Latest news about the Publishing Industry with interesting insider interviews with Publishing Industry experts. Well also give you updates on current nonfiction authors and books. The latest book reviews, and well talk about the current nanfu session books featured on cspans book tv. And welcome to about books. In a few minutes, well talk with kevin sorbo. Oh, the actor best known for playing hercule on television. More recently, though, hes written a christian Childrens Book aimed at teaching kids about masculinity. But first, here are some of the latest news from the publishing world. The finalists for the 2023 National Book awards were announced recently. The annual awards were establishe in 1958 to celebrate the best in american writing. Theyre administered by the National Book foundation. In the nonfiction category, the finalists are Ned Blackhawk for the rediscover of america, native peoples and the unmaking of us history. Christina rivera. Garza folily honors. Invincible summer a sister search for Justice Christina sharpe for ordinary notes. Raja shehata for we uld have been friends. My father and i. A palestinian memoir. And john valiant for fire. Whether a true story from a hotter world. Now the wier of this years awards will be announced in new york city on novber 15th. And booktv will be covering the ceremony. In other news, the American Library association is without an executive director after tracy hall stepped down earlier this month. Ms. Hall was the first female African American executive director when she was named to the post and january of 2020. Quote, to take on the executive director role at the outset of a pandemic and during an unprecedented escalation in censorship, attempts, has required intensive effort, she said in a statement announcing her resignation. And though there is still so much to do, i believe i am leaving the association on course to achieve new levels of impact. And from capitol hill, a group of lawmakers led by Maryland Democratic congressman jamie raskin and hawaii senator brian schatz have introduced a resolution expressing concern about book bans across the country. The resolution cited data from pen america, which says some 1500 individual titles were removed from School Classrooms and libraries across the us last year. Pen america says that an increase of 33 from the previous year. And one more item on the issue of book bans. Penguin random house is trying to spread the word about the issue this month with its banned wagon tour. The publishers band wagon vehicle is making stops in georgia. Tennessee, louisiana and texas to showcase a dozen of the most frequently challenged books and to hand out free copies of those books. Among the books that are featured on the bandwagon are Maya Angelous i know why the caged bird sings. Margaret atwoods the handmaids tale and ibram kendis how to be an antirape racist. And now a conversation with actor and author kevin sorbo. We spoke with the former hercules Television Star about his new Childrens Book aimed at teaching kids about masculinity. Well, actor and author kevin sorbo your most recent book is a Childrens Book, the test of lion hood. Whats the plot . The plot is a wonderful little story about this lion cub. His name is is lucas and he and his younger sisters are all playing in the woods. And this young, little, little sister, she gets a cut and a very poisonous plant. And he knows that the only way to save a life now is, get this, a certain flower thats way up on top of a mountain. And he doesnt have any time to go back to get his father because hes got to act right now. So hes got to get past his fears, past the obstacles. Now in front of them. Hes got to rely on all the things his father was teaching him about a boy, just being a boy and growing into a man. So he goes through all these Different Things that just sort of fighting his way through there and getting his courage up and finding his own strength and able to get up there to get the flower and get back down and save as his little sister before she before she dies. So its a wonderful story, really, about just you know, taking control of your life and situations that you probably never thought youd have to face. And the whole the whole idea of this book is really, you know, i know theyve got this whole thing about emasculating men and weve been doing it for decades. But no, no more than we have over the last five years, which has gotten crazy. And this book is really about celebrating masculinity because nothing wrong with a boy being a boy and a girl being a girl. And is that why you wrote the book . Because of supposed the masculine thing of men. Sir, i mean, you see movies all the time. I mean, its crazy whats going on. I mean, i havent seen barbie. I know its a big hit worldwide, 1 billion or more. But everybody that saw it said, oh, yeah, i pretty much help women. They dont need men. They make men look like theyre a bunch of wimps and cant do anything. And women are far superior and all this. And you see theyre an action movies now, too, where the woman is one has got to come