Discussing the book "Homestead: The Glory and Tragedy of an American Steel Town" (published by Times Books) with the author, journalist William Serrin.

Some people thought the 60's were glorious years and other people thought they were destructive years. "The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage," is Todd Gitlin's autobiography where he offers his perspective of those years.

The investigative journalists discuss and read from America: What Went Wrong? The book is based on a series of articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer about corporate greed and its effects on the middle class.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Steve Neal's book, "Dark Horse: A Biography of Wendell Willkie," covers the story of a man who ran for president with no political experience. As explained by Neal, Wendell lost the election but he was still very popular with celebrity status. Wendell believed a chapter ended in his life so that a new chapter could begin.

Author Sidney Blumenthal discusses his book "The Permanent Campaign," touching on topics including political consultants, modern campaigning, and the election process.

Author Scott Ridley discusses the book “Power Struggle: The Hundred-Year War Over Electricity” and the corruption in the private power industry. Studs plays "Roll on Columbia" by Judy Collins (1972) and "Grand Coulee Dam" by Woody Guthrie (1941).

Past radio transcripts of former President Ronald Reagan were being hidden or suppressed. Ronnie Dugger worked tirelessly at getting the transcripts so that people would learn the truth about Reagan. In Dugger’s book, “On Reagan: The Man & His Presidency,” Dugger points out that President Reagan was against the ERA. He didn’t believe in anti-trust, and he opposed every civil rights act every placed in front of him. Dugger said Reagan’s genius was that he’d get elected without people knowing of his records.

In her book, "People of God - The Struggle for World Catholicism" author Penny Lernoux says God is on the side of the poor. It's estimated that there are 900 million Catholics and 70% are from third world countries. Pope John Paul, being of the Polish culture is problematic because he can't relate to the poor of Latin America, says Lernoux.

Content Warning: This conversation includes racially and/or culturally derogatory language and/or negative depictions of Black and Indigenous people of color, women, and LGBTQI+ individuals. Rather than remove this content, we present it in the context of twentieth-century social history to acknowledge and learn from its impact and to inspire awareness and discussion. Almost all the characters in Robert Kotlowitz's book, "The Boardwalk" are fictitious with the exception of Teddy, a Jewish, 14-year-old boy, who Kotlowitz explains is Robert Kotlowitz.

Discussing the book "Boston Boy," with author Nat Hentoff.

Discussing the book "Free Speech For Me--But Not For Thee: How the American Left and Right Relentlessly Censor Each Other," (published by HarperCollins) with the author Nat Hentoff.

Discussing the book "Unreliable Sources: A Guide to Detecting Bias in News Media" (published by Lyle Stuart) with author and investigative journalist Martin Lee.