenn C. Loury is a professor of economics. He teaches at Brown University and is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He calls his new book "Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative." His publisher, W.W. Norton, describes Prof. Loury on the flap of the cover: "[He] grew up on the south side of Chicago, earned a PhD in MIT’s economics program, and became the first Black tenured...

This Memorial Day weekend, retired U.S. Senate Historian Betty Koed shares stories from her book "Scenes: People, Places and Events That Shaped the United States Senate." It's a collection of brief chronicles of Senate history that she presented to Senators during their Tuesday caucus lunches between 2009 and 2023. Some of the stories told include the influence and power of Senate Majority Leader...

Alan Taylor is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation professor of history at the University of Virginia. He is only one of 5 history writers who have won the Pulitzer Prize twice. His 11 books focus mostly on the early years of the creation of the United States. His latest book is titled "American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850-1873." During these 23 years, North America's 3 largest co...

Author and president emeritus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Freeman Hrabowski talks about the role of college presidents, the handling of campus protests over the war in Gaza, and political involvement in higher education. His new book "The Resilient University" looks at how UMBC dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial unrest that followed the killing of George Floyd by p...

Theologian Jim Wallis argued that a faith of love, healing and hope must be used to dismantle a false gospel that promotes White Christian Nationalism. He was interviewed by Daily Beast columnist and author Wajahat Ali. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For over 10 years, Washington Post investigative reporter Craig Whitlock has tracked the story of Malaysian shakedown man Leonard Francis, aka "Fat Leonard," and his collusion with hundreds of U.S. Navy officers, several of whom have spent time in prison. Now comes the book titled "Fat Leonard: How One Man Bribed, Bilked, and Seduced the U.S. Navy." Craig Whitlock writes: "On the surface, with his...

Ilyon Woo, our guest this week, was recently awarded the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Biography for her book "Master Slave Husband Wife." The book recounts the harrowing journey of self-emancipation made by married slaves William and Ellen Craft in 1848. Disguised as a wealthy disabled white man with his servant, the Crafts left Georgia, avoiding slave traders, law enforcement, and even friends to gain...

Journalist Johann Hari reported on the success and concerns surrounding the new weight-loss drugs, as well as his personal experience taking Ozempic. He was interviewed by Bloomberg News health reporter Madison Muller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Award winning children's book author Jonah Winter discussed his experiences with censorship, and why he believes cancel culture is more dangerous than book banning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duke Ellington was the grandson of slaves. Louis Armstrong was born in a News Orleans slum so tough that it was called "The Battlefield." William James "Count" Basie grew up in a world unfamiliar to his white fans, the son of a coachman and a laundress. Author Larry Tye says the Duke, the Count, and Satchmo transformed America. The book is called "The Jazzmen" and Mr. Tye writes: "How better to br...

Former congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) talks about Americans who have struggled with mental illness and the stigma and silence that he says still surrounds it. He shares the stories of the people profiled in his book, "Profiles in Mental Health Courage," including himself and members of his own family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York Times correspondent David Sanger spoke about China's rise, Russia's invasion of Ukraine & America's role in the world in the 21st century. He was interviewed by Harvard University Belfer Center senior fellow Paula Dobriansky. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The book "Fire and Rain" is a narrative, according to author Carolyn Woods Eisenberg, about the way national security decisions, formed at the highest level of government, affect the lives of individuals at home and abroad. Her primary focus is on the way the Nixon administration fought and ended the Vietnam War. Early in the book, Hofstra University professor Eisenberg quotes President Nixon's pr...

Half Jewish and a member of the Hitler Youth who saw Adolf Hitler in person, Jochen "Jack" Wurfl, author of "My Two Lives," talks about surviving in Nazi Germany and his later life and success in the United States. To hide their identities after the Nazis took over in 1933, Mr. Wurfl and his brother were baptized Catholic and later joined the Hitler Youth. His Catholic father, deemed a political e...

USA Today's Susan Page spoke about the life and career of Barbara Walters. She was interviewed by former ABC News White House Correspondent Ann Compton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Publishing industry analyst Brenna Connor discussed sales trends and bestsellers in the first quarter of 2024, as well as predictions for the remainder of the year. About Books also reported on the latest publishing news and new releases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Early in his newest of over 30 books, Joseph Epstein, our guest this week, writes: "I feel extremely lucky in all these realms in which I had no real choice: parents, epoch, country, and throw in religion, city, and social class." The 87-year-old Epstein, a longtime essayist for the Wall Street Journal, has written his autobiography called "Never Say You've Had a Lucky Life: Especially If You've H...