Laurie marked it as to-read Jun 28, Twilightwatchers marked it as to-read Jul 01, Duke Lancaster marked it as to-read Jul 21, Natalie marked it as to-read Oct 12, Chris marked it as to-read Nov 18, Cindy marked it as to-read Apr 24, Stef marked it as to-read May 23, Rumeur marked it as to-read Jun 07, BookishBelle added it Jun 11, Booklover added it Jan 09, Ginny marked it as to-read Mar 27, Lezli marked it as to-read Dec 01, Judy Hayes is currently reading it Mar 03, Donna Weaver marked it as to-read Mar 20, Florence B Haun is currently reading it Jun 01, Kathy marked it as to-read Aug 03, Martha marked it as to-read Aug 04, Because the term is so loosely used by all and sundry that a history of the term would be illuminating.
Derrick Norman February 8, 5: Krzysztof Matejkowski February 8, 5: I recommend John Dean's fairly recent trilogy on our dysfunctional government. Dean paid his dues for Watergate long ago and has spent recent years trying to alert citizens to the even worse abuses of the current administration. I also believe that everyone should read Rep. Conyers's report on the stolen Ohio election of , which led to the unfortunately unsuccessful challenge to Ohio's Republican electors in January Only by knowing what has been done to us in the past can we even hope to prevent such crimes in the future.
Kathy Soltis February 8, 5: Doug February 8, 5: I am concerned about the lack of division between church and state in our government. I would recommend that our next president read Sam Harris' "The End of Faith" and remember that many americans are not religious. RRP February 8, 5: If they're not interested in human evolution, then I would recommend two books dealing with middle east history.. This way we can approach the area as if we had some clue about what's going on there. Phil Blaustein February 8, 4: It explains much of how we are who we are..
Also with some ideas for how the human race needs to grow and progress further. The response you have received is encouraging since informed and thoughtful people can make a difference.
Thank you and Judith for your efforts to keep us informed on many subjects of great importance. Gene Lebherz February 8, 4: What an amazing list these entries make. I'm taking notes and making a new reading list for myself. As a novelist, I would add more fiction to the list. It has an amazing way to capture the essence of being human, to reveal our greatest longings, fears, and desires. To inspire us to continue to hope and against all odds, to continue to believe. Or just to give us a well deserved laugh at the end of long day. And, through the power of story, to connect us to all the stories roaming the earth.
Browse by Subject
Whether I'm reading Earnest Gains or Andre Dubus, or the thousands of names before and between them, I discover I'm not so different at all from my brother - regardless. I'm a southerner by birth so I'd throw a large list of southern works on that pile to read. Ultimately, fiction is so subjective that a President would have to read the books that call to him or her. Hopefully, ones that enlighted and inspire and tell what it was to have lived in this life, on this great earth.
Books that make all of it worth keeping and making better for ourselves and the stories that come after us. Of course, a little bit of 'Horton Hears a Who' might be a good one to embrace right now. No matter how small we may appear from Washington D. River Jordan February 8, 4: When I heard the question posed on Bill Moyer's Journal, my first thought was that I would take The Federalist Papers since it is the most accurate explaination of the Constituion.
Later, I was elated to hear Hillary Clinton give that answer as well since I recently decided to vote for her. Great minds think alike, I guess. MB Harrington February 8, 4: And I heartily agree that everyone, especially a president, should read The Shock Doctrine. Cynthia Bock-Goodner February 8, 4: Howard Zinn's "People's History of the United States" because it fills in the gaps of our history that were left out of most of the texts we were given in our schools and let's us hear from the people of all classes and ethnic groups.
A must for everyone. Breeze Bryson February 8, 4: Augie February 8, 3: I would also recommend Dr. Crowl's "The Strategist's Short Catechism: Six Questions Without Answers. Steven Anderson February 8, 3: A lot of good suggestions, but I'm dismayed with the frequency of David Ray Griffin's book. Michael Cushion February 8, 3: Kukla February 8, 3: Sharon Pines February 8, 3: Steven And Linda Muehlberg February 8, 3: Mark Walker February 8, 3: The book that came to mind is Collapse, by Jarod Diamond.
It will be pleasing to have a president who reads. Saving this country is going to be an awfully tall order for anyone. Carol Mannchen February 8, 2: It is a book that clearly explains the nuclear dangers confronting humanity and calls for abolishing nuclear weapons. This will require US leadership from the next president.
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For more information on this issue, the president and citizens across the country can visit the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's website at www. David Krieger February 8, 2: The next president should have a copy of Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut sitting next to whatever phone it is that he or she picks up to call in the troops. Chip Jenne February 8, 2: B G - Minnesota February 8, 2: Felicia February 8, 2: William Fraser February 8, 2: The book provides thoughtful insight as to why US leadership for a nuclear weapons-free world is necessary for our security and that of the rest of the world.
For more information on this critical issue, the next president and the rest of the country could visit the website of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation at www. The dangers of nuclear weapons in any hands continue to threaten the future of our cities, countries and civilization. I have a better thought, my last: Doug Tarnopol February 8, 2: President, helps move us a little further away from what Eisler terms "the Dominator model" of social organization and closer to "a Partnership model," which would include, of course, working in partnership with the rest of the plants and animals on the planet, instead of "dominating" and destroying "them" in our unholy arrogance and patriarchical madness.
Steve Tills February 8, 2: I would be glad to have a well-read president again. If only--a variety of current and historical works, fiction, non-fiction, science. To me, the last 7 years of impulsive and misguided policies have been a reflection of what it means to have a leader who is both shallow and incurious.
