Every year booktv asks members of congress about the books they are reading. Joining us now on booktv is representative tom cole, a republican from oklahoma. Congressman cole, weve asked you this question before. Youve always had a large reading list. Whats on your current reading list . Well, i have just finished the splendid and the vile by erik larson, wonderful account of churchill and his family, really in the worst year of the war, the year right after he becomes prime minister, may may 101940, literally the day of the german invasion of the countries in france. And then basically what it was like to stood alone against nazi germany until june the 41 the russians are in the war and then obviously by december the 41 the United States is in the war. Its an extraordinary book, so its a wonderful read about a a guy that i consider literally the greatest person in the 20th century and the supreme ordeal of a long and brilliant career. And then i have also been reading, i just picked up a great historian by the name of the gene edward smith come great biographer. I read his biographies of grant and eisenhower. Eisenhower biography i think is by far the best eisenhower biography ever written, and theres been some good ones. But he died in 2019, so i am right now just got into what may been may be his best book was on fdr, something called the parkman prize which american historians choose of the best book of the year. Its been around a while, when those books thats been sitting on my bookshelf and i just have not gotten to it. Its quite a read, six, 700 page read. We lost smith last year, about a year ago september actually. Almost precisely a year ago. I happened to just think about that and pulled up the book and then ordered his last book which ive not regedit on the liberation of paris which was published in 2019. Kind of been doing that. Earlier this summer i got on my accident of binge of biographies of ambassadors, and erik larson also wrote a great biography of a guy named william died with the American Ambassador in germany in the 1930s, and the salmon, which was quite an eclectic and eccentric group. And their experience of being in nazi germany as hitler was consolidating power and the first evidence of what is going to be truly a dark treat mac and World History was becoming evident. And then i read at the same time a book by the guys name lew paper which is called in the cauldron which is a a tale ofe American Ambassador in tokyo, i guy named joseph, for about ten years was our ambassador for ten years, i think the 193141. All of this ultimately fruitless efforts to head off for between the United States and japan. Of course what it was like being in japan during the grip of a fascist and military regime that was guiding that country really to wrack and ruin. Doing a lot of that and i guess one last thing, one of my favorite political scientists of all times, i usually read historians but this guy as a different kind of political scientist in my view, Richard Fenno just died this year, it was very famous for writing histories on congress, or studies in congress from the district level up rather than from the washington level. He would literally travel into the districts of various congressmen and senators or the state senators obviously. I had read a couple of his books but i just happen to read his obit. I havent read enough of this guy and a read a couple of his books, the challenge of congressional representation which i think was his last book published back in 2013, and an earlier book called congressional travels. But again its just a granular view of congress. I know a lot of the members that he writes about in these things, and its just fascinating and its a reminder of how often what somebody does in washington is really a reflection of who they represent, what their interests are, what their understanding of the world is. We kind of lose that dimension sometimes when we study politicians. We forget that they have another part of them which is not in washington, d. C. , which actually shakes what to do in washington, d. C. A lot of reading this summer. Host congressmen, there seems to be a theme among the history books you are reading and thats world war ii. Guest well, it just happened to be there. No deliberate design. Like anybody else im always fascinated by it, and defendant of the books, too. Colin galloway, the indian world of George Washington that really fascinated me as well. But no question world war ii is seminal conflict and shaper of the 20th century, and really the postworld war ii era. Obviously you have to understand the world leading into it, but came out of it to understand the time in which we live. And really the rise of the United States as a great power before the Second World War when he became the superpower after that. So understanding the cauldron of the country went through and how they change who we are, how we think, act globally, i think its really kind of an indispensable grounding you have to if you want to be effective in the current time. Host is erik larson one of those writers or historians that if you writes the book you read it . Guest yes. He is an absolutely superb writer. And Vivid Company sometimes its almost like reading a novel, the descriptions and you know all footnoted but he has a real talent. And again, seizing on something to look at it more closely. Weve had a lot of really find biographies of winston churchill. Robert andrews most recent one is probably the best, but this idea of lets take out the year, and of the have my bookshelf, i cant remember the authors name now but its the same thing. Its actually on churchill in the 1920s single pivotal year when he was working as colonial secretary and helped reshape the middle east in ways that echo right down to the boundaries of countries. I like what he does. I like how he writes and is always worth reading whatever the topic is. Host the New York Times correspondent carl holes came up with a book about congress a year or two back. When the book comes out about congress the almost automatically get out . Guest i do. I happen to know carl very well and he is one of the smartest reporters out there. Confirmation bias which is sort of on the Supreme Court wars that weve seen in recent years is a brilliant look. If you want to understand some of the struggles that shaped capitol hill, not any better guide than carl hulse. Also just finished a book by jonathan karl. Its not congress per se because hes a white house correspondent. Of course for abc news. But front row at the trump show is an interesting read, and i know carl. Ive been interviewed by him, appeared on a podcast once or twice. So someone like that writes a book that i think is really knowledgeable and professional and you want to hear what they have to say because again, they are talking to a lot of people in many cases that you cant talk to you or dont have the occasion to talk to, and the bring a lot of insights into the political field and into congress. Host how much sharing of book ideas did you do in congress . Guest quite a bit. We keep a i do a sort of Favorite Book of the month that we publish regularly on our website, and we get a lot of inquiries about that. I also threw a party for republican appropriators every year at christmas, a really nice affair, usually dinner at the willard. But that always get a Christmas Present and its almost always a book. And quite often if im in a conversation with somebody, i know they have a particular interest or what have you, i will send them a book. I remember years ago Adam Kenzinger from illinois was a young member. Hes one of our brightest guys in congress and a young veteran and was elected in the class of 2010. His hair back then was very short, almost like a crew cut. He is still in the reserves, still flies, and he reminded me of the picture i had seen of don rumsfeld at about the same age, square jaw, goodlooking guy. So i just bought rumsfeld autobiography and sent over to. You are from illinois, he is available. You got a crew cut, hes got a crew cut. You guys should get to know one another. So occasionally i will just send the book to somebody because it struck me as somebody might interest them and particularly again adam is one of a really thoughtful thinkers in congress on both sides of the aisle on National Security issues and military matters. Again, he deployed to combat zone so hes a guy who knows what hes talking about and i thought you would be interested in a guy like rumsfeld who had also served and have been both the youngest and oldest secretary of defense in american history. Host i dont know if you saw this but mr. Rumsfeld wrote his most recent book is on his years in the ford white house. Guest i havent. Ive had to get that. I just finished chris whipple, the gatekeepers, on the chiefs of staff of the white house and, of course, he figures very prominently. I will be interested in having a more thorough view. I actually have a picture of ford that i keep a office. I knew him, camping with them on a number of occasions and was a big admirer of his. James cannon part of him, time and chance on gerald ford. It will be interesting to get rumsfeld close up look at president ford. Host tom cole, republican of oklahoma, as always thanks to joining us on booktv. Guest enjoyed it very much, peter. Thanks for having me. You can watch this and all of our what are you reading interviews booktv. Org using the search bar at the top of the page. Weeknights this month we feature booktv programs as a preview of whats available as you begin on cspan2. Issue marks the 20th anniversary of booktvs monthly Author Program in depth. Tonight highlights from past shows including our interviews with david mccullough, shelby foote, toni morrison, tom wolf, cornel west and many others. There begins at eight eastern. Enjoy booktv this week and every weekend on cspan2. You are watching cspan2, your unfiltered view of the government. Created by americas cabletelevision companies as a Public Service and brought to today by your television provider. Good evening. Im alan price, director of the