Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues [Hardcover]

Bill Moyers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 2011

One of the highest-rated public affairs programs on public television, Bill Moyers Journal drew up to two million weekly viewers from 2007 to 2010. Through incisive, morally engaging conversations with some of the leading political figures, writers, activists, poets, and scholars at work today, the Journal captured the essence of the past three pivotal years in American life and politics, including the final act of the Bush Administration and the early years of Obama.

Now, Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues brings this groundbreaking work to the page. From Michael Pollan, David Simon, and Jane Goodall to John Grisham, Karen Armstrong, and Barbara Ehrenreich, Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues introduces the ideas that matter today—on subjects as diverse as the politics of food, race in the age of Obama, aging in America, the power of poetry, wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan, the conflict over gay marriage, and the fate of the American newspaper.

With extensive new commentary from Bill Moyers—in the tradition of his national bestsellers A World of Ideas and Healing and the Mind—here is an unparalleled guide to the debates, the cultural currents, and above all the fascinating people who have so powerfully shaped the world we live in.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Readers of his new book will feast on four dozen wide-ranging conversations…which brim with big ideas and deep insights. Provocative, absorbing and necessary.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Culled from Moyers’s third PBS series, which ran from 2007 to 2010, there’s 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’s 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’s 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’s serious attention. There are no sound bites here, just food for thought."
—Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. "The PBS series Bill Moyers Journal aired weekly from 2007 to 2010, capturing discussions of pivotal issues at the close of the Bush administration and the start of the Obama era. This companion book recaptures those compelling discussions on issues that matter, covering politics, economics, race, foreign policy, and the environment. Among the 47 interviews are Michael Pollan on our unsustainable food producing and eating habits; Robert Wright on the evolution of religion and why there’s hope for an end to religious wars; David Simon, creator of The Wire, on the war on drugs as a war on the underclass; John Lithgow on acting in the play All My Sons and the gut-wrenching immediacy of war profiteering; journalist William Greider on Wall Street corruption; and Michelle Alexander and Bryan Stevenson on mass incarceration of minorities in the U.S. The collection also includes Sam Tanenhaus and Victor Gold expounding on the death of traditional conservatism, and Nikki Giovanni, Martin Espada, and Maxine Hong Kingston reading poetry and discussing the impact of literature on society. Each interview is preceded by background on the interview subject and the context of the conversation. In the style for which he’s known, Moyers probes with respect, intelligence, curiosity, humor, and graciousness."
—Booklist

About the Author

Bill Moyers was a founding organizer of the Peace Corps, a senior White House assistant (and press secretary) to President Lyndon Johnson from 1963 until 1967, the publisher of Newsday, a senior news analyst for CBS News, and the producer of groundbreaking series for public television. He is the winner of more than thirty Emmy awards and nine Peabody awards. Among his bestselling books are Listening to America, A World of Ideas, The Power of Myth (with Joseph Campbell), and Moyers on America. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: New Press, The; First Edition edition (May 17, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595586245
• ISBN-13: 978-1595586247
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.7 x 9.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Moyers was a founding organizer of the Peace Corps, a senior White House assistant(and press secretary) to President Lyndon Johnson from 1963 until 1967, the publisher of Newsday, a senior news analyst for CBS News, and the producer of groundbreaking series for public television. He is the winner of more than thirty Emmy awards and nine Peabody awards. Among his bestselling books are Listening to America; A World of Ideas; The Power of Myth (with Joseph Campbell); and Moyers on America. His latest book is Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues. He lives in New York City.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 81 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful Discussions June 2, 2011

By Dukesmom

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I ordered this book after seeing Bill Moyers interviewed on PBS. This book is filled with thoughtful and intelligent interviews by some of the best minds in the country. I highly recommend this book to those who wish to expand their horizons and be armed with information to prepare them for making crucial decisions in the political future.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Sends me searching for more... June 25, 2011

By John Bell

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've read about a third of the interviews. I too, searched this out after seeing Moyers on the Daily Show. I'm 59 and since retiring recently I've attempted to read things (non-fiction) that will improve my understanding of the past 40 years. Nothing I've read recently has caused me to go to my computer and search out "more" than this book. I know some of the names in the table of contents, but am somewhat embarrassed by how many I don't know. I like his interview style as he often asks a follow-up question to a comment made. The fact that many talking heads on the Sunday shows don't do this drives me nuts. I haven't read as many I could have due to spending time learning more about the person I just read about. My only complaint about the interviews is that they are not dated. If you want to expand your knowledge about people influential in the world, this is the book for you.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Truly the conversation continues June 16, 2011

By JYK

Format:Hardcover

I picked up the book after seeing Bill Moyers's interview on The Daily Show. The book was different from what I expected in a good way. For some reason, I thought it would be a collection of his impressions of the various interviews he conducted during his long career. Instead, he lets his subjects express their thoughts and feelings as they are without filtering through his own perception or judgment. It's almost akin to reading the interview transcripts, but they are all fascinating. The people in this book are from wide-ranging fields - entertainment to academia to politics. Immensely enjoyable to read.