It is easy to tell our current president does not like to read and reflect. Powell February 8, 2: Shouldn't the next pres. I'd rec "State of the World", for the last 25 years. Technical, thorough, up-to-date and timely. We need someone who knows something, not just believes something. Allen Ansel February 8, 2: Linda Leavitt February 8, 2: I recommend David Sirota's book "Hostile Takeover: Every Democratic and progressive politician should read this book and use it as a guide on how to fight the corporatist takeover of our democracy. Terry Barton February 8, 2: Happiness lies in creating a fair society with strong communities and relationships.
Robert Sessions February 8, 1: If you believe in hell some of these capitalists should be headed there! Valerie Chism February 8, 1: James Clay Fuller February 8, 1: Michael Hart February 8, 1: I'd be happy with a president that reads something other than the New Testament and My Pet Goat, period. Also, the Constitution of the United States would be a good idea. Films, for the busy campaigner: Doug Tarnopol February 8, 1: Saving Face by Stuart Schneiderman is a clear description of who we are and where we're headed,in terms of an American culture that has recently moved from a shame-base to guilt-base.
Drawing out bad and good points from each type of culture e. This is where the real threat to America lies. For serious fun, any recent book by John LeCarre. Mission Song and the Constant Gardener contain much truth about the far-reaching deviltry of corporations. Jay Moor February 8, 1: Morris February 8, 1: I came to this session so late you've already received a Library of Congress full of suggestions.
Yes, it's a history of our forgotten war in Korea, and a magnificent one too. But at least for this year-old bloody but unbowed liberal, it's an analytic demonstration of how Truman's surprise defeat of Dewey the fifth consecutive Presidential triumph by Democrats demented the right wing of the GOP, defeating the moderates and terrifying the Democrats for more than sixty years.
For history is merely the exercise of military Will. Which should we choose -- Triumph or Surrender? Douglas Scott February 8, 1: The Myth of the Machine, volume 2: The Pentagon of Power by Lewis Mumford would have to be the one. And I would have to add: The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry. This book may give reflection to the reader the generational differences and expectations and goes beyond the tags of Baby Boomers and Generation Jones so that empathy could be revealed as to each in relation to their life experiences.
Brett Doyle February 8, I have never understood the complexities of that region better. The Creature from Jekyll Island: Put him on your show sometime and let's learn how to overpower the pirates who have wrested control of the United States of America from the Constitution. Also, Addicted To War: Can't Kick Militarism by Joel Andreas.
Samuel Teolis February 8, While his message is translated into more than 70 languages, it remains a little-known secret, spread mostly by word of mouth. This book lifts the veil on Prem Rawat - the man. Imagine individuals feeling peace within, taking actions called countries!! Erica Rainhart February 8, Anyone, and this should include our next president I hope , who wants a glimpse into how much better of a world we could live in if more people cared about humanity in the way Farrell and his wife Ms.
Fabares do, must read this book. Farrell gives hope by example. John Hostage February 8, Alexi Koltowicz February 8, I'm so impressed by the range and quality of suggestions I'm going to have a lot of reading to do myself! It's essential reading because it points the way to how humankind could fundamentally reorder how it makes, uses and disposes of things from buildings to cars to roads to books to electronics Crucially, the book is not an exhortation for all of us to do with less Rather, the book suggests a future of new ways of energy production, manufacture, materials re-use that create vast new markets, new jobs and new wealth and a significantly heightened quality of life, for humans and all life.
The next president will have the opportunity to provide the leadership to establish a context--through incentives, tax laws, investments, regulations, policies and presidential persuasion--by which this transformation will be fostered. John Ellis February 8, Michener draws upon his career as a writer, researcher, historian, and professor to draw interesting observations leading to his vision for America. He has thought provoking suggestions to solve many of the problems the country faces today. This man is a great American. Ann February 8, As a continual reminder of how this country looks from it's owners' points of view, as opposed to it's 'leader's' point of view.
Tom Doff February 8, Empathy is a theme. It is the foundation upon which he built "The Wealth of Nations. Charles Crummer February 8, And no, this is not spam. This is THE most important book of our time and to suggest reading it is hardly "spam" or "trolling". Todd Templeton February 8, I'd recommend Lester Brown's Plan B 3.
Sara February 8, 9: We recognize, follow, achieve greatness because there is also greatness in each and everyone of us. A person who is said to possess greatness stands apart from others in some way, usually by the size or originality of their vision and their ability to manifest that vision. And yet those who recognize that greatness, whether they display it themselves or not, also have greatness within them; otherwise, they could not see it in another. In many ways, the achievements of one person always belong to many people for we accomplish nothing alone in this world.
People who display greatness rely upon others who are able to see as they do, to listen, encourage, and support. Without those people who recognize greatness and move in to support it, even the greatest ideas, works of art, and political movements would remain unborn. We are all moved by greatness when we see it, and although the experience is to some degree subjective, we know the feeling of it. When we encounter it, it is as if something in us stirs, awakens, and comes forth to meet what was inside us all along.
We may feel called to dedicate ourselves to their vision, or we may be inspired to follow a path we forge ourselves. Either way, we cannot lose when we recognize that the greatness we see in others belongs also to us. Our recognition of this is a call to action that, if heeded, will inspire others to see in us the greatness they also possess. This creates a chain reaction of greatness unfolding itself endlessly into the future. Ultimately, greatness is simply the best of what humanity has to offer.
