Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues

Culled from Moyers%E2%80%99s third PBS series, which ran from 2007 to 2010, there%E2%80%99s no small talk or superficiality in these interviews with 47 "independent thinkers." The topics are far-reaching (faith, populism, the Israeli occupation of Gaza, aging, lynching in America, health care, capitalism, capital punishment, lobbyists in Washington), and the guest list is wide-ranging (pediatrician Margaret Flowers, biologist E. O. Wilson, historian Howard Zinn, economist Victor Greidel, writer David Simon, minister Jeremiah Wright, lawyer Philippe Sands, journalist Victor Gold, novelist John Grisham, theologian James Cone). Karen Armstrong urges us to find the commonalities in diverse religious traditions, notably compassion. Jeremy Scahill alerts us that Blackwater%E2%80%99s Eric Prince "is a man who is building up nothing short of a parallel national security apparatus." John Lithgow shares some of his favorite poems; Jane Goodall turns one%E2%80%99s attention to the animal world. In an era of much instant and ephemeral talk, it is a pleasurable thing to hold this "book of ideas." These challenging, engaged conversations reward the reader%E2%80%99s serious attention. There are no sound bites here, just food for thought. (June)