Political Awakenings

Starred review from March 15, 2010
For more than 25 years, the University of California's Kreisler has been conducting hour-long interviews with "the distinguished men and women who pass through Berkeley on a daily basis" for a series he calls "Conversations with History." In this remarkable collection, Kreisler selects 20 converations, spotlighting some of the most important activists, academics, and journalists of our generation, including Elizabeth Warren, Michael Pollan, Tariq Ali, Howard Zinn, and Oliver Stone. Having honed his craft over decades, Kreisler poses provocative, open-ended questions leagues deeper than typical sound bite-centered journalism. While discussion ranges from apartheid with Justice Albie Sachs to the Iranian revolution with Nobel Peace Prize-winning lawyer Shirin Ebadi, Kreisler also investigates the formative experiences of each subject. Offering insight into world events, as well as the life and career paths of those who work for change, this study in the art of thoughtful dissent should fascinate anyone interested in activism and world events, especially new and soon-to-be graduates.

Starred review from April 1, 2010
Between 1982 and 2009, Kaiser (executive director, Inst. of International Studies, Univ. of California, Berkeley) conducted almost 500 interviews with authors, diplomats, activists, historians, political scientists, journalists, soldiers, and economists from around the world. His book contains 20 of these interviews, transcribed for the first time, with individuals such as Daniel Ellsberg, Michael Pollan, Jane Mayer, Tariq Ali, Oliver Stone, and Howard Zinn. The particular focus of these interviews is the lives and works of people who, with vision, passion, and intelligence, can imagine a better world. Captivatingly, the collection celebrates the life of the mind and the heart and persuasively illustrates the crucial bridge between thought and action, between private life and social action. What is especially impressive about the individuals interviewed is their diversity: they hail from different countries, religions, experiences, and occupations. Each has his or her own story to tell, yet they all demonstrate the necessity of enlightened engagement with contemporary issues, such as terrorism, cultural conflict and understanding, and historical consciousness. VERDICT Highly recommended for all libraries and all readers.Stephen K. Shaw, Northwest Nazarene Univ., Nampa, ID

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.