and save the day. Indiana jones comes to mind. I mean, they put him sort of in the in the back room and they have this woman be the big the big action hero of that thing. So this has been playing out over and over again, you know, growing up as a kid, i remember all these sitcoms around, even sitcoms around now. The guy is always kind of the one that the button of all the jokes, hes kind of a dumpy dad. The moms kind of hog, the kids are teenagers and they all just pick on dad to make dad look horrible. And and this is what kids are growing up with is saying that the father is not that important for the family, which is quite sad to me. So to me, you know, you eliminate the patriarchy and i think you eliminate the human race. And the bible teaches, you know, honor thy father. But sitcoms dont do that. Its a totally opposite way around. And television and movies have been doing it for a very, very long time now. And i think that we got to get to a place where enough is enough and just start standing up for let let kids be kids and let them grow up to decide what they want to be in their lives when they become adults. Now, youve written a couple of adult titles, true strength, true faith. How was it different writing a Childrens Book . I think i had a lot more help on this one, which is good. I mean, brave books is amazing what they do. People go to brave books dot com and its amazing what theyre able to get out there with the number of books theyve been doing and people can go join them or join them right now. And they go to abebooks and they can sign up for the Freedom Island book club or get my book for free. And then they get a new book every month and they really cater to like the four year old and 12 year old crowd. And theres just a number of books that are great for kids of all ages in that group. And both boys and girls and i just wanted to be they came to me because they hear me speak a lot. And i said, you know, im tired of the sheep in this country. Im tired of people saying theres a silent majority. Well, we need the lions to wake up and get out there. And the fact that i mentioned lions all the time, inspirational fans, i think thats when brave came to me and said, lets do something about masculinity and was called linwood. And i said, sounds good to me. Now, kevin sorbo, have times changed since you were hercules in the 1990s . As far as society and how we treat men and women . Yeah, i mean, i think its been changing for decades. I think the sixties was obviously a big, pivotal decade with the vietnam war. The, you know, the feminist movement and the civil rights, the hippie thing, the whole the the really the explosion of rock and roll music, which was all good and bad. And theres all those messages and all those things. So but its definitely, i think, just gotten worse with a lot of the political leaders weve had through the last the last 15 to 20 years. And you just see that you see a change in this country. You see youre aware of this. I mean, theres so much anger out there, so much hate. Theres so much divisiveness. And people just want to tag people all the time. And its its interesting to me that i dont harbor that kind of anger and hatred of people that have a different point of view politically than me or that are atheists or agnostics. Im a christian. I dont i dont maybe i dont wear that on my sleeve enough. I dont know. But i do a lot of family movies and faith movies i know thats out there. So i see the attack on that all the time. I see the way every time you got a pastor in a movie or a conservative, theyre portrayed as the goofballs and the idiots and the evil people, which is quite interesting to me when i find theres plenty of evil on both sides of the political aisle. Kevin sorbo you mentioned brave books. Is your publisher. They also are Kirk Camerons publishers. A lot of news about his being banned from libraries. Are you planning a book tour . I believe or not. Im going to be reading in a public school, an Elementary School in new jersey. So i think thats going to be interesting stuff to see what happens when i think pretty much a lot of the liberal teachers will be glaring at me just talking about letting boys be boys. And i dont know why, why thats such a big deal. But i know, kirk, we were neighbors for many years when i lived in california. And the attack he had, i thought, was just very strange to me. I said, well, wait a minute, youre okay with drag queens reading in the public, but not kirk cameron . So i said, where is this country going . I mean, this doesnt make any sense to me. Well, speaking of which, should drag queen reading hours be banned, in your view, from Public Libraries and oh, they should be banned. And i think parents have a right to decision if they want to bring their kids to that. You know, from my point of view, i honestly dont understand it and i dont know why its become a thing. But drag queens, we think reading in these libraries. But im a live and let live kind of guy i dont tell people how they should live their lives. Im just tired of of so many people in the