C-SPAN Bookshelf

In our last podcast, Ed Luce of the Financial Times told us about his book, "Zbig," for Zbigniew Brzezinski (1928-2017) who he calls America's great power prophet. In this episode, we're going to feature a Booknotes interview from April 2, 1989, with Dr. Brzezinski. He was the first guest for the weekly Sunday evening program that ran until 2005. His book at the time was about his longtime prediction that there would be a failure of communism in the Soviet Union. The name of Brzezinski's book was "The Grand Failure." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro went to prison in 2024 after being found guilty of two counts of criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House January 6th Committee. In his book, "I Went to Prison So You Won’t Have To," Mr. Navarro describes the Justice Department's case against him, his arrest and trial, and what it was like for him prison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former influencer Lee Tilghman described the impact on herself of making a career on social media. Strand Books in New York City hosted this event. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I was initially very skeptical about embarking on a full life biography of anyone, let alone a figure as big as Zbig." Edward Luce is talking about President Carter's former national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski. Mr. Luce is the Financial Times' chief commentator and columnist. Luce is a native of Sussex, England, and has spent close to 20 years in the United States since the mid-90s. He is an Oxford grad. Zbigniew Brzezinski was born in Warsaw, Poland, got his PhD at Harvard, and spent time in Canada during the time his father was posted as police council general in Montreal. Brzezinski was national security advisor from 1977 to 1981. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ann Butler was a CIA spy for 25+ years. She donned disguises, used false names, and learned how to evade surveillance. She did this clandestine work while simultaneously raising five children. As she says, "No one suspected a pregnant woman was a spy." Ann Butler talks about her work with the Agency, what it took to become an overseas operative in the mid-1980s, and some of the methods she used to extract information from targets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell's book, The Day My Brother Was Murdered, explores crime and justice in American cities through the stories of murders that occurred the night that his 18-year-old brother was killed as an innocent bystander during a drive-by shooting.. The loss of his brother inspired Gianno Caldwell to establish the Caldwell Institute for Public Safety, which is dedicated to addressing the pervasive issue of crime and its impact on communities across the country. Melissa Giller of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute interviewed Mr. Caldwell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Ball is the author of the book "Death to Order: A Modern History of Assassination." Professor Ball is British and is located at the University of Leeds. His publisher, Yale University Press, says: "Assassination, the murder of a specific individual by an organized conspiracy in pursuit of political ends has shaped the fate not only of the famous and infamous victims, but also of nations and empires." Simon Ball tells the story of hundreds of assassins from 1914 to the present. He claims the most important assassination during those years was the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which was the start of World War I. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liberty Media chairman and cable TV pioneer John Malone, author of "Born to Be Wired," discusses his life and entrepreneurship. Mr. Malone's many business ventures include the Discovery Channel, QVC, SiriusXM, Formula One, and Ticketmaster. He also talks about competing with Ted Turner and Rupert Murdoch, the value of philanthropy, Republican leadership in Congress, and living life as a high-functioning autistic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historian Heath Hardage Lee, author of The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon, talked about the life and times of the former first lady (1969-74). She said that Pat Nixon, who was voted "Most Admired Woman in the World" in 1972, was largely mis-portrayed by the press Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Sam Tanenhaus opens the acknowledgement section in his latest book, "Buckley," this way: "I first met William F. Buckley in 1990, shortly after I had begun work on a biography of Whitaker Chambers…Bill Buckley had been Chambers' last patron and most eloquent champion." The biography of Chambers was published in 1997. Now 28 years later, Sam Tanenhaus finished his 1,018-page book on the life of William Buckley Jr. "Within months of our first conversation, Bill Buckley had opened doors," writes Tanenhaus, "uncovered grant money, made phone calls, and performed innumerable other kindnesses, large and small." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices