Bill Moyers Journal

March 28, 2011
Culled from Moyersâs third PBS series, which ran from 2007 to 2010, thereâs no small talk or superficiality in these interviews with 47 "independent thinkers." The topics are far-reaching (faith, populism, the Israeli occupation of Gaza, aging, lynching in America, health care, capitalism, capital punishment, lobbyists in Washington), and the guest list is wide-ranging (pediatrician Margaret Flowers, biologist E. O. Wilson, historian Howard Zinn, economist Victor Greidel, writer David Simon, minister Jeremiah Wright, lawyer Philippe Sands, journalist Victor Gold, novelist John Grisham, theologian James Cone). Karen Armstrong urges us to find the commonalities in diverse religious traditions, notably compassion. Jeremy Scahill alerts us that Blackwaterâs Eric Prince "is a man who is building up nothing short of a parallel national security apparatus." John Lithgow shares some of his favorite poems; Jane Goodall turns oneâs attention to the animal world. In an era of much instant and ephemeral talk, it is a pleasurable thing to hold this "book of ideas." These challenging, engaged conversations reward the readerâs serious attention. There are no sound bites here, just food for thought.

April 15, 2011

A collection of bracing interviews with American writers and thinkers.

Veteran journalist and nine-time Peabody Award winner Moyers (Moyers on Democracy, 2008, etc.) gathers a glittering array of discussions with authors, activists, historians, social scientists and others that were broadcast on his public-affairs program Bill Moyers Journal in 2007-10. Focusing on topics both timely and timeless--torture, health-care reform, the U.S. economy, aging, compassion, God, among many others--the insatiably curious Moyers prods disparate intellectuals into candid talk about their sphere of interest. Often progressive, always articulate, the interviewees include historians Thomas Cahill, Nell Painter and Howard Zinn; poets Robert Bly, Nikki Giovanni and W.S. Merwin; journalists Douglas Blackmon, Barbara Ehrenreich, William Greider, Robert Kaiser and Robert Wright; and activists Grace Lee Boggs (grassroots democracy), Jim Hightower (corporate power), Michael Pollan (food), Jane Goodall (animals) and Holly Sklar (workers). Each interview illuminates some main current in American life. Jon Stewart argues for the importance of joking about absurd world events; novelist Louise Erdrich reflects on the fractured inner life of a mother and writer of mixed ancestry; journalist Sam Tanenhaus distinguishes between the conservatism of Glenn Beck and William F. Buckley Jr.; and Republican insider Victor Gold tells why he awaits "a rebirth of Goldwater." Judge Richard Goldstone discusses his controversial report on human-rights violations in the Gaza War, and streetwise reporter David Simon, best known for his HBO series The Wire, makes a strong case for crime as the best keyhole into how our society really works. When biologist E.O. Wilson reminds us that human activity is wiping out much of the rest of life on the planet, Moyers suspects that such life would probably survive without us. "Oh, it would do wonderfully well without us," says the scientist.

A bright treat for browsers.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from April 15, 2011
The PBS series Bill Moyers Journal aired weekly from 2007 to 2010, featuring discussions of pivotal issues at the close of the Bush administration and the start of the Obama era. This book recaptures those compelling discussions on politics, economics, race, foreign policy, and the environment. Among the 47 interviewees are Michael Pollan on unsustainable food-producing and eating habits; Robert Wright on the evolution of religion and why theres hope for an end to religious wars; David Simon, creator of The Wire, on the war on drugs as a war on the underclass; John Lithgow on acting in the play All My Sons and the gut-wrenching immediacy of war profiteering; journalist William Greider on Wall Street corruption; and Michelle Alexander and Bryan Stevenson on mass incarceration of minorities in the U.S. Also on hand are Sam Tanenhaus and Victor Gold expounding on the death of traditional conservatism and Nikki Giovanni, Martin Espada, and Maxine Hong Kingston reading poetry and discussing the impact of literature on society. Each interview is preceded by background on the person being interviewed and the context of the conversation. In the style for which hes known, Moyers probes with respect, intelligence, curiosity, humor, and graciousness. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This compelling compilation of interviews is being marketed as the companion piece to the best-selling author and prizewinning journalists PBS program, Bill Moyers Journal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)