press and the media and movies and television telling me how im supposed to live my life. You know, ive worked around gay people all my life in hollywood, 40 years. Youre not going to find one out there that says, i was horrible to them because im not i treat everybody the same and everybody equally. And to me, its like, lets lets make a movie together in the same industry. Lets have a good time. So i dont like i said, i dont harbor that sort of anger. I mean, why not . They can read if they want to read there. Its really up to the parents if they want to bring their kids to that. What about book bans . What do you think about banning books from Public Libraries . Well, i theres i dont want to ban banned books, but i do want to ban books out of the sexual nature that youre reading a third graders, because that doesnt make any sense to me. Let kids grow up. You dont have to teach them now how to have sex as a nine year old. Let them grow up the way wed grown up for centuries and let us let let kids find out the Old Fashioned way. Hopefully, maybe through their parents doing the birds and the bees. You know, my dad was a biology teacher. So the five kids, my family was kind of easy. Listen to my dad. But let let kids grow up and sort of discover life the way they normally do to the to their kids, to their fellow friends. But, you know, hopefully get strong parents that are leading them on on a road thats that thats not going to be detrimental to them. But let them decide where they want to be. Like i said before, when they get older and become adults. The new president of the American Library association, emily dobriansky, is a self described marxist lesbian. And here is a here is a quote in the Washington Times from her. She says that every reader has a right to decide for themselves what they read and that includes children. Well, i dont think children are deciding to look at a book that has to deal with and intercourse. I think those are being pushed on by teachers and third grade, which is crazy to me. Its interesting. The whole marxist thing. Are people even aware truly what communism is all about and what marxist has done . And what are they going to do . Look at the history of countries that are going through that. Venezuela is the most recent one that has just gone through such a huge change in the last 30 years with the governments that has come in there. I mean, how many people have been escaping that country and how many people want to get out, get away from that . The most prosperous country in the southern hemisphere. 30 years ago now is one of the most poorest and the people are just flooding out of that country. So to me, im hard pressed to show where communism is a good thing because all it does is it strip away from hope and pride and selfesteem and motivation that makes people lazy to the point that, oh, well, im going to give up. And i think thats the biggest killer in america, let alone the world, i think is apathy right now, because people at the government, our government just keeps it going each a little bit more and more. And were losing freedom of speech left and right. I mean, people are getting banned, getting arrested in our country, having freedom of speech. Why cant i have a different opinion than you . You can have a different opinion to me. Im okay with that. Thats what freedom of speech is all about. And thats the reason we have a constitution. Politicians dont want to Pay Attention anymore. Kevin sorbo so you talked about and write about the fact that you were a victim of cancel culture in your view, several years ago. What happened . My manager and agent over a decade ago called me in and said, because youre you know, when youre posting on facebook, you know, your christian views and your and i looked im trying to think i post on facebook i put a lot of sarcasm and and truth sarcastic truth do what i do. People still follow me on twitter. I storms i do very funny things. I mean one of the i made a joke on one. I said, i need i need more conspiracy theories because all mine kept coming true and thats why facebook took me down. So. My age imagines that we cant work it anymore. And i find that quite interesting because im in an industry that always camps for tolerance. You know, if theres attack when they have gays in a movie or they have, you know, a certain opinion political movie, some people get very upset. I dont get upset about that to me. But but why do they get upset if i have a different point of view . A native this post they scream for tolerance and freedom of speech. But lets face it, the hypocrisy in the world is so blatant obvious right now. And you know, freedom of speech is a one way street in hollywood, which is to combat. Has that affected your acting career . No, i continued. It is affecting me in terms of getting things in hollywood, getting in, you know, theyre not going to call me in anymore or any more cable or certainly for network television, just because i have a different point of view. But i got there and i formed sorbo studios. Scott, please go to Circle Studios dot