Greatness does what has not been done before and inspires the same courage that it requires. When we see it in others, we know it, and when we trust its presence in ourselves, we embody it. DiscoverYou February 8, 9: Greg Todd February 8, 9: At the very least, let us hope that the next President does indeed read something other than Condoleezza's reports to 'her husband'! Robert Stevens February 8, 9: Mckibben provides a framework with which we can start to think about restructuring our economy and culture away from the current unsustainable model of globalized corporate oligarchy, toward a more sustainable way of life that is both nourishing for the individual's soul and body, and essential for our communities' survival.
Doug Ashby February 8, 9: Elkan Katz February 8, 8: I would suggest that the new president read and keep handy, Jack London's "The Iron Heel" just so they can imagine the consequences of the rising oligarchy. The people have power and will use it if pushed to the brink Although in the end, the oligarchy and the mercenaries Blackwater? Steve Oxier February 8, 7: I would recommend The Urantia Book. The most mind expanding and philosophically challening book out there.
Pay close attention to Paper 71, on "The Development of the State". Amazing and life changing read. Christi Larson February 8, 7: In fact, I'd like to see this book become required reading for every White high school student in America. Fiddler February 8, 7: Laura Titsworth February 8, 5: Lynne Taylor February 8, 4: I was surprised and pleased to see this excellent book in the pictured stack of books on the splash page for Bill's show. The question is - considering the demographic, economic and geographical pressures with which we must content - which of our values are conducive to survival?
I would appreciate most in our next president not the ability to follow received wisdom, but to question which values, in the decline of our hegemony, will best serve us. Paul Lakin February 8, 4: My mother nurtured in me a love of words and the puzzle of language from the very start. She would have championed the perspective of Terry Jones that we've lost our way; we stopped challenging what's wrong with the world and instead went to war with an abstract noun.
I've not looked at words, war, or the war with words the same way since. Anita's Daughter February 8, 4: A book not yet published, entitled: Of course, it may take a subpoena to dislodge this document. On a happier note, I believe that the next president will have such difficult burdens to bear that he or she would benefit from reading "The Power of Positive Thinking", by Norman Vincent Peale.
Cawley February 8, 3: Lmn February 8, 3: Even if the book's allegations are untrue, the fact that it exists says a lot about our society. To all who posted here, this is a political junkie's and a bookworm's I fit in both categories! This is my first post, although I am a longtime admirer of Bill Moyers' choices of subjects and his commentary.
I sent my first book recommendation to you last Saturday, but it didn't go through, possibly because I didn't include the URL. Nevertheless, my first recommendation is Super-Imperialism: Reverend Strickler gave information about the book and the author earlier, so I'll only say that this book explains the origins and histories of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and their profound destructiveness in 1. Besides being a fascinating explanation of the fundamentals of how to grow food biodynamically, two main themes in the book are 1.
Louis Hale February 8, 1: I like many other people who responded didn't really take the time to answer the questions and just offer either a title of a book or a list of books we expect our next president to read and take with them to the White House. If I were to use the expression, "you are what you eat," and if you agree with that statement than we can also apply it to what you read. But let me put it this way: So, even if we read a book which is presents an opposing view to our own we can stil process it and use part of it to fuel us, and maybe even change us.
Therefore, what we do read can tell others something about us. In the same way if people see other eating a vegetarian meal or at a Taco Bell and Burger King. For the viewers and listeners of this program I will provide a link so you can quickly read over a short version of the contents of chapter 12 of the book I mentioned. Andrew James Jarrett February 8, 1: His books, "Rights of Man" and "The Age of Reason" would make great additions to the White House bookcase, or even the president's nightstand. When Paine arrived in the colonies, he saw their great potential, not only for independence from the crown, but the resources for building a new republic.
He who is the author of a war lets loose the whole contagion of hell, and opens a vein that bleeds a nation to death. Liz McCrary February 8, 1: No sermons, no earnest advice. Just a pleasureable read, which may come at a high premium under the pressures of the job. Durren Anderson February 8, 1: This is the only book any one need read Terry Ridgeway February 8, 1: Marian Gray February 8, 1: The unreasonable man adapts surrounding conditions to himself All progress depends on the unreasonable man. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them.
They are of no consequence. Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness. The other is to get it. Any man who is still a communist at the age of thirty is an even bigger fool. This book should provide proper perspective and a sense of humility to any president occupying the oval office. I only wish that it were required reading and, hopefully, understanding for all national office-holders. Kevin Peck February 8, These are two books that show how putting politics over what is right may pay off in the short-run, but leads to long-term disaster.
If you become President of the United States, don't waste your chance to leave a proud legacy. Don't fritter away your opportunity by following the political winds. Ebenezer February 8, Timmi Kuykendall February 8, You win friends by good deeds, not weapons. Marc Hamilton February 8, The book that I would like to see in a permanent collection in the White House for all future presidents and their staff is A Course in Miracles. This incredible book is not just a preview of the coming of a new era in awareness of our collective consciousness.
It is because it will ultimately guide everyone who understands its purpose and message for humanity to help us all unlearn fear and become peace "full" leaders within ourselves. The book is extraordinary not just with its content, it is extraordinary because it comes with an inner teacher that helps you understand what peace is from the inside out. There is a reason why this book was written for our times. Oprah understands why as do many in diverse fields and walks of life. There have been leaders who understood how to see the invisible in order to do what seemed impossible.
The time has come for our leaders as well as each of us to understand that an inner vision of peace is the Will that will bring us together as all seems to be coming apart. There is a place in you where nothing is impossible. Alice Yeager February 8, Progress and Poverty by Henry George. The author came in 2nd, ahead of Theodore Roosevelt, in the 3-way election for mayor of New York City. The book in clear logic demonstrates how wages paid out aren't a deduction from capital but rather a creator of new wealth- in opposition to "supply side" theory.
