Ill Literacy: Books with Benson

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Paul D. Moreno, professor of history at Hillsdale College, to discuss his new book, How the Court Became Supreme: The Origins of American Juristocracy . They chat about how the U.S. Supreme Court has emerged as the most powerful judiciary unit in the history of the world, how the Court got to that point, and what exactly “judicial primacy” means.

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Michael Broers, Professor of Western European History at Oxford University, and to discuss his new book, Napoleon: The Decline and Fall of an Empire: 1811-1821 . They chat about how Napoleon went from the colossus of Europe to a prisoner on tiny St. Helena in just four short years, how exactly he was brought to defeat, and how Tsar Alexander of Russia was Bonapa...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by David E. Bernstein, University Professorship chair at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, to discuss his new book, Classified: The Untold Story of Racial Classification in America . They chat about the development and history of the completely absurd and arbitrary racial classification system in the United States, whether the federal govern...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Andrew Lambert, Laughton Professor of Naval History at King’s College, London, to discuss his new book, The British Way of War: Julian Corbett and the Battle for a National Strategy . They chat about who Julian Corbett was and what exactly entailed his “maritime strategy.” They also discuss how that strategy, unheeded during the Great War to disastrous consequen...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Marian L. Tupy, editor of HumanProgress.org and senior fellow at the Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity at the Cato Institute, to discuss his new book (co-authored with Gale L. Pooley), Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet . They chat about “time prices,” why apocalyptic predict...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Stephen F. Knott, professor of national security affairs at Naval War College, to discuss his new book, Coming to Terms with John F. Kennedy . They chat about the mystique around JFK and why it still continues to hold, in some form, almost 60 years after his assassination. They also talk about Kennedy’s approach to civil rights, what would have happened with Vie...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by James Lacey, Horner Chair of War Studies and Professor of Strategic Studies and Political Economy at Marine Corps War College, to discuss his new book, Rome: Strategy of Empire . They chat about whether the Roman Empire really did have a grand strategy, what that grand strategy might have been, and whether it had the bureaucratic apparatus necessary to put that...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by David E. Hoffman, contributing editor and member of the editorial board of The Washington Post , to discuss his new book, Give Me Liberty: The True Story of Oswaldo Payá and his Daring Quest for a Free Cuba . They chat about how democracy for Cuba became Payá’s life work, the remarkable achievement of the Varela Project, and whether Payá’s death really was an ac...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by award-winning essayist and critic William Deresiewicz to discuss his new book, The End of Solitude: Selected Essays on Culture and Society . They chat about how social media is changing the nature of our interaction with others, addressing West Point plebes about leadership, why he left academia, and why they love essay collections. Get the book here: https://us...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Donald L. Drakeman, Fellow in Operations and Technology Management at the Cambridge Judge Business School, Distinguished Research Professor in the Program on Constitutional Studies at the University of Notre Dame, and a Venture Partner at Advent Life Sciences, to discuss his new book (co-authored with Lisa Drakeman and Nektarios Oraiopoulos), From Breakthrough t...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by F.H. Buckley, Foundation Professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, to discuss his new book, Progressive Conservatism: How Republicans Will Become America's Natural Governing Party . They chat about what Buckley means exactly by “progressive conservative,” why the Republican Party must return to its roots as a progressive conservative part...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Bruce Gilley, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Portland State University, to discuss his new book, In Defense of German Colonialism: And How Its Critics Empowered Nazis, Communists, and the Enemies of the West . They chat about the reasons why Gilley contends German colonialism was overall a force for good in the world, how development was enc...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Troy Senik, cofounder of Kite & Key, to discuss his new book, “A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland.” They chat about Cleveland’s meteoric political career and how his stubbornness and his incorruptibility became the key to his political appeal, as well as to his political fall. They also place the context behind Cl...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Olivier Zunz, the James Madison Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Virginia, to discuss his new book, The Man Who Understood Democracy: The Life of Alexis de Tocqueville . They chat about Tocqueville’s dedication to achieving a new kind of democracy at the center of his life and work, why America remained central to his thought and actions throug...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Paul Kennedy, J. Richardson Dilworth Professor of History at Yale University, to discuss his new book, Victory at Sea: Naval Power and the Transformation of the Global Order in World War II . They chat about the six major naval powers of the war and their individual strengths, weaknesses, and challenges, and how the war was won and lost in the Atlantic, the Paci...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Christopher M. Reali, assistant professor of music at Ramapo College, to discuss his new book, Music and Mystique in Muscle Shoals . They chat about the Muscle Shoals music scene in the 1960’s and 1970’s, what exactly is the “Muscle Shoals Sound,” and how that sound became such a potent cultural power that still means something even up to the present day. They a...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by all-time surf god Shaun Tomson to discuss his new book with Noah benShea, “The Surfer and the Sage: A Guide to Survive and Ride Life's Waves.” They chat about purpose, loss, hope, faith, the importance of doing nothing, what lessons surfing has to give about living a fulfilling life, and the power of “I Will.” Tim also tries to not geek out and ask too many surf...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Jonathan W. White, professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University, to discuss his new book, To Address You as My Friend: African Americans' Letters to Abraham Lincoln . They chat about the personal connection many blacks felt to Abraham Lincoln and how that gave them confidence to write to the president and to seek redress of their grievances. T...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Mark A. Noll, Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame, to discuss his new book, America's Book: The Rise and Decline of a Bible Civilization, 1794-1911 . They chat about how the Bible decisively shaped American national history even as that history influenced the use of Scripture, and how a strongly Protestant Bible civilization was fractur...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Brian P. Levack, John E. Green Regents Professor Emeritus in History at the University of Texas at Austin, to discuss his new book, Distrust of Institutions in Early Modern Britain and America . They chat about how distrust in institutions was an important theme of public discourse in Britain and colonial America during the early modern period, why trust in thes...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Ryan T. Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, to discuss his new book, co-authored with Alexandra DeSanctis, “Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing.” They discuss how the post­- Roe experiment with unlimited abortion has harmed everyone and corrupted our political system, medicine, and the media, while undermini...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by William B. Allen, resident scholar and the former chief operating officer of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE) and emeritus dean of James Madison College at Michigan State University, to discuss CURE’s new book, “The State of Black America: Progress, Pitfalls, and the Promise of the Republic.” They discuss the character, shape, and tendencies of...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by James Kirchick, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and columnist for Tablet , to discuss his new book, “Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington.” Benson and Kirchick discuss how homosexuality came to be seen as potential national security threat, the Lavender Scare, the irresponsible homophobia of Oliver Stone’s film JFK , the tragedy of...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Glenda Sluga to discuss her new book, “The Invention of International Order: Remaking Europe after Napoleon.” Sluga is the professor of international history and capitalism at the European University Institute as well as a Kathleen Fitzpatrick Laureate Fellow and professor of international history at the University of Sydney. They discuss how the Congress of Vie...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Michael Beckley of Tufts University and the American Enterprise Institute to discuss his new book, co-authored with Hal Brands, “Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China.” They discuss how China’s rise in global power is over, its leadership is insecure about its future, and how that insecurity about China’s coming decline could lead to a violent challenge to...