com. A lot of things coming down the pipe and ive got four movies that are in postproduction. Ive got a wonderful movie opening at the end of october. Theres the poster for it right there. Its called miracle in east texas. Its a wonderful family movie. Pg rated opens. October 29th go to social studios dot com get your tickets right now and so im staying very busy since they booted me out i shot over 50 movies so theyre just not on the mainstream of hollywood. Im not going to get 100 million advertising budget behind us, but i do movies that hollywood used to do. I did movies that have love and hope and redemption and faith and laughter and things like that. Hollywood wants to push anger and violence and sex. While im doing the opposite now. Kevin sorbo in a way, youve kind of lived your your value. Youve you left california, correct . But weve been looking to move for a long time. Look, i love the state of california. I loved where i lived out in it. I lived on the mountains 40 miles north of l. A. I missed my house there, but it got to a point that was just unlivable for me. I mean, look at the crime. You look at the the taxes, you look at the traffic. Ive shot over 80 movies and ive shot probably seven of those 80 movies in texas. The further east. So my wife and i just said, you know, we both got a family here in the state of florida and we dont want to come here. Well, you know, this is i on the one on one or four or five, i would just cringe because it takes an hour and a half to go 20 miles. And i said, im done with this. I just i said, theres no reason for us to be here. I dont need im my own age. Im my own manager. So we made the move five years ago and havent looked back since. I love it here in the state of florida, its been great. Theres a reason why people are leaving new york, new jersey, california and all these other states moving to nevada, texas, tennessee and florida. Theres a reason for that. Kevin sorbo you and your wife, sam have cowritten a book and shes written several herself. Yeah, shes been very busy. Shes done a lot. I did a book called true strength my journey from hercules to mere mortal, and im nearly dying. Save my life. I suffered. I had an aneurysm that in no way up in my my shoulder and opened up and sent a series of clots, hundreds of clots in my arm. But seriously, my brain for sure took me three years to fully recover from and i wrote a book talking about my journey, talking about that life throws obstacles. I here was playing the strongest man in the world with hercules, and all of a sudden i learn how to walk and balance again. And im very fortunate. And it was a book i didnt want to write. Sam bugged me to write it. Shes very strong willed. Pittsburgh, new york girl and its been a blessing. It came out ten years ago, 11 years ago now, and i do about 15 speaking events a year with it now, something i thought id never be doing. And i speak on a wide range of things, so its been, its been, its been an interesting door that was open to me. And then we get a follow put together called true faith, really to try and finding faith and all the anger and hatred in the world and whether its a religious faith or just having a belief in yourself that can get past these obstacles without blaming god or god you dont believe in or the world or the government and just really pushing yourself to be a better person. So this book was something totally different, something i wasnt expecting because i knew rk was doing it and i know people like, lets see, Bethany Hamilton wrote a book for brave books. I mean, she was part of the movie i did called singer with dennis quaid in alanon. So this is this has been kind of fun for me, doing something i never really thought id be doing. And you have a third author in the family. Youre i think its your eldest son, braden bradens got a book out there as the initials are best. Braden sorbo. And he said the best guide to politics. And he, hes actually been hitting the road. He just got back from a charlie kirk event turning point usa and hes got another one coming up. Hes preparing right now is speech for for that event coming up next month so whats the process of having three authors in one family . I, i dont know its its kind of fun. Hes going to write another book right now. Hes actually writing a script as well. So hes got the bug. I mean, im not surprised. My kids, my two boys are sort of following my footsteps and sams footsteps because theyre homeschool advocates. Sam travels the country, speaking of homeschooling and braden and shanes came up to me when they were 11 and 13, said, dad, we want to be actors. And, you know, they like i said, the movies thats ive been on acting classes for years now. Braden, i think, just finished his eighth or ninth movie and shanes done about four of them. So we had a meeting at age. I was doing commercials and brians age at 21, 22 years old, but i didnt really get my big break until my early thirties with hercules. So lets lets finish with going back to the test of lion hood. When you came up with the concept, whats the difference