Paul Kenns February 8, Since it is too late for my suggestion to be considered for your program tomorrow I will break the rules and make a 3 part recommendation. In one hour you get what you need to cut through all of the B. Unfortunately, Professor Dawkins missed the forest for the trees. I remember many years ago discussing the issues of population and environment with a graduate student in Sociology.
Similar authors to follow
All of the presidential candidates have assured us they have the formula for generating more growth. To the extent that they are successful, they ensure our collapse. As a person who has been active in the environmental movement for may years it is notable how few people who call themselves environmentalists have read this book and how many of the few who that have tried have found it difficult to follow. Jon Robinson February 8, This would be my recommendation for the next President, in consideration of this tragically conceived Iraq War.
I can't imagine how a President with genuine "moral values" could commit U. Zogorski February 8, The next president will be inundated with information. So many of the books on this list reflect what the person suggesting feels must be addressed. These issues must, indeed, be addressed. But i would hope that our next president enjoys reading for the sake of reading Long pieces for long flights.
Short articles for a moment of sanity. Insight; criticism; Americana; and all with intelligence and wit. He with millions of others suffered in the Germany concentration camps and found meaning in his suffering. So When the next president reads this book he or she will know that "life holds a potential meaning under any conditions, even the most miserable ones.
Roberrt Frank February 7, I recommend a short but powerful and very practical book: This book explains and offers a sound remedy to violence at all levels--in the 'hood and in international conflicts. Elizabeth Forrester February 7, No administration in history has done more damage to democracy than the current one. We have to find our way back to public control of our government. Neil Cramer February 7, Pat Butler February 7, Joseph Conrad's meditation on the effects of colonialism on the colonizer seems specially relevant, though published in A current book, Linda Greenhouse's "Becoming Justice Blackmun" chronicles the intellectual evolution of a conservative into a great justice of the Supreme Court.
SAGE Books - Fiction for Children and Young People: The State of the Art
Sue and Ed Sparling February 7, Living on Democracy's Edge Our journey to the edge and the forces making possible an invisible revolution of hope. Democracy Growing Up Outgrowing four beliefs that stymie us and discovering that power, even corporate power, isn't so stuck after all. The Elephant corporate power and the shape we give it New featured story: Land Stewardship New featured story: Food Power Important related news: Democracy as a Verb It's not what we have, it's what we do!
Americans seize the rewards of self-direction. Choice the myth of choice and the taste of democracy New featured story: Food Power New featured story: Patricia Hughes February 7, Animal Farm by George Orwell should be required reading for every president, especially those since Bush.
The manipulative ways of the pigs are lessons in what NOT to do--however, presidents like Bush take the pigs' actions to be a pattern to follow. The American people have allowed the travesties of Bush and his cronies and have done almost nothing about them. As some have said, "Where is the outrage? Yet many Americans have been intimidated by Bush and cronies' sarcasm into going along with everything the government does.
Mainstream media has become nothing more than governmental mouthpieces and so many American people just smile along with them. Animal Farm shows just how the American people have accepted governmental lies, failed to have faith in their own memories, and failed to get together and take action against the anti-Americans they made the mistake of voting into office.
The instant it was known that Bush had lied about WMDs in Iraq, impeachment proceedings should have been instituted. But what did Americans do? I only hope that people today can appreciate the lessons of Animal Farm. Sonja Forman February 7, Al Krahn February 7, The Next Prez should read: Gus Froemke February 7, Gene February 7, Jeff Carver February 7, I would recommend Arthur Schleisinger, Jr.
This relatively short book reads as his last wishes for our nation; and a primer to the next president. Schleisinger presents strong pleas to the next president to undo the errosion of our civil liberties and stop crossing the line of power in the executive office. In the book, Mr. Schleisinger points out that it was Eisenhower's administaration that coined the phony and frightening title of "executive privlege", and that this made-up concept has been used like a bludgeon against the congress, the courts, and the people ever since.
There is no mention of "executive privilege" in any previous federal documents, or in the Constitution, and it has been a cover for the high crimes and misdemeaners of presidents such as Nixon, and Bush 43, and Clinton's more benign coverups. In the hands of Bush and Cheney excutive grabs of power were an obsession--some of the motivation for their intense secrecy, and their tens of hundreds of signing statements against their having to enforce laws crafted and passed by Congress. The administration's neocon fantasy of total American dominance over the rest of the world was the faulty ideological underpinnings of the war.
As their disasterous term finally ends we must undo the damage which they inflicted, Schleisinger states, by putting the power to declare war back into the House of Representatives as originally conceived. The book also discusses issues such as the archaic electoral college, and prior instances of when the college went againt the popular vote; often egregiously, but never more so than with the so-called elections of George W.
Bush in office under the duress of his family's powerful friends in should have been the final straw. But instead of recommending the logical antidote-- direct presidential elections-- Schleisinger, sounding like the former advisor to J. However, he writes, with such improvements as "bonus" votes to even out the overrepresentation of the sparsly populated states such as Wyoming, Nebraska and Alaska.
He wants to prevent the country from having more than two, or at the most, three parties, and what he feels would be the "messiness" of many competing parties and the "inconvenience" of a election that might require people to vote more than once. Join us for an illuminating conversation led by novelist Dawn Tripp , author of Georgia and Game of Secrets.
Sponsored by PEN America. She has also studied at the Yale School of Drama, specializing in adapting classical tales to a modern audience. Her first novel, The Song of Achilles James Wood Called by Vivian Gornick "among the most highly regarded literary critics of our moment," James Wood has been a staff writer and book critic at The New Yorker since In , he won the National Magazine Award for reviews and criticism. He was the chief literary critic at the Is there a difference in their fiction and criticism?
