I think the perceptionce that many people in the United States and also around the worldhi that this is an extraordinary unusual time in a sense where we are out of time will be a curiosity in the future. People will look back and wonder about that wonderment. And he gets kind of an interesting phenomenon. When you think about today do you compare it to any other time in history . As a historian. Im interested in that. We have a cognitive tendency. In the same way im the kind of person that seems like this and family members. Our need for familiarity. For most of my career as a historian. What time is this like. It is an easy story to write. I think theres a whole crop of president ial biographers who go out on talk shows. I generally find them to be not i in this era. Its actually a way to kind of contain the chaos. It is a way to avoid what is truly strange about this. What do we mean when we talk about American History. How are we to reckon with the fact that our present day is so p
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
father, daughter, of course, husband and wife, 73 year marriage between president george h.w. bush and barbara bush before her passing. we know you ll be in touch with them and us as we continue to remember this incredible person. thank you so much for your reporting. now, president george h.w. bush was a republican calling for a kinder gentler nation. those hopeful three words uttered during his inauguration day speech in january of 1989. he was a navy war hero to poppy to friends and family and a mentor for many young republicans who rose to power and one he mentored is joining me now. congressman french hill, deputy assistant secretary of treasury under president bush. thank you so much, congressman, for being with us and condolences for the loss of your personal friend. thank you, ana. a great american. you met him almost 40 years ago back in 1979.
didn t live through those years. richard nixon had won the presidency on the lie that he had a plan to end the war. john kerry gave us more young americans including nixon knew was a lost cause. it was personified then by hippies. kids who were experimenting with new ways of living and dressing and the attitude that they had no duty to serve in a american war. the anti-war movement to be successful needed john kerry. it was as if he was a character delivered to us by a novelist. he shared john f kennedy s initials and some of this accent and was a decorated navy war hero. he was clean-cut for a hippy. he didn t have a stragley beard.