Jon Parrish Peede is a a bd member for the mississippi book festival, the visiting writer in residence at Mississippi Valley state university, and the former chairman of the National Endowment for humanities. Where he was awarded, what he wanted 500 million in grants to cultural organizations, universities and scholars. For seven years he directed the nea operation homecoming riding the wartime experience programs and taught therapeutic writing workshops for u. S. Troops during the deployment on domestic bases and in military hospitals. He has published in humanities inside of Higher Education and also the wall street journal and other applets. Outlets. He has coedited an essay collection of flannery oconnor. Hello. So glad you are here. It isti my distinct honor to introduce and to interview jeff shaara, his new book which i will note the sign is at 3 00 and i i think you want to be the after you hear this. And jeff is well known to us. Hes signed many of his books here in the state. Hes the author of more than 15 New York Times bestsellers. You certainly would know gods and generals, of the book succumb to my come the last full measure and, of course, his New Historical novel the old lion about Teddy Roosevelt. And rather a than read this standard bio, i thought i woud tell a tell a story. So i jeff and i have known each other for about 20 years when we were younger, lets say, and the mentioned,t was just the u. S. Government project operation homecoming where we worked with our troops in afghanistangh and iraq as they were rotating in and out of war, helping them share those stories, helping them in many ways unburden their experiences and the domestically with military families and some of our world war ii veterans, shelby foote recorded statements. In fact, it was a last interview of shelby foote life recorder for the project. Jeff, we went to alaska, colorado, and at one point we find ourselves in bahrain in the persian gulf on an aircraft carrier, and we took a heat load to to a destroyer, uss he was teaching writing and you know how limited is what you can take on a vessel in a war zone for half the year deployment. And one of the sailors had in his duffel beat up the back of one of jeffs books or nothing at alls the possessions you can bring pictures of family, what have you. He brought ones of jeffs books and he was a little shy. It was tattered, it was dogeared, the cover was a little bit detached. He got up the courage to say what you sign this for me . Jeff, who was so warm always to his article he went to sign it. Now heres the own it for shipping a note this generally. He is lefthanded with two find. That cover went flying all over. So fair warning. Iac know we are probably selling paperbacks come just fair warning in the vigor of his signing, but we see the public face of somebody and we dont always know what they gave back. That was comfortable experience was pretty complicated. It was a tough time period he was serving as a writer, going through some tough things. I wanted to give you that introduction about jeff shaara, not the writer but the man. Thats a good way to give it to come you now live in gettysburg pennsylvania within the footprint come your house come within theof footprint of that national sacred space really. Tell us about while that is particularly special between you and your father. Well, i father took us kids come his family to gettysburg. I was 12 and we went there as tourists like 2 Million People a year deal, and he went there with no agenda. He was not a historian. Yet not done much research. He had done some reading, ever got to gettysburg and my father was for all his life the storyteller. And he was a good storyteller, and he knew a good story when he saw one walking the battlefield at gettysburg. And he became obsessed with telling that story and totally unexpected what would happen to them. The obsessionon lasted seven yes it took him seven years to write a manuscript based on the battle of gettysburg, and it was called the killer angels. I love when people nod their heads when i i say the title f the book. He tried to sell this in new york. Think about the early 70s which is when he was trying to sell this book. What else is going on in this country . Its the end of the vietnam war. Absolutely nobody wants to readn a book about generals, which is about what the killer angels is about. That was a bitter disappointment to my father. He went to 15 publishers until he finally got a small independent Publishing House come the david mckay company, who is going out of business and theyey reluctantly agreed to publish the killer angels. There were 3500 copies publish, that was it. So actually first additions are very rare today. They are collectors items. The book comes out to no great commercial success, a and yet a year later in 1975 the book comes out in 74 which by the way next year is the 50th anniversary of the killer angels. We are doin some things about that. But the book comes out in 74. It does nothing commercially, and the following year we get a real surprise because a a telm come to my father sounds congratulations, the killer angels has won the Pulitzer Prize foror fiction. Now, that was a surprise to anybody, especially people who had interest in the book. And still the book was not commercially successful. And he went on, in fact, people often ask me what other historical works did your father right . The answer is none. He wrote a baseball story, which i can talk about little later, but he did nothing else. And in 1988, he his second heart attack and passed away in his sleep. He was only 59 years old, five years later, ted puts up the money. The movie gettysburg comes out based on the killer angels. The killer angels the becomes number one best seller five years after my fathers death. Had it not been for his demise never worked because he came to me and wouldnt be great let your brothers before and after gettysburg for my first book to my time to gettysburg is significant enough i livekn the, raised gettysburg, a full circle makend sense. Out the window of my attic i can see the round top, its a pretty special place. When youre going through, i dont know if we call it a novel or novella, give my father had written, he had givenn up and couldnt sell it. After his death my sister and i found the manuscript and they had gotten hot and it was published and Universal Pictures trunk and of movement was made in 19999 and