Or is fiction also a critical intervention? The panel is sponsored by Massachusetts Center for the Book, administrator of, among other programs, the Massachusetts Book Awards. Gish Jen Gish Jen writes both fiction and nonfiction. She has taught in numerous writing programs including Emerson College, Boston University, Bowdoin College, and the Warren Wilson low residency MFA program, and is the author of a collection of stories and eight Massachusetts Center for the Book. A former Boston Globe Magazine columnist and a Huffington Post blogger, he is the author of four books, including Homo Named one of the best books of the year by Entertainment Weekly, Audible.
Milo Todd Milo Todd is a novelist, manuscript consultant, and presenter. He specializes in queer, trans, and poverty topics, as well as narrative voice and outline techniques. Not too long ago, that became email. And now, we listen. Podcasts are the new mainstream but how to take a beloved genre--the advice column--off the page and into an ear bud?
Presenters Meredith Goldstein Meredith Goldstein is an advice columnist and entertainment reporter for the Boston Globe. Her advice column, Love Letters, is a daily dispatch of wisdom for the lovelorn that has been running online and in the paper since Readers ask questions, get answers from Goldstein, and Amy Pedulla Amy Pedulla is an award-winning radio and podcast producer. This author talk will be moderated by Shuchi Saraswat , curator of the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith, an events series focused on migration, exile and displacement and works in translation.
Hubert Haddad Hubert Haddad is a poet, playwright, short story writer and novelist. Participants will create their own maps of settings for the tales they want to tell, populating them with characters and significant story elements.
Everyone can take home their own story map. Its mission is to use the collection of , maps and five How to Invent Everything: Poet and comic book aficionado Stephanie Burt will host what is sure to be one of the most entertaining sessions at BBF. Moderators Stephanie Burt Stephanie Burt is an expert in American poetry, both in its composition and its critique. Burt also teaches at Harvard University, sharing with students not only her expertise True Story In this engaging session, three nonfiction authors will present their work,TED-style, in a fast-paced presentation.
Like TED, we will be videotaping them for inclusion on the Ideas in Action website, so the authors will be in top form. Salk Institute biologist Dr. Satchin Panda will present his electrifying scientific work from The Circadian Code. Owing to the existence of 26 hours of recorded conversation among the crew before the ship sank off the coast of the Bahamas, Slade was able to construct a harrowing account of dreadful decision-making. John Kaag , author of Hiking with Nietzsche , tells a deeply personal story of how his search for wisdom led him on two journeys to the mountains above Sils Maria where Nietzsche wrote Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
Moderators John Werner John Werner has taken a career as an innovator in a multitude of directions. He is currently a vice president at Meta Co. He was a founding member of Citizen Schools, an extended-day middle-school program Although he has written a number of books, he is best known for American Philosophy: A Love Story Satchin Panda Satchin Panda is a leading expert in the field of circadian rhythm research. Panda is a Pew Rachel Slade Rachel Slade has a long history as a Boston journalist and has recently embarked on a new career as an author of narrative nonfiction.
From to , Slade was a writer and editor at Boston magazine, holding the titles of home design editor, senior editor, articles editor, and His wordless picture book, Draw! Saturday October 13, 1: Two cookbooks later The Homemade Pantry, The Homemade Kitchen , Chernila is back with a third cookbook, Eating from the Ground Up , empowering eaters everywhere to make simple, perfect vegetables.
Against the backdrop of Eataly Boston, Alana Chernila will chat about how to start a blog and turn it into a cookbook , her food writing Food52, Martha Stewart Living , and what you should make for dinner. Presenters Alana Chernila A graduate of St. Chernila keeps a blog of the same name, which she started Autumn Jones Autumn Jones is a soulful singer-songwriter from Maplewood, New Jersey, graduating from the same high school as Lauryn Hill, one of her inspirations.
Presenters Autumn Jones Autumn Jones is a soulful singer-songwriter from Maplewood, New Jersey, graduating from the same high school as Lauryn Hill, one of her inspirations. Jones, who features emotional lyrics and a powerhouse voice, has performed in the Boston area at venues such as Mavericks, Midway Cafe Authoritarianism History provides us with many examples of authoritarian leaders and tyrants. This session looks at our present political circumstances with an assist from the past. Yale historian Timothy Snyder has spent his career studying twentieth-century European history.
Kennedy School of Government Stephen Greenblatt Pulitzer Prize—winning literary historian Stephen Greenblatt has made a career out of the study of William Shakespeare and the cultural output of the early modern era. He taught at the University of California, Berkeley for nearly thirty years before taking a position at Harvard Timothy Snyder Timothy Snyder is a leading scholar and historian of European history. Currently the Housum Professor of History at Yale University, Snyder has taught a variety of courses, including European political history and the history of the Holocaust, since He earned his PhD from Oxford Our host for this session of fascinating fiction readings is Aaron Devine , organizer of the Dorchester reading series Write on the DOT.
Moderators Aaron Devine Aaron Devine is a writer, educator, and translator. Matthew Pearl Matthew Pearl's novels offer a fascinating mix of history and mystery. His nonfiction writing has appeared in Spencer Wise Spencer Wise is a debut author whose historical novel, The Emperor of Shoes, tells the story of a Bostonian expat living in Southern China while running his family's shoe factory and falling in love.
