Of books. We keep one up about a month. Sometimes maybe had two or three books that i am reading. Do you ever post reviews. We just dont have a lot of time to write reviews. What are you reading right now. I thought i would take a little break. This is one of the cases where you see the movies they want to read the book. I think andy we are. I got intrigued by this new netflix thing the man in the high castle which is an old book i used to read Science Fiction when i was a kid. I did not read that one. Those are the light things just finished up a biography of the wonderful one on washington. It was a fabulous book but boy its long. I used to be a historian. Thats what i enjoy. We will have some things in every now and then. It is quite often its not this case. I read quite a bit of historical fiction. Mostly the heavy history and heavy biography. You mentioned that you are in them you. I taught as a graduate assistant. That was just a semester gig. I taught in Grinnell College london program. In an instant teaching a class with don dollars. He and i taught before i was at congress. The National Parties in campaign. I taught a campaign course. Are there any historians when they come out with the book or the entire series that you have read. I love anything that Stephen Ambrose wrote. Obviously he is an excellent historian. But probably in an earlier time frame i was heavily focused on british history. They were not all history. But churchill was always worth reading. We have a wonderful little book called great contemporaries written back in the 20s which later on nixon actually did a follow on book. The things he wrote were really quite good. History in particular provides a lot of context does a lot of understanding. Most people when they get to congress think history begins with them that there is something there. An institution if you read barry is a really substantive writer. The great book is there. He happened to get hooked up speaker right before he realized that he was in his last year basically and he was just gonna write a book about congress. It turned into the rise and fall of speaker right. And there was a lot of characters in that. Newt gingrich was in there. A guy wes watkins. Or consequential figures in the sense that they were close to him. That you read about. Those kind of things are extraordinarily helpful and sometimes when older members or senior members are telling stories you know something about the context of the story and it really comes out of. I love how rogers has been here since 1980. And when he starts telling you stories about the guys when he got here had been here since the 50s. Its just fabulous. Are there other books that you would recommend about congress or that you read it before you took your seat. Its not about congress per se its a biography of the recent biography of madison is a good book here is a guide that in many ways shaped the system so to speak both in terms of the constitution and serving in the body. In the very first term. Hes always there. I like these things again nixon is good those were spectacular. Nobody knew this institution although nixon in a very different kind of way i have an opportunity to meet him on several occasions. Really, really knew this. I would also say the biography of gerald ford because he was a creature of the house. I cant remember. I think youre right with lou cannon. But time in chance or Something Like that. This guy comes in the 40s. That is an awful lot of history a guy who was a creator of the modern Political Campaign committee arrived in 1966 of the lost of the republican 1952. He was involved in campaigns all across the country was a very consequential legislator delivered at the the nomination speech for Ronald Reagan at the convention. He was a pretty cool guy. And his ability to tell stories with the institution has observations even though i used to call him moses he got us right to the edge of the Promised Land and have he not lost his 92 primary he would have been reelected as an rc chairman. He wouldve have the opportunity to be there with a the modern republican majority. You pick up some of that listening to members. When you read some of the older biographies to do you ever say to yourself the house doesnt work that way anymore. Obviously the house changes with the times although there are lots of elements that are the same i like to think the Appropriation Committee is a Little Island that functions the way it was supposed to. It wasnt always true it went through a rough time but rogers who very much in the best sense of the word and institutionalist in a creature of the house so to speak has really done a lot to restore that in the hopes that it can spread more broadly across congress. We live in a very divided and ideological time. The ability to derive a consensus a lot of good friends on the other side. But theres not as many issues that you can work on that clearly some of our predecessors managed to do. Do you ever read books on Andrew Jackson. My great grandfather. Forcibly removed. I used to tell people when i was five years old i wasnt sure who Andrew Jackson was but i knew he was a very bad man who have done eagle evil things. I remember when robert remedy was a story in the house. He is a big reader. The invite me up to have lunch with dr. Remedy. He prevents me presents me with a copy. Because rodney i think it was his great grandfather theater who actually ran under ticket. We were both sort of a jackson enemies by dissent. I remember him handling me the book. You probably wont agree with my thesis in this book. They saved them because they push them further out and kept them from being totally overrun. That was a unique explanation. It was in the southeast part of the country. I will say this i remember having gone to the same timeframe weve a great festival which is a site of the old capital. There are thousands of them to come to this thing. It is amazing. We were a large tribe. You know have anything anywhere near that size on the east coast. Where you have european and then american conflict contact. What about books on native american history. Charles manns book is where you want to start. Its not so much native american but is 1491 which is what the state of the population in north and south america on the eve of european arrival and what have happened and how devastating that contact was. In the indians whether their north or south america always had contact in a sense with whites long before they saw him. And decimated a lot of these populations. Thats a good one. It is a great