between writing for children and writing for adult . Well, im not an expert at it, but i think a lot of it has to do with all the books i read to my kids for three years. So i think im a semi. Ive got a good idea, you know, and i know the quality of books that they do is geared for that age group. And since i had three kids go through that and i was the one that read a Childrens Books to them every night before i putting the bed up until they were about five, six years old, its been its been fun. I mean, read books that had a great group of guys. You know, when we would kick back ideas back and forth and stuff like that. So i, you know, i was just i was just thrilled to be part of this. Im looking forward to see the release coming up here in september. And what happens with it. Kevin sorbo the test of lion hood is his new Childrens Book put out by brave books. We appreciate your time on booktv. All right. Thank very much, sir. Appreciate it. And youre watching about books, a program and podcast produced by cspan and booktv. Well, each week, dozens of new books are published. Heres to watching. Ted post reporter Taylor Lorenz is out with her book on the history of social media and the world of influencer culture. Its called extremely online the untold story of fame inflows, insight and power on the internet and npr host Steve Inskeep has added a title to the list of books about the most written about president in american history, abraham lincoln. Mr. Inskeeps book focuses on lincolns political acumen. Its titled differ we must how lincoln succeeded in a divided america. Also, each week, new book reviews or published in the washington examiner, paul bedard looked at Kentucky Republican senator rand pauls newest book, deception the great covert cover up. Mr. Bedard calls deception exactly what you thought it would be a thorough takedown of dr. Anthony fauci and his disciples for feeding america a full plate of covid 19 mush. Over the past three years, he adds, quote, if there is one lesson, senator paul wants learn from the crisis, it is to question authority. And the New York Times reviewed researcher kat bohannan debut ok eve how the female body drove 200 million years of human evolution. Quote bohannan has a poets voice and a reporters eye. The times review notes eve suggests a new way of thinking about ones body as a thing of time. Built on a foundation, developed over millions of years. Well, coming up this weekend on booktv. Its our weekly afterwords program. This week, wall street journal reporters Cameron Mcwhorter and Zusha Elinson discuss the history of the ar 15 rifle and how the weapon has influenced american gun culture. They were interviewed by author and journalist paul barrett. Heres a preview. But then this gun starts to take on more importance because it starts its pulled into the National Gun Debate and that in the early nineties, its it starts to be pulled in with a lot of discussion about as as theres been some you know, a few Mass Shootings start to happen here and there and this gun starts to become pulled into the discussion and Congress Debates the assault weapons ban, which eventually patch passes in 1994. Bill clinton signs it into law and it includes you know, that that whole debate focused a lot on some other guns. But the air 15 is pulled into it and added to the ban. And that plays a Critical Role in turning this gun into a political symbol of the second amendment. And gun owners start to buy more and more of them. Now, then, this ban takes place. So the ban is supposedly going to you know, you couldnt buy an air 15 theoretically. That was that was the thats what a ban is. Well, in fact, as we show in the book, this ban really didnt work. The way it was worded, the way it was constructed, the way it was. It it achieved political up. You know, the political will necessary to pass. There were the changes, the modifications that were required by Gun Companies to make these guns sellable again after the ban was relatively easy. And within months, companies were back in business selling slightly altered versions of the ar 15. So the gun sales continued throughout the ban. They sold a lot of guns during the ban, and the whole time it was a political symbol. So ten years later, when the ban is lifted in 2004, the the ban sunsets, gun sales go through the roof and the Gun Companies are right there. And thats a longer story. But but these these outsider Gun Companies suddenly find that everybody in the gun industry wants to start making our fifteens because theyre as as stoner designed it to be. Its easy to put together the parts are relatively an expensive and the Profit Margins as the Gun Companies discovered were extreme really high. And a reminder that afterwards airs every sunday at 10 p. M. On booktv. Well, thanks for joining us for about books a program and podcast produced by cspan booktv. And a reminder that booktv is on every sunday. You can watch all of the programs that we produce online any time at booktv. We talk. Good evening, everyone and welcome. Im brad graham, the coowner of politics and prose