Take Your Audio Shelfie Audio Shelfie is a digital storytelling project that gives readers a space to tell stories about the roles books play in their lives. The hosts pose questions about reading and collect stories from participants that are then paired with a photo of the storyteller to create an "audio shelfie. Those present who want to share their own stories will be invited to do so for the audience, and have their stories recorded to be part of our digital storytelling project. Her memoir became not just a reckoning with a past that was hidden from her as a child growing up in Brazil, where her grandparents had fled from prosecution for war crimes, but also a plea to the descendants of both the perpetrators and the survivors to sound the alarm.
Lindahl will be interviewed by Leslie Gilbert-Lurie , whose memoir, Bending Toward the Sun , tells the story of her mother, a Holocaust survivor, and the ripple effects of trauma through the generations. She has worked for the betterment of children in the Los Angeles area and around the world. Julie Lindahl Julie Lindahl is a Brazilian-born American author, educator, and democracy activist who lives in Sweden.
In she learned that her grandparents had been in the SS in occupied Poland throughout the duration of WWII, seeking refuge in Latin America as new war crimes trials started Strange but True Crime This session explores some obscure objects of desire that have driven people to commit bizarre crimes. In The Feather Thief , journalist and documentarian Kirk Wallace Johnson profiles a young American flutist who risked everything to steal a collection of priceless feathers from the British Museum of Natural History.
To feed his obsession with the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying, of course.
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In The Dinosaur Artist, New Yorker staff writer Paige Williams investigates the rarified world of fossil hunting and the black market trade in dinosaurs. In the process, she questions the conflict between science and commerce. And in In Vino Duplicitas , Peter Hellman , journalist and long-time contributor to Wine Spectator , shines a light on wine fraud, forgery, gullible billionaires, and competitive snobbery in the highest echelons of wine connoisseurship. These three works of nonfiction read like thrillers in the hands of these outstanding authors.
Shira Springer , who covers stories on sports and society for WBUR, will moderate this discussion of strange but entirely true crimes. Peter Hellman Peter Hellman is an author and journalist with a decades-long career who has written about everything from wine fraud to true crime to the Holocaust. He is the author of Chief!: In the aftermath of the Iraq War, Johnson worked on the ground in Fallujah as the first construction coordinator for the Agency. Paige Williams Paige Williams is a decorated journalist.
She won the National Magazine Award for features writing and has been anthologized Novelists find inspiration wherever life takes them--these three talented writers transform classic stories and symbols into something entirely fresh and new. She is an active presenter and committee member for the Association for Molly Booth If there is one thing you should know about Molly Booth, it is that she really likes Shakespeare. The various work of this young adult novelist, theater director, and podcaster all has to do with the Bard.
In her first book, Saving Hamlet , Emma Allen unwittingly time travels She is the cocreator, with Emily X. Story Time with Melissa Stewart Prolific and award-winning nonfiction author Melissa Stewart celebrates animal underdogs with her new book Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers ages 4—8. Presenters Melissa Stewart Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than science books for children, including Can an Aardvark Bark? She is also the coauthor of Perfect Pairs: Dangerous Places In the world of crime fiction, danger lurks everywhere: Four mystery authors reveal how they deal with danger in vastly different locations and situations.
Moderator Mo Walsh , president of the New England chapter of Mystery Writers of America, will be our fearless guide through these perilous locales. Moderators Mo Walsh Mo Walsh sets her short crime stories in places and situations that have distinctive character: His team of police detectives debuted in in The Cutting. Mystery Writers of America-New England. This session also features two Boston-centered novels. Bridging any gaps between these four talented writers is our moderator, award-winning writer and educator Adam Stumacher.
Moderators Adam Stumacher Adam Stumacher is an award-winning writer of both fiction and nonfiction, as well as an educator. He has won a Nelson Algren Award Yang Huang Yang Huang is both a successful writer and a computer engineer. Her first novel, Living Treasures, was published in Blair Hurley Blair Hurley is a writer, educator, and debut novelist. Her novel, The Devoted, is about a lost young woman who falls in love with Zen Buddhism and her spiritual teacher as she embarks on her spiritual and sexual coming of age. The book was named a top pick for summer and fall This session will consist of three twenty-minute guided explorations of the work of authors whose recent novels offer vivid portraits of places--from Havana to rural Vermont: Laura van den Berg Laura van den Berg is the award-winning author of two novels, two story collections, and numerous stories and essays.
She is the editor of Contemporary Vermont Fiction: Everywhere and Nowhere Join social justice project Wee the People for Everywhere and Nowhere, an interactive workshop exploring powerful stories of the immigrant experience: This workshop will feature a storytime with live music, a kids' Round the World open mic, and a passport craft activity to places real and imagined! Presenters Wee the People Wee The People is an arts-based series of programming and events for kids exploring social justice and the power of protest. Profile of Wee the People.
Saturday October 13, 2: A performer on recorder, Baroque, and modern transverse flute, with a background in ancient, classical, and Cuban popular music, del Bosque has played with orchestras such as Ars Longa, Orchestra of Lyceum Mozartian from Havana, and the National Orchestra of Cuba. Sheila del Bosque's Trio mixes contemporary and traditional Afro-Cuban music with the influence of European and jazz ingredients.
A performer on recorder, Baroque, and modern transverse flute, with a background in ancient, classical, and Cuban popular music, del Bosque has played with orchestras such as Ars Longa Science Comics Workshop From the depths of the ocean to the vastness of outer space, from the mysteries of physics to the marvels of the human body, cartoons can help kids visualize even the most complicated concepts and make learning about science even more fun! In this interactive session, cartoonists Alex Graudins Science Comics: The Story of You, the Universe, and Everything will lead young science artists through two fun and silly drawing exercises.
And at the end of the hour? The group will have made a comic! Presenters Alex Graudins Alex Graudins is a cartoonist who has published comics both in print and online. Braden Lamb Braden Lamb is an artist and cartoonist, and one of the hands behind the award-winning monthly Adventure Time comics. Lamb studied film in upstate New York before moving to Boston and starting an art career. Lamb worked with his wife and art partner, Shelli Paroline, on Adventure Shelli Paroline Shelli Paroline loved reading comics and science fiction as a child and grew up to create comics herself.
Paroline is codirector of Maris Wicks Maris Wicks has found a way to combine two of her greatest passions: She is the writer and illustrator of science comics; she has turned everything from the human body to coral reefs to urban ecology into incredible and colorful comics. In the Public Interest? Sometimes it is difficult to believe that people in positions of power are looking out for the public interest.
In her amazing history of the opioid crisis, Dopesick , author Beth Macy traces the history of the epidemic, from the early days when Purdue Pharma put OxyContin on the market with dubious claims about its less addictive properties, to the present, when sympathy for those addicted to opioids may be plentiful but little funding for treatment is forthcoming, despite the predominance of the afflicted living in Trump country.
The book offers a critique of the housing, education, and legal systems that contribute to the problem. Moderators Meghan Irons Meghan Irons is a veteran journalist at the Boston Globe, covering a range of topics that touch on how culture, politics, and social issues intersect with everyday life. She was a member of the award-winning project 68 Blocks, has explored the diverse communities in Boston, and currently Eve Ewing Eve Ewing is a Chicago-bred writer, artist, and scholar who has made her career about fighting social and racial injustice, particularly in the sphere of public education.
She is the author of the bestsellers Truevine: Renaissance Redux This session will look at two notable Renaissance people: Walter Isaacson , whose previous bestsellers explored other restless, creative geniuses such as Benjamin Franklin, Einstein, and Steve Jobs, delves into the astonishing creativity and curiosity that drove the most famous of Renaissance men, Leonardo da Vinci.
And, in Renaissance Woman: The Life of Vittoria Colonna, author Ramie Targoff , professor of English and co-chair of Italian studies at Brandeis University, examines the life and times of an extraordinary woman--the first to publish poetry in Italy. Her connections to the powerful, including Charles V and more than one pope, as well as her close friendship with Michelangelo, gave her tremendous influence and power in Roman society. Sponsored by the Boston Public Library. Walter Isaacson Walter Isaacson is a veteran of print and broadcast journalism.
Starting in , Isaacson was a correspondent, then a national editor, then an Ramie Targoff Ramie Targoff is a writer, researcher, and educator whose work focuses on the literature and culture of the Renaissance, with an emphasis on the relationship between literature and religion. Saving Planet Earth Our planet is facing an unprecedented threat from one, and only one, species: Astrobiologist David Grinspoon is squarely in the wizard camp. Come prepared for one of the most important conversations of our time that explores everything from apocalyptic environmentalism to interplanetary colonization, moderated by Beth Daley of InsideClimate News.
Moderators Beth Daley Beth Daley is an award-winning journalist who has over twenty years of experience investigating and writing about health, science, and the environment. David Grinspoon David Grinspoon is a celebrated astrobiologist, author, and person who talks a lot about science. He is a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute and an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado.
He has worked on several spacecraft missions with space agencies in Mann is a journalist and author. His book won the U. A correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly, Science, and Wired, he has covered the intersection of science, technology, and commerce for many Anyone who ventures outside during the day is doomed to a deadly destiny, and soon people compete against one another for the remaining commodities.
He then started a master's Urbanism Urban areas are the future, and they are also the laboratories for technological innovation and social change. We are pleased to present three outstanding authors on the subject of urbanism. Now, in Walkable City Rules , Speck offers an action plan for cities that desire to enhance street life and livability.
Cassim Shepard , founding editor-in-chief of Urban Omnibus , surveys the ways in which citizens are on the vanguard of urban practices today in his book, Citymakers. He argues that the challenges of growing inequality and climate change demand creative coalitions among citizen-activists, ecologists, artists, and public officials. Diana Ramirez-Jasso , provost of the Boston Architectural College, will moderate what is sure to be a lively conversation about cities. Moderators Diana Ramirez-Jasso Diana Ramirez-Jasso has dedicated her career to the creation and teaching of architecture and design.
Ramirez-Jasso, who joined the staff of Boston Architectural College in , became the provost of the college in Her areas of research and study particularly deal with the Matthew Frederick Matthew Frederick is an architect, urban designer, and advocate for Radical Urbanism, a new philosophy of urban development. It remains, eleven years after publication, the intermittent Cassim Shepard Cassim Shepard is a media producer, filmmaker, lecturer, and educator whose work focuses on cities, buildings, and urban development.
His film and video work tells the stories of cities and the development of urban spaces. His documentary work has been commissioned by and screened Jeff Speck Jeff Speck is a city planner and urban designer who advocates for more walkable and generally accessible cities. As director of design at the National Endowment for the Arts from through , he oversaw the Mayors' Institute on City Design and created the Governors' Institute What makes one book project stand out from the rest?
Pitchfest will give six contestants--out of dozens who submitted proposals--the opportunity to present their best science or technology book idea before a panel of judges--Harvard Book Store head buyer Rachel Cass ; MIT Press acquiring editors Beth Clevenger and Jermey Matthews ; professor and MIT Press editorial board chair David Kaiser ; and Knight Science Journalism associate director Ashley Smart --and a live audience: Prior and is sponsored by the MIT Press, a leading publisher of books and journals at the intersection of science, technology, and the arts.
