The title of this post comes from here. I remembered it because once again I am here on a Friday night, watching Bill Moyers with my parents.
Moyers has an excellent show this week (I'm sure it will be archived within a few days and you can watch it on the website) with guests Patricia Williams (of "Diary of a Mad Law Professor" fame) and Eric Foner (author of a noted book on Reconstruction --which I gather not everyone in the field likes-- and a new book on Lincoln). Interesting interview with Foner here. Announcement of Williams's MacArthur Fellowship here.
I am in the Boston area for the weekend to celebrate my father's 90th birthday (tomorrow - he is thus one day younger than Billy Graham) and the big news, besides the birthday, is that my mother now has wireless and I can blog from my parents' living room. Oh dear. (But my time belongs to my parents while I am here, so I suspect this will be it for blogging.)
Moyers also interviewed Kevin Phillips, whom I had never heard before.
He also paid tribute to Studs Terkel and John Leonard, both of whom died in the last week.
Watch those Moyers interviews. Really.
5 comments:
My best wishes to Father of AOH on this occasion; even the title of his memoir is an inspiration to me.
I'm not quite sure what you mean about Foner's *Reconstruction*; it is a standard synthesis. There are always points to argue, but, not withstanding persons of no account (many in academia), it is the work on the subject which must be dealt with.
Blessings on your time with your parents; it's good that you made it there.
Warmest congratulations to your father, JR. It is good to think that he bequeathed his learning and passion to his children.
You are not the only one who noted Leonard's passing. He was and remains inspirational. This from the blog crying in the wilderness:
http://bestiaire.typepad.com/moreau/2008/11/john-leonard-rip.html
JohnieB, I know Foner's book is the gold standard. In fact, I had never heard criticism of it till a colleague or two grumbled about it and their grumble, because of their trustworthiness, had the ring of credibility. I may have been hasty in posting my comment, especially since it was in the realm of hearsay.
Ken, thanks, I saw your post on Leonard. I was not a reader of his (nothing personal, just what I happened to read and not read over the last few decades; I have been literarily deprived, which grieves me) so I get to mourn his work even as I get to know it.
We are going to Legal Sea Foods for lunch, yum yum!
Legal Sea Foods oughta be illegal, it's so good:-). Well, right now I am listening to Natalie Dessay singing Lucia from San Francisco, so even rain doesn't mean much.
Happy birthday, Papa Acts of Hope! :)
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