Kevin Costner and most dont realize its based on the book. Twice we have been based on books wouldnt see. The freezeframe after. The incredible amount of writing around the American Civil War or revolution were talking the mexican war and korean war, remarkable books and introduces stories we dont necessarily know but ill pare it to where weof are as a county for high schools and middle schools and junior high so there is the nations report card and we just had the results back from eighth grade across the nation so only 22 of eighth graders are proficient in civics. Only 14 in u. S. History. We are approaching 2026, 250 is your anniversary, the continuation of americas founding and we are not going to get that level of knowledge from history books, we will need everyone, young people, or would you want them to know about Teddy Roosevelt . United states a lot of people have heard this hollywood it didnt happen the last time, it wouldnt happen and talking about young people have no reason to payay attention to ons who did changed our world. Roosevelt is certainly one of those like the National Forest service, the National Parks as we know them today yosemite and on and on. People are actively trying to run railroads and congressmen in particular, to roosevelt was up against and provided us scenery and a great deal of it in the panama canal had been up to congress, it would havean taken0 years roosevelts presidency because of the extraordinary number of things the commonwealth for corporate in her uncle. He became one of unions and corporate abuse, he did all this and thats his presidency and your question, people need to know this because a lot of the good we have in our Society Today came directly from the period of time in history, the first decade of the 20th century because of Teddy Roosevelt. The other part we think of Teddy Roosevelt and that way the way he stood up to those Interest Groups i think people are surprised is support for suffrage was way out of and universities a lot of us were told eating dinner at the white house which wilson certainly wouldnt allow, there are so many ways is out of a synopsis of my life, dont do that because people have no reason to buy the book. [laughter] the first africanamerican to have dinner in the white house ever. Lincoln had africanamericans visiting the white house but roosevelt was the first one to have dinner in the white house. Is that paul facing memphis there was a paper as the respectable sudden woman will never step foot in the, white house again and on and on. The womans right to vote decades before it came to pass and it was a popular stance why the woman needs the right to vote, things were getting along just fine the 1780s and he decided no moreom affluent desee the right to vote and that was a very unpopular thing so i can go through his life and presidency but theres so much more. The teddy bear story we all know but also remind us of the connection on the africanamerican postmistress was pressure to enforce and reappointed her and to dangerous but she did open of the first africanamerican mississippi. What i like is that you dont focus on the presidency so much as you tell us about dakota territory in the badlands. I have to correct you on one thing. I tell you, teddy tells you want. It was for me to put you at his bedside and let you tell the story 80s because out and wants to kill a buffalo. What he finds when he gives to his territory, theres not much buffalo left but he also finds cattle ranching and is really excited about raising cattle and what is today north dakota and some not so nice people and he gets excited and a lot of what he accomplishes is because hes doited and wants to something for himself against advice to the contrary, he doesnt anyway so he buys cattle and hires people and becomes just like that, a cattle rancher in thehe dakotas that experiene and some things that happened in this book, thats the one were to describe him being able to tell his story. What happens to him is entertaining and i certainly hope as a result. The other part is is a harvard educated how shall his friendship . On the show, he could see he does know what hes doing so and respect comes as time goes by fast the things that happened and when he first train is wearing glasses because he has to, cant see and was told immediately by the way, nobody out there wears glasses you can expect from now on everybody will call you for eyes and they do. He just excepts it the way it is and you wonder why he has a pair last, is a good chance glasses will disappear in a stampede of cattle is in but he except it was humility and thats what makes him popular. That brings it to the idea of historical fiction and sometimes think writers on the word of fiction, usually not historical, talk about the accuracy. You can write anything you want, you can create your own history to all that that may be true for most people, is not true for me. I do an enormous Market Research and get the facts straight, get it right. I make huge amounts which report to during the writing when it happened, who it happened to, not there andor its so important. When i began to hear of teachers, my books in the classroom, but that did was that shock, your teaching history with a novel and what i heard was visible, we trust the history is accurate but the other part is you can give the student somebody they can get into, they were born into character and attitude the responsibility and dont play around with history dont play games. Everything happened the way its written. These are novels by definition, is fiction in here because your there. No one will exactly no but the conversation was between Teddy Roosevelt and his life in a certainve situation, just never know, its my job to fill in those legs but if i my job, it seemed this. He read about the events in the history as it happened but you are there here the way it happened between the characters i tried to. I also think there part a lae audience, the sense of can read and understand but very precise in yourr language. Humans aan corollary road and my thinking the jacket. I find myself looking up, you have that level to make sure but at the same time every year, talk about the division between research,. I know its tidbits, thats for the people who know every blade of grass. This came about the first book in this back. [laughter] why did i do about it. I got letters from now on going to talk about something minuscule that, its right im sorry, what the other . [laughter] i dont remember the question about was the answer. About the dialogue using diaries and other things and various books but we believe the dialogue to create because of his, theres a powerful moment where Teddy Roosevelt is moving to the stages, he can no longer interact dakota. Its a melancholyy look at the framing of it is about upsacrificing loss. As you are going through and you get to the spanishamerican war, most people know about Teddy Roosevelt so you go through that part which is important o, governor of new yok and presidency missing we are referring to, is president of the United States and goes on tour has elaborate our all except and the trains go and hes getting is everywhere and it backslapping handshake kind to her and he goes to the dakotas and this is 20 years after those who work with them to see him and he invites them to come and is excited to see them and hes given the tour and nice comfortable chairs and starts talking to them, but we might go for a ride as i cant do that, im president of the itUnited States security people there sitting around talking but not talking very much because they realize they have nothing inin common anybody on earth 20 years prior what is referred to he has outgrown them k because e is kept on going 20 years ago. It is bittersweet but roosevelt in cuba and it is back to an honoredd and so forth. Then 18 years later he wants his sons to volunteer and they do. One son becomes a pilot clinton shot down and killed july of 1918 just before the end and never recovered from a and in some ways it pushes teddy to his own life which is a contradiction because he wants his sons to glory, when it happens is crushed by it growth, the realization having the in these glorious things you do a remarkable job giving a domestic life including after the death of his first wife, an expedition if you dont mind the more important thing when he goes to the amazon, the river of doubt he goes on an expedition and the idea of this river, he had no idea what goes, they dont know amazon or, expedition and its the big time thing and there and you will present amount, supplies, enormous amount of supplies becomes obvious this will be very well. Serious rapids, the supplies in the water and they have to field canoes and the major expedition and a major undertaking and hes getting sicker by theay day and has noin business at this age being on this expedition. Hes in his mid 50s and it was before things started and had no business being on this expedition and it really kills him. The way it turns out that obviously survives, they find where the river goes and its a joyful success but it taught him and he cant anymore hard to except. Went to talk, how you decide what you move,of your line of thinking . Once i figure out where a series will start, i know if i will be in the trilogy or on the pacific and hours pretty easy. The hard thing was that during the third book and i had to come up something else. I think every writer should. Have to get home on and these stories get out of the. And it is my best book. The one for the marine corps which im very proud of but i wanted to go see the reservoir and what i found out my ignorance because the reservoir was in north korea, i had to have the state department say to me we can get you in. [laughter] there was more to that sentence so my wife said no, we are not going to north korea. The typical about five months and thats fulltime. Im in it both but unfortunate i can do this both times. I am fortunate about that and dont take it for granted. The other part thats different is the first person and one character talking. This was a challenge because in every book done there were different points of view. Usually three to four to five characters going back and forth and it leads you to the timeline of gods will is done through every book it was very different becauseer theres one character, one voice and your with him at the end of his life and looking back to the different life and charlie and his memory different, ive never done that before. I hope it works. Earlier talk aboutut your father writing and it brings to mind you are storyteller so the book makes me think have you ever thought about babe ruth or jesse owens, the idea that you tell life of an iconic person . My editor and i have sat and debated for hours trying to figure out who would be another good character to write about and all kinds of names but none of them teddy is called the shadow and its on the human missile crisis. Thank you for that. I have spoken to a number of audiences and i test to see your response because the original i response is a problem. Its a good thing, thank you for that. What we wentmb through and all f that and young people had no idea and they need to know because thats as close as we ever came and its an important story. One thing and getting away from the. Were story, try something 19different, this is my 19th book. I want to become a dog, you can sort of do it by book and i dont want to do that so thats one reason i am accepting the challenge. When you moved into world war ii, you are in a different area because you have living participants. No one from the revolution will come back and challenge the civil war. Talk about how that works when you started writing books. Specifically mentioned korea, i had a veteran friends of my wife in the living room, a machine gunner and he talked abouto. 40 below zero is firing his machine gun and he wouldnt tell me anything or answer any question i have except dont ask me about my friends. Wouldnt talk about the guy next to him but he told me all kinds of things. At the endec of his life he livd because of the frostbite and saide they stack them up and ty are getting ready to evacuate and the only thing they had that the doctors had to gather rice straw as they were going up the hill and thats all they could do with frostbite and thats one example. A lotbo of things are in the bok and asked why he was called pete and you wouldnt tell me. His about five years old but the first copy of the o book came ot and i have a photograph and was giving a first copy of the book and he passed away and it was really tough on my family. Thats one example of respect and i talked about getting it right, dont play games with history. When you got veterans, they tell their story the right way and the way they would appreciate it so thats theiv difference in world war ii i had an example of a fellow of the 42nd Infantry Division and they liberated the concentration camp and his experiences, there were some photographs and he walks up the fence of this concentration camp what they see becomes part of the story and its authentic because this guy was there. Theree is no substitute for tha. The advantages to the story is i can write the authenticity because i was there and thats the first time thats happened. When i introduced you i talked about workshops you were doing and we were on domestic basis in the persian gulf during the war and military families are present, to. You gave tips and of course a mutual friend after stephen lane, you all know him from avatar as the colonel. Weer have self published writers here to aspire to tell the family story, maybe for their own family members. To get their story unlocked, personal story . Operation homecoming was writing workshops at the air force base in alaska, bill carson in colorado, quantico and the persian gulf the aircraft carrier, what an experience. Convince these people and the officers, one of the most gratifying thing in my entire career see the job they are doing and you want to tell your story, i dont care what the story is about, the topic doesnt matter your grandfather your dog and nextdoor neighbor, it makes no difference but you have to have a passion for telling that story because if you dont have a passion for writing the story, why would anybody else read it, why does anybody care . This is what other people want to lead. Dont worry about whether or not you can write. Writer or not, take me there, they teach and was impressed the grandfather would sit me down with him and have conversations and i realize that and not going to happen. Every published the question. Who do youke read . Who do you read for enjoyment . It surprises people to hear i dont read fiction. [laughter] i have been able to use read thatad in by accident, that is e pure definition and the accusation, i know what you went through. [inaudible] festival Teddy Roosevelt life, i dont believe anybody could do that but certainly he was. Pe i have desperately tried to doy that. I didnt start out that way but i looknk at what ive written is probably going with me, 100 years ago the greatgrandchildren reading books, what an incredible thing that is. The other thing i like about this book and did not have the framing, is like three not only cannot be sold but this is a story where domestic life really matters, it really comes through, how did you decide moran family life and presidency which is the right idea when you have a life so large. An enormous amount of history as it happens and the death of his first life which to me is the second most difficult part of the book, the death of his wife and how that happens and what it means to him and have it continues to affect and the rest of his life and never speak of her. Its t just there, its inappose thatbu happens in and he has to get along with his wife and the hardest part was the end be done but thats just the way the story goes and its my job, each part of his life as it happened. [inaudible] he agrees . I couldnt hear what you said but more expressive. After the death of his first life he never spoke of her again. By the time clinton died, was the more expressive ofge grief t that stage of life . I think so because it was the end of his own life, his own mortality staring him in the face and she was a very different person than alice. The relationship was verydi different. Relationship but hes so sick at the time issues part of everything going on and it was very different. One more question but please use the microphone so the cspan audience can hear. We talked about various lists, did you go to cuba . Gmac no. When i was one going to cuba, its easier than it was 20 years ago but i didid not do that. The rising tide, i wanted to go because montgomery german stopped and its still there. Nothing happens so how cool would that be to see the tanks and amtraks and the bane of my existence, the state Department Says we really dont think one of the biggest cities and be a tourist but americans wondering around the desert by themselves so there are some places i cant go but when its reasonable, i definitely go. Im not surprised, we were able to get them to places such. Maybe we will end with this, we talked about your in this Historic House gettysburg, youre not just writer, talk about Historic Sites mean a great deal to you, i just wonder if you want to talk about the idea of reserving history. On the board of the battlefield trust six years and learn about battlefield preservation. Historical preservation in general my wife and i fix that up so i appreciate what goes into that. Once they are gone, they are going. Cyclistst implore all of you to take some interest in preserve what we have because we have less of this in ten years ago and less of it than than ten years before that and ongoing so thats my commercial, i strongly hope you would support Historical Preservation of any llkind. The nonprofit are really committed to that and i hope we will see you and thank you, there, this is a remarkable book. Thank you. Thank you. [applause] its your tv work 25 leading nonfiction authors and their books with more than 22 thousand authors, 100 cities and festivals and 16000 events to be provided at 2000 hours on the late great discussion of history, politics and biography. Watch the every sunday on cspan2 or online at book tv dont work. Book tv, 25 Years Television for serious readers. Part of our new series, we are asking you what books you think shipped america. William faulkner. To kill a mockingbird. You can join books that you think shipped this history. Cspan. Org books that shaped america. Select record video and tell us your pics. Weekends on cspan2 are an intellectual piece every saturday American History tv documents american stories and sundays tv brings the latest nonfiction books and authors. Funding for cspan2 comes from these Television Companies and more including viacom. At media, we believe whether you live here or here or in the middle of anywhere, he should have access to fast and reliable internet. Media, along with these Television Companies support cspan2 as a public service. Our moderator today is a longtime friend of the festival having startup the board of directors for many years she is a professor of english and dean of the graduate