The submissions period for Pitchfest is now closed. She became a bookseller in , managed the award-winning Harvard Book Store author event series from to , and became head buyer in Before becoming a bookseller, she pursued graduate Beth Clevenger Since joining the MIT Press in early , Beth Clevenger has published a diverse set of scholarly and trade books on the environment and cities, spanning the environmental humanities, climate change, renewable energy, food justice, the science of cities, and displacement and gentrification His award-winning books include How the Hippies Saved Physics: Jermey Matthews Jermey Matthews is a former science writer and books editor for Physics Today magazine and a former PhD research scientist and engineer.
He now acquires trade books and textbooks in physics, astronomy, chemistry, materials science, engineering, and mathematics for the MIT Press. Prior has published hundreds of trade and scholarly books in areas as diverse as neuroscience, computer science, natural history, electronic privacy, evolution, and design. He has even managed to sneak one novel onto the otherwise completely Presenters Adam Rex Adam Rex started drawing and painting as a young child, and he never looked back.
His other books include The True Meaning of Smekday, which was made into the hit animated movie Home Our host for this journey into an imagined past is novelist Jennifer S. Brown , author of Modern Girls. Brown lives, writes, runs, and mothers in the suburbs of Boston. He is a professor of eighteenth-century literature, gender and sexuality studies, and critical theory at the University If your BBF day has inspired you to jumpstart your writing career, come with your burning questions about pursuing an MFA! Sponsored by Lesley University. Saturday October 13, 3: She gone on to perform on many stages across the nation, sharing the stage with John Legend, Demi Lovato, and Greg Phillinganes and opening for India.
Arie, Bryson Tiller, and Aretha Franklin. Shapiro, who gained a reputation for combining art and intrigue in previous novels like The Art Forger and The Muralist , here offers readers a tale of secret identities, murder, and vengeance set amid the heady s art world in Paris and Philadelphia. Joining Shapiro is Charles Belfoure , whose latest novel, The Fallen Architect , is also a historical thriller about reinvention and redemption, this time about an architect who has collapsed into disgrace after the tragic failure of his signature project.
Hosting this conversation about the mysteries that lurk behind architectural facades and beneath artistic masterpieces is novelist Dawn Tripp , author of Georgia and Game of Secrets. We regret that due to a family emergency, B. Shapiro has had to cancel her appearance at the BBF this year. Charles Belfoure Charles Belfoure has combined two seemingly disparate occupations—author and architect—into one successful career.
His focus on historical architecture and its preservation is part of everything he does, both in writing nonfiction and fiction and, of course, in his work as an Choices and Challenges What was the biggest decision you faced today? Whether to skip piano lessons to come to the BBF? Whether to eat lunch at the taco truck or the dumpling truck? Or are you weighing decisions that might affect your whole life and the lives around you?
Their conversation will be moderated by educator Monique Harris. The decision to include this session in your BBF day is an easy one! She earned her teaching credential in Moderate Disabilities from the University of San Francisco in Kheryn Callender Kheryn Callender is an author and editor who is dedicated to promoting diversity in literature for young readers. Their debut novel is Hurricane Child, a middle-grade book about Caroline Murphy, whose life is terminally So she decided to write some books of her own.
Her debut middle grade novel, Like Vanessa, is about thirteen-year-old Meg Medina Meg Medina is an award-winning author of work for young readers. She writes for young adult, middle grade, and young children. The same year, her picture Two expert storytellers and advocates-- Jaclyn Friedman and Lesley Kinzel --will get into the ethics of personal sharing in the public sphere.
Presenters Jaclyn Friedman Jaclyn Friedman is a writer, educator and activist, and creator of three books: Lesley Kinzel Lesley Kinzel spent five years as an editor and writer at xoJane. A Reentry and Recovery Workshop Experience Facilitated by Writers Without Margins and located within a prison reentry program, the Wyman Writer's Workshop is a weekly workshop engaging men in post-incarceration and addiction recovery. This session at the Boston Book Festival, hosted by Writers Without Margins cofounder Cheryl Buchanan, will give a public audience the opportunity to experience a WWM workshop firsthand, while providing individuals from Wyman with the opportunity to lead and guide their own workshop.
Come participate in a truly inclusive reading and writing experience and learn more about the inspiring work of Writers Without Margins. Previously, she practiced law for over a decade, on behalf of more than five hundred survivors of childhood sexual abuse and trauma. He was brought up Christian, but is now a practicing Muslim. He speaks four languages English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Cape Verdean Creole , has traveled to seven countries, and is obsessed with history After being released from state prison, while in a six-month reentry program, he picked up writing, which has helped him expand his mind and been a good outlet to aid in his recovery Mathematics Millionaire X Mathematics Millionaire X grew up in Cambridge, Boston, detox holdings, halfway houses, and the state prison system.
He comes from a great family and a nurturing upbringing but got caught up in the game of the streets. His mother is his everything. Trying to recover on a daily basis Denise always liked to write, but she started her career in New York City advertising. The Art of the Deal Diplomacy is the practice and art of negotiating between nations without arousing hostilities. Sherman, who was lead US negotiator for the Iran nuclear deal, writes in Not for the Faint of Heart about her years at the Department of State in a variety of senior positions and describes the characteristics required to succeed in a very challenging field--traits that have served her well in other domains.
Love him or hate him, Kissinger is a pro whose strategies for negotiation apply to diplomatic challenges as well as other negotiations. Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Clinton and author of Destined for War , Graham Allison , who knows a thing or two about diplomacy, will moderate.