So little perspective on this moment, its quite impossible to say. I think the perception that many people in the United States and of course also around the world have that this is an extraordinary unusual time something we are the time out of time, will be curiosity in the future people will look back and wonder about that very wonderment i think its an interesting phenomenon. When you think about today do you compare it to any period in history . Jill lepore as a historian im interested in analogies we have a cognitive tendency to enjoy analogies to find d one thing to be like another all the time. Just in the same way and the kind of person that sees likenesses and family members, and look at a new baby and say, that looks just like great grandma someone so. Have the same time, even as they say i recognize a lot of that is minded perception, my need for familiarity. I think there has been for most of my career as a historian the question to ask historians is what time is this like.
You today by your television profess provideer. And now on book tv we are live with author and Harvard University history professor jill lepore who over the next 2 hours will be taking your calls and comments. Professors book include secret history of wonder woman, these truths, history of the United States and the newly published if then, about the cold war origins of data mining and social manipulation. Harvard professor jill lapore, before we get into the substance of your book, as a historian, what is your contemporary view of how our world is going to be viewed . [laughter] guest i think we have so little perspective on this moment that it is quite impossible to say. I think the perception that many people in the United States and, of course, also around the world have that this is an extraordinary uni shall time is something that we are in a time out of time will be a curiosity in the future. People will look back and wonder about that very sense alienation. I think that would be
Prize. Books, i pledge allegiance, it was turned into a great miniseries on cbs. Perhaps some of you watched it in the past. Gangland, how the fbi broke 1993. B, in the eve of destruction, the of the war in to 2003. American lightning terror, mystery, the birth of hollywood, century,ime of the truefloor of heaven a tale of the last frontier and the yukon gold rush. I should also mention that Warner Brothers is preparing a film of dark invasion, starring Bradley Cooper as the the book. Please welcome howard blum [applause] pick up a newspaper and just headlines. He check out the internet and read post. Any theres news about terrorism anywhere, and its all very frightening. At night. Ep you up one day, theyre saying new york city is a target. Chicago. Day, its then las vegas. Even the air force academy. The president tells us that we have to worry, isis is not going to attack the homeland yet. Then a republican president ial candidate comes out and says, do have to worry. Our borders are
Minutes. Good evening and welcome. I am pleased to welcome howard blum, an investigative journalist and author of the new york city times best seller dark invasion as well as many other great books. He is currently a contributing editor at vanity fair. While at the New York Times he was twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. Several of his books were nonfiction best sellers including, among others i pledge allegiance, the true story of the walkers, an american spy family that was turned into a great mini series on cbs, perhaps some of you watched it in the past. Gang land how the fbi broke the mob in 1993. The eve of destruction. The untold story of the yam kiper war in 2003. American lightning terror of mystery and the birth of hollywood and the crime of the centuryo 2008. A floor of heaven, a true tale of the last frontier and the uconn gold rush in 2011. I should also mention that Warner Brothers is preparing ax film of dark invasion starring Bradley Coope
The eve of destruction. The untold story of the yam kiper war in 2003. American lightning terror of mystery and the birth of hollywood and the crime of the centuryo 2008. A floor of heaven, a true tale of the last frontier and the uconn gold rush in 2011. I should also mention that Warner Brothers is preparing ax film of dark invasion starring Bradley Cooper as tom, the hero of the book. Please welcome, howard blum. [ applause ]. Pick up a newspaper and just glance at the headline. Check out the internet and read almost any post. Theres news about terrorism anywhere and its all very frightening. It will keep you up at night. One day theyre saying new york city is a target. The next day is chicago. Then las vegas, even the air force academy. The president tells us that we dont have to worry. Isis is not going to attack the homeland yet. Then a republican president ial candidate comes out and says, well, maybe we do have to worry. Our borders are very pourus, but theres no doubt about it