Ill Literacy: Books with Benson

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Jed Perl of the New School of Social Research and long-time art critic for The New Republic to discuss his new book, “Authority and Freedom: A Defense of the Arts”. They discuss how the interplay between authority and freedom are the lifeblood of the arts, how the essence of the arts is their ability to free us from fixed definitions and categories, and what is...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Richard Overy, Professor of History at the University of Exeter, to discuss his new book, “Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War, 1931-1945.” They discuss why the Second World War should be considered the last imperial war, why the war needs to be looked at with a broader, more global perspective, and why it’s protracted, messy aftermath goes far beyond 1945.  ...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Jonathan Butcher, the Will Skillman Fellow in Education in the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation, to discuss his new book, “Splintered: Critical Race Theory and the Progressive War on Truth”. They discuss the hijacking of K–12 education by Critical Theorists, what exactly is and what isn’t Critical Race Theory, and how this battle over our n...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Penelope J. Corfield, professor emeritus of history at Royal Holloway, London University and president of the International Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, to discuss her new book, “The Georgians: The Deeds and Misdeeds of 18th-Century Britain.” They discuss many aspects of Georgian life, including politics and empire, culture and society, love and viole...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Brendan J.J. Payne, chair of the Department of History at North Greenville University, to discuss his new book, “Gin, Jesus, and Jim Crow: Prohibition and the Transformation of Racial and Religious Politics in the South.” They discuss how prohibition helped realign the racial and religious order in the South by linking restrictions on alcohol with political prea...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Noah Rothman, associate editor of Commentary magazine to discuss his new book, “The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives' War on Fun.” They discuss how progressives have returned to their shrewish and humorless norm after an interregnum of free-spirited hippiedom. They also chat about how progressives are sucking the joy out of food, spor...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Jonathan W. White, associate professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University, to discuss his new book, A House Built by Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House . They discuss how Lincoln’s unprecedented welcoming of African American men and women to the White House transformed the trajectory of race relations in the United St...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Colin Jones, Professor of History at Queen Mary University of London and Visiting Professor at the University of Chicago, to discuss his new book, The Fall of Robespierre: 24 Hours in Revolutionary Paris . They discuss how Maximilien Robespierre went from completely secure in his person to awaiting the guillotine in the course of a day, who were the major player...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Peter Richardson to discuss his new book, “Savage Journey: Hunter S. Thompson and the Weird Road To Gonzo.” They discuss how Thompson’s literary formation occurred in San Francisco in the mid- ‘60’s, how his celebrity has obscured his literary achievements, and why Richardson believes Thompson was one of the most important American voices in the second half of t...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Father Robert Sirico, co-founder of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, to discuss his new book, The Economics of the Parables . They discuss the enduring financial truths of the parables, whether Jesus intended the parables to have an economic message, and why they prefer the King James Version even though they’re both Catholic. Get the b...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Nathan Lewis of the Discovery Institute to discuss his new book with Steve Forbes and Elizabeth Ames, Inflation: What It Is, Why It's Bad, and How to Fix It . They discuss how we’ve gotten into the inflationary predicament we’re in, what remedies are available to decrease inflation, and why we should ignore calls to pursue heedless money-printing economic polici...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Bruce Gilley, professor of political science at Portland State University and member of the board of the National Association of Scholars, to discuss his new book, The Last Imperialist: Sir Alan Burns' Epic Defense of the British Empire . They discuss Burns’ important role at the United Nations, his many appointments in different British colonies, his views on t...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Daniel J. Mahoney, professor emeritus at Assumption University and a senior fellow with the RealClear Foundation, to discuss his new book, The Statesman as Thinker: Portraits of Greatness, Courage, and Moderation . They discuss a number of statesmen who struggled to preserve freedom in times of crisis, what qualities make a great statesman and what defines state...

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Matthew Hennessey of the Wall Street Journal to discuss his new book, Visible Hand: A Wealth of Notions on the Miracle of the Market . They discuss why a new book explaining the beauty of the free market to people who normally blanche at all things economics was needed, detour into some Jersey inside baseball, and chat about a very valuable life lesson Hennessey...