Interviewing top nonfiction authors about their latest work. All after words programs are also available as podcasts. It is so good to talk to you. Another book journalist. How do you primarily think of yourself these days . Guest i still very much see myself as a book critic. This book is just sort of an extension of that work. These days i feel like i am a political journalist and just using books as a means to that kind of work. Is that something that you steered clear of . I didnt have a sense that i wanted to necessarily be an author or write a book. Reading other peoples books was plenty and i learned a little bit if i went through the process of writing a book it would be sympathetic to the authors and ruin me for my day job but i think that its been useful to see that side of the process and all the work that goes into creating that product i usually get at the tail end. Do you think its going to change . I think it almost has to. I want to see i suspected it had to in some way
Guest i still think i very much see myself as a book critic. This book is just sort of an extension of that work, but these days i feel like im a political journalist also in many ways and just using books as a means to do that kind of work. Host also an author, obviously. This is your first book. Did you know you always wanted to write a book as a book critic or is that something you steered clear of . Guest i did not have a sense i wanted to necessarily be an author or write a book. Reading other peoples books was plenty for me and i worried a bit that if i went through the process of writing a book i would end up far too sympathetic to authors and ruin me for my day job, but i think its been useful to see what that side of the process is like and all of the work that goes into creating that finished product usually just get at the tail end host do you think it will change your approach at all as a book critic . I think it almost has to. I dont know how it will, though. I went to see
I view today a political system to groups basically the same the same side of the coin. I think we would be better to invest ourselves and invest ourselves of all Political Parties in the united states. I dont elect someone for their views. I dont think they represent me. Nobody in the state of oregon represents me. They represent themselves. I think theres a level of frustration there. Ultimately i disagree. There can be differences in society about how to perceive and govern ourselves. And we have to ask ourselves how do we make decisions. What we head in our country is a system for legitimate sizing those kind of decisionmaking. Allowing people of different views to be heard and for allowing the views of the majority to ultimately be advanced. Is the purpose of the system and very often that is what the system achieves. I think there are going to be contradictions and paradoxes and problems that dont go away and that we cant fully resolve can mitigate them and try to address them we
And for human equality. But the notice was very much at this moment. Enforces to confront challenges in our society that weve had trouble with in recent years. This is a time that makes us wonder how strong our institutions are going to prove to be. How we are going to rise to the challenge like this. I think you cant help but to see it as a time of crisis. Because it is a time of testing is also time for us to think about what americas strengths are and what were good at is a country and how we can build on that to confront these enormous problems. See 500 we get there. Our country has always tried to strike a balance between the dignity and equality of individuals in one hand and some form of strength of community on the other. Every free Society Faces that in our society think is in the past halfcentury really emphasize the individual. Yuval emphasize liberty and freedom. And also diversity. That is brought some enormous advances and benefits. But there is another side to the coin.
Much of this moment and forces us to confront challenges that our society has had trouble with in recent years, this is a time that makes us wonder how stronger institution will prove to be, how we will rise to a challenge i and i think i cant help but see it as a time of a crisis but because it is a time of testing at the time to think about what americas strengths are, what were good at as a country how we can build on that to address the innermost problems. How did we get here . Thats an awfully complicated question. Our country has always tried to strike a balance between the dignity and equality in the individual one hand and some form of strength of community on the other, every free Society Faces the tension in our society has in the past halfcentury emphasize individual, emphasize liberty and emphasize freedom and diversity and that has brought enormous advantages and benefits but there is another side to that coin and the other side can look Like Division and fragmentation and