Historian Michael Oren talks with Steve Paulson about how the Barbary Pirates brought the Marines to the shores of Tripoli and why they went into the Middle East six times during the 19th century.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
John McNally is the author of “The Book of Ralph: A Fiction.” McNally tells Steve Paulson about the real life kids who served as the models for his character Ralph, a trouble-maker.
Feminist Naomi Wolf tells Anne Strainchamps that common obstetrical practices make things easier for the hospital, not the mother and baby, and she explains why many post-feminist women are shocked by the demands of early motherhood.
Novelist Jane Hamilton and her husband grow and sell apples on their farm in Wisconsin...
Mitch Horowitz tells Anne Strainchamps that belief in the occult is as old as the colonies and that spiritualism was America's first great religious export.
Nicholson Baker talks about his new novel, "House of Holes: A Book of Raunch," which is set in a sexual theme park.
Nicholson Baker's "House of Holes" page on Simon and Schuster's website
David Galenson teaches Economics at the University of Chicago, and he's the author of a book called "Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Artistic Creativity." His theory is that most artists are either old masters like Cezanne or young geniuses like Picasso.
Marcella Hazan is a chef and teacher of cooking. She thinks Americans totally misunderstand Italian food.
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