[Kenneth C. Davis, inner stuff]: A chills-inducing pep talk for reading + taking aim at American exceptionalism Ep 1156

Welcome to part 2 of my interview with Kenneth C. Davis, author of the brand new book THE WORLD IN BOOKS: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction – a curated journey through fifty-two of the most significant short nonfiction works ever penned, from ancient times to the present day.

Kenneth is also the author of Don’t Know Much About® History, which spent 35 consecutive weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, and gave rise to the Don’t Know Much About® series of books and audios, which has a combined in-print total of some 4.7-million copies.

We covered:

- How the editing process reminds him of the myth of Sisyphus

- Why his inner critic sounds a lot like Joseph Conrad and E.B. White

- A chills-inducing pep talk for reading

- The harm caused by the idea of American exceptionalism

- Re-examining American’s history through a lens of equity

- Comparing our current political climate to 1968 and drawing parallels

Connect with Ken at https://dontknowmuch.com/.

For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.

Thank you for listening!

And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices