Ill Literacy, Episode 179: Out of the Darkness (Guest: Frank Trentmann)
Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Frank Trentmann, professor of history at Birkbeck, University of London, to discuss his latest book, Out of the Darkness: The Germans, 1942–2022. They chat about how a nation whose past has been marked by mass murder, a people who cheered Adolf Hitler, reinvented themselves, and by how much. Get the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/554959/out-of-the-darkness-by-frank-trentmann/Show Notes:Literary Review: David Blackbourn – “A Mercedes in Every Garage”https://literaryreview.co.uk/a-mercedes-in-every-garageNew York Review of Books: Timothy Garton Ash – “Big Germany, What Now?”https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/05/23/big-germany-what-now-timothy-garton-ash/The New Statesman: Brendan Simms – “What it means to be German”https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2023/12/meaning-modern-germany-brenadan-simmsThe Times: Oliver Moody – “Out of the Darkness by Frank Trentmann review — how Germans became good (and rather complacent)”https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/out-of-the-darkness-by-frank-trentmann-review-9rc5n8kbd?region=globalTimes Literary Supplement: Ben Hutchinson – “New moral order”https://www.the-tls.co.uk/history/twentieth-century-onwards-history/after-the-nazis-michael-h-kater-out-of-the-darkness-frank-trentmann-book-review-ben-hutchinsonThe Wall Street Journal: Ian Brunskill – “‘Out of the Darkness’ Review: War Crimes and Remembrance”https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/out-of-the-darkness-review-war-crimes-and-remembrance-0b830556The Washington Post: Bryn Stole – “An ambitious history of Germany interrogates the country’s moral makeover”https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2024/04/18/out-darkness-germans-nazis-legacy-frank-trentmann-review/
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1:16:22
Ascent to Power: How Truman Emerged from Roosevelt's Shadow and Remade the World (Guest: David L. Roll)
Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by David L. Roll, founder of the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation, to discuss his latest book, Ascent to Power: How Truman Emerged from Roosevelt's Shadow and Remade the World. They chat about Truman’s struggles to emerge as president in his own right after his accidental ascension to the office and how Truman’s decisions during these pivotal years changed the course of the world in ways so significant we live with them today.Get the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/690665/ascent-to-power-by-david-l-roll/Show Notes:Foreign Affairs: Jessica T. Mathews – “Review: ‘Ascent to Power: How Truman Emerged From Roosevelt’s Shadow and Remade the World’”https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/ascent-power-how-truman-emerged-roosevelts-shadow-and-remade-worldWall Street Journal: Robert W. Merry – “’Ascent to Power’ Review: Harry Truman’s Moment”https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/ascent-to-power-review-harry-trumans-moment-e5654cb0
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1:04:29
Brought Forth on This Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration (Guest: Harold Holzer)
Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Harold Holzer, director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, to discuss his latest book, Brought Forth on This Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration. They chat about the immigration situation in the United States in the 30 years leading up the Civil War, how immigrants forever altered the country’s demographics, culture, and voting patterns, how tensions over immigration broke apart the Whig Party and lead to the formation of the Republican Party, and how Lincoln evolved into a champion for immigration. Get the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/558372/brought-forth-on-this-continent-by-harold-holzer/
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1:12:55
Kent State: An American Tragedy (Guest: Brian VanDeMark)
Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Brian VanDeMark, professor of history at the United States Naval Academy, to discuss his latest book, Kent State: An American Tragedy. They chat about the context of the divided cultural landscape of America during the Vietnam War and heightened popular anxieties around the country, how the shootings came to take place, the reductive narratives that ensued, the victims of the shooting, and the impact of that day on the Guardsmen who were there. Get the book here: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324066255Show Notes:Los Angeles Review of Books: Tom Zoellner – “Yelling ‘Fire’ on a Crowded Knoll”https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/yelling-fire-on-a-crowded-knoll/Los Angeles Times: Chris Vognar – “A meticulous, pain-filled history of the senseless slaughter at Kent State”https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-08-05/brian-vandemark-kent-state-an-american-tragedyNational Review: Paul Baumann – “What Happened at Kent State?”https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2024/10/what-happened-at-kent-state/Times Literary Supplement: John McMillian – “Civil unrest”https://www.the-tls.co.uk/regular-features/in-brief/kent-state-brian-vandemark-book-review-john-mcmillian
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1:15:17
Mirrors of Greatness: Churchill and the Leaders Who Shaped Him (Guest: David Reynolds)
Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by David Reynolds, emeritus professor of international history at Christ’s College, Cambridge University, to discuss his latest book, Mirrors of Greatness: Churchill and the Leaders Who Shaped Him. They reevaluate Churchill’s life by viewing it through the eyes of his allies and adversaries like Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, FDR, Chamberlain, Attlee, De Gaulle, and Gandhi, as well as his own family. They also chat about Churchill’s lifelong struggle to overcome his political failures and his evolving grasp of what “greatness” truly entailed. Get the book here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/david-reynolds/mirrors-of-greatness/9781541620209/?lens=basic-booksShow Notes:The Wall Street Journal: Robert D. Kaplan – “‘Mirrors of Greatness’ Review: Churchill’s Personal Diplomacy”https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/mirrors-of-greatness-review-churchills-personal-diplomacy-c8e300e3Washington Examiner: Sean Durns – “Making history with Winston Churchill”https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2838794/making-history-with-winston-churchill/
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