Novelist Francine Prose joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss her new book, 1974: A Personal History. Prose talks about her relationship with Tony Russo, who in collaboration with Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers, a whistleblowing act which revealed decades of government lies about U.S. involvement in Vietnam; how the politics and progressive activism of today compare to those of half a century ago; and why that year was politically pivotal. She also reflects on how in 1974, the idea of government dishonesty was shocking, whereas today it’s a given. Prose reads from the book.

To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Others:

The Heritage Foundation
The Sixties: Big Ideas, Small Books by Jenny Diski
Opus Dei
J.D. Vance
Patty Hearst
RAND Corporation
Daniel Ellsberg
Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 6, Episode 46: “Samuel G. Freedman on What Hubert Humphrey’s Fight for Civil Rights Can Teach Us Today”
Ground Truth | NPR
Journey to Italy
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Cato Institute
Pentagon Papers
Espionage Act
Comstock Act
Wag the Dog
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon

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S7 Ep. 46: Francine Prose on What 1974 Can Teach Us About 2024