biography. It was a near award winner. It was one of the best. A guy named ariel gibson. The now dated history. There is a biography of my great aunt. The fork lower artist. Lift almost 100. In the first entertainment. And then entertained the king and queen of england. Its all over the world. A lot of great books. A lot of people would be familiar with the biography of jerome and no. Some of the most consequential books. It is about what happened to the five tribes when oklahoma was opened up my family on the last of that. Pretty devastating for the tribe that have already been removed. With the individual ownership which in many cases was systematically there. Its not as if every bad thing happened 200 years ago. It is early 20th century in oklahoma. Some time to get their hand around. It doesnt reflect very well on the American Government or frankly the american treatment of the nomination. Do you ever bring authors into speak to the republican congress. I remake it i recommend book all the time. I have a dinner. They are always a diminishing group obviously. I think the most popular one was unbroken. Everybody loves that book. The great author. Bob woodwards book the price of politics is a great book. I think particularly in 2012 its all on the budget crisis you guys need to read this because all of the characters are still the same. It will help us understand did you find it accurate when it talked about president obama. In parts of it i knew. He was one of the great reporters. The person that was putting on the dinner took in my copy to be signed. Do they think what it means. They were up there for something close to an hour. And read the comments on it. I do think it will be critical but i have a wonder wonderful relation with john weiner. We are in a good place now. I have a decent relationship with the president on a personal asus. Ive have the opportunity to interact with him. Frankly in my hometown in the tornadoes in 2013. If you look around this office i always joke. Im the only republican that has five pictures of barack obama in his office because weve done on those. Most indian legislation that is written tend to be bipartisan. It is a largest class action settlement. Very important tribal provision in the sovereignty. With the indian in reservation. Under resource resourced in terms of police. I like both of these guys. I think some of the observations based on misunderstanding on who he was he can see it in that book. It was actually a part he talks about that. Its a country club republican. I will grant you that they do that. He plays a lot of golf. But hes anything but a country club republican. He grew up in the family of 12. His only one that got to college. His dad ran a bar. He is really a much better guy it is every bit as remarkable giving his circumstances and where he started in life as a president is. They could of each read the book. I think we might have have a different ending to the story. Although the fact is they maintained reasonably good relationships despite the difficulties. We get books every year to these things its always interesting to see what your colleagues you. Empire the summer moon they loved that one. I did one recently im blanking on the authors name. One of the first africanamericans carrier pilot and his wing mate was an icy ivy league. Still alive. They shut down over the joint missions. And how close they were all of the pilots are trying to cover this guy who had to crash land his plane. They can get out of the plane. Eventually die in the plane. They crash land the plane. To try to get his friend out. Its everything from the letter that the African American pilot writes to his wife and i night before hes killed its all reproduced in there. With wonderfully clear dementia. To make innkeeper remembering. I thought it was one of the best books some of the great things about the country we still have jim crow. Here are two guys on the Aircraft Carrier and they all became friends it is a very moving and patriotic story. Certainly two or three a month i read. On the airplane back and forth if im fortunate enough to get upgraded i keep a journal. That is several days behind. That is a good stretch of time. Its usually reading. We were the journal for the future book. A good friend of mine or people that listening to that. They had five different series. He was a classical at the university of oklahoma unfreedom. He great dash micro a great series. And he was a specialist a great story. That same dramatic flair in the early 20th century. He was a guy that i used to step down with. I just want to know what he thought. Not long after i got to congress i want some advice. What do you think my advice should be doing up there. He said right. Not many people do anymore. And so it needs to be done and frankly doing it in hand. They can get corrupted in ways to do that. They will seem important when youre gone. I have kept journals when i worked there. It is pretty cool to have written through the bombing and they have that. They have it that day or the next day. What he was doing. But when i got here ive been pretty good at it. Was it real discipline to write every day. I usually do about three times a week. You can bring that right back. I certain time or whatever. Im very systematic about keeping it. I go back and look at it occasionally. I was the executive director of the Campaign Committee they were rebels back then. So i knew him they were very good friends. But then our chief web. And then they had been exceptionally good to me. Didnt know me but had contributed to my campaign. It was a very competitive race in 2002. He sent a busload of volunteers to my district all the way down to oklahoma because we have big events going in both places. He said you can help us it was called the stomp program. They said they have 5,000 for me. We are pretty close. They end up running against each other. And im on team blunt. Which put me in the doghouse for about two or three years with the speaker. But one night this was before this race have occurred it was kid sitting in the capitol hill club. John kline who is still here. We were sitting there and we are were having a drink they have the big table where they tended to hang out with his group. So he sits on for a second were chatting away and then he leaves. In my journal that night i said we were sitting around and i think he will run for leadership again someday. And i will probably support her support him. Thats exactly what happened i totally forgot nothing. I could not believe it i actually sent it to my friend