[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 i think it is kind of an interesting phenomenon. I think that will be studied. Host when you think about today, do you compare it to any other period in history . Guest no, you know, as a historian, im interested in analogies. I think we have a cognitive tendency to enjoy analogies to find one thing to be like another, all the time, just in the same way, you know, im the kind of person that sees likenesses in family members. I look at a new baby and say oh that looks just like great grandma so and so. But at the same time, even as i say that, i recognize that a lot of that is my need for familiarity.
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.
Books as a historian what is your contemporary view of how our world will be viewed . We have so little perspective on this moment is quite impossible to say but the perceptionptio t many peopln the United States and around the worldha have the extraordinary initial time. In a way that was experiencing. Host thinking about today do compared to any other period of history . Guest know. As a historian i think we have a cognitive tendency to enjoy analogies to be thing like anotherre f. And then to say that looks just like my great grandma with the baby but then also with my need for familiarity so as my career as a historian that is a journalistic tick to understand theres a whole crop leftparenthesis president ial beyond the one biographers as a way to contain that chaos as a way to avoid with that moment in time. Host you gave a talk on your book what do we mean in American History . How do we reckon that it is two different as to share a common ancestry as a people and it seems a fair
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
At the mississippi book festival in jackson to talk about literacy and american libraries. [inaudible conversations] good morning everyone. Welcome to the third mississippi book festival. In the Mississippi Department of archives and history. Ive been asked to remind everyone that you are more than welcome to take photographs, post to social media, and the hash tag is literarylongparty. This is the conversation with the library of Congress Panel sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council and friends of the library. Mississippi is fortunate to have so strong a supporter as its literature, music and art as congressman greg harper. Now in his fifth term in the United States house of representatives, congressman harper chairs the committee on House Administration and serves on the House Committee on energy and commerce, the joint committee on printing and perhaps most pertinently for us here today, as the chair of the joint committee of the library of congress. Here is congressman gre