john kline who is very close with speaker weiner obviously throughout his career. Just like most things in life they actually have a wonderful phrase if you do the right thing for the right reasons the right thing will happen. It was our relationship that change pretty dramatically to the point where i was always the defender. Whoever it was writing this have not been around very long. That happens in politics. It was unfair we were on different sides on a lot of things. Its not smart to be on the wrong side i think we had worked there are issues and worked very hard to find Common Ground how to get your books. I actually very seldom go to the library. I want to knock libraries. I like to own books. I would mark up a library book i do go to bookstores and just browse like everybody else. There is no particularly systematic way they just go to the internet and popup something thats about this and there you go. If i im going to have an opportunity to meet an author the other night at the library of congress we have the series that were doing i didnt have a chance to meet him but a big admirer they wrote a wonderful book on the battle of golf. I want to make sure that i knew that was coming it was one of the best. If you can get take you like to have have read it and one of the nice things in this business is you do have those opportunities perhaps more than a lot of people do. They tried to view and very bipartisan. Probably at least 50 i would say a lot of couples but it has a big turnout. Again it is just a terrific book. I was sitting next to ken calvert i think he was like chairman of california. They knew very well. He was telling me about the congratulatory call that he got. He said he was talking about a guy who we know. A senior republican political guy but was a nixon speechwriter. In california and can have been interviewed extensively in the book. I dont think he have read it yet. Can told me you make sure he is fair. Can concluded he really was very fair. They have a fair treatment here. Quite a few. I have met several occasions. And she was kind enough to invite my chief of staff the post residential homestead. It was one member after another. Lived close and here is where im met them in the house. I actually got close to his plane and 59 my dad was a master sergeant. I will never forget us going out there to look at the plane that had brought him to the united states. He was the most Senior Master sergeant on the base. He can get us pretty close. It was wonderful. What a treat. They listen to stories about the grandfather and mother and what they were like and see the things in the home but have a personal touch if this was here. It was just fabulous. I dont know if you picked up Peter Carlson of the Washington Post book about the trip he was here two weeks. It was a big deal. Im old enough it was a time where i was remembering it very well. And all those sorts of things. She has a onestory. And walking the battlefield with the grandfather. And here is the barn in the horses. She is a wonderful person. What a treat. The importance of William Shakespeare to our culture and our politics in your view. Pretty profound. Next to the possible shakespeare had more influence on the way we think and the way we talk in on literature than any other person than in the history of our language in its wonderful obviously its a great artist and play but its great history also. It is a reminder that the character and history really matter. That was a big part of it. I am no shakespearean scholar. But anyone that hasnt been the most influential writer certainly again in the angloamerican history and probably im supposed to teach the class. This is a great historian. He wrote a book that is not as widely known as it should be. The dual lives of two american warriors. When i was going to little big horn battlefield. And theres the book. The little place about the two very different warriors in western oklahoma. And i was secretary of state it was in private hands to get i could pick out a bunch of extra books. The wonderful first man of rome series. That book on politics its probably better than any history written at the time. What a tremendous historical novel. Republican tom cole. On sunday september 4 book tv is live from Hillsdale College in michigan. The live monthly author. They are still relevant today. And contemplates the pursuit of happiness and it is a serious problem. They lay out why i believe the American Values must triumph in an uncertain world. Its very simple if everyone lived by the Ten Commandments he would not leave dash need one army. This is all humans need. It is amazing. Dennis prager taking your calls emails and tweets live on book tv in depth. Sunday september 4 from noon to 3 00 p. M. My playground was essentially the staging ground for the antiwar movement. And a lot was going on as a young child but i wasnt completely aware of the significance of it my early Hometown Hero and i have photos of them on my wall. I was a one feminist. It was theater to me and when i graduated from college in 1985 it was exactly 15 years after the largest students strike in america which we just thought the statistics about. There was 700 colleges close down after can state no one took classes or finals and yet i graduated 15 years later it was very quiet all of my friends and i just knew my life was different because of what have happened in the 60s. In the late 60s that i missed and how that a wicked generation have changed my generation it was a good time to go back with history i think youre allowed to go back every decade or so even if the 60s have been written about enormously. The library that i just collected in my research was vast to decide that i was in a take on this decade it seemed like a right time to visit the decade. And so much had gone on in the last 45 years that there was a lot to talk about to catch them at a time when they still remember what they done and wanted to reflect. You can watch this and other programs online a book tv. Org. Welcome to denver on book tv. Located on the front range of the Rocky Mountains this capital city is the largest and most populated with over 3 million people. Founded in 1858 as a mining town during the gold rush now home to the u. S. Meant that as is a largest corded producer in the world. For the next two hours we will explore the citys history and literary culture. Including a visit to the tattered cover. It was started by a man named steve koegel in 19 they bought the store and in a lot of ways we also spoke with juan thompson. His memoir looks a