Books

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This segment originally aired on December 5, 2012

May 22, 2013

The area known as Perry Hall in Baltimore County gets its name from a nearly 250 year old mansion called the Perry Hall Mansion. From its early years in the late 18th century until now, it’s changed hands many times, it’s been damaged by fire and added-onto, and it’s played a role in some very important historical developments in our state.  

Temple Grandin, an inventor, speaker, and author, is one of the most well-known people living with Autism in the world. She’ll be joining us to share her life story, as well as the latest research on the disorder. Grandin is the author of The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum.

A look at the affect the year 1913 had on American history with a panel of guests including Marin Alsop of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Charles Emmerson, author of 1913: The World Before the Great War.

When’s the last time you heard violin music? Actually, the violin is heard so regularly that you don’t even think about it. Historian David Schoenbaum has done extensive research on the origin and evolution of this common and indispensable instrument. He is the author of "The Violin: A Social History of the World’s Most Versatile Instrument." (Original Air Date: March 13th)

Is big business to blame for such public health crises as diabetes and obesity? Author Wenonah Hauter examines food, farm policy and public health in "Foodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America." Hauter is an organic farmer in Virginia and executive director of the Washington-based watchdog organization Food & Water Watch. (Original Air Date: February 11th)

Booze. Iffy. Cool. Lunatic fringe. Maryland-based author and language maven Paul Dickson has assembled an entertaining glossary of words and phrases coined over the years by American presidents. Dickson is the author of Words from the White House: Words and Phrases Coined or Popularized by America's Presidents. (Original Air Date: April 4th)

A look at what makes certain ideas, videos, commercials and products quickly gain popularity in the modern age with Jonah Berger,author of "Contagious: Why Things Catch On." Berger is an assistant professor of marketing at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. (Original Air Date: April 10th)

In a new memoir, Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams writes that ordinary people are capable of achieving extraordinary things. She joins us to share how she went from a small-town girl with working-class roots to an internationally recognized human rights advocate known for her work banning landmines. Her book is, My Name Is Jody Williams: A Vermont Girl’s Winding Path to the Nobel Peace Prize. (Original Air Date: April 29th)

This hour, we take a look at U.S. military leadership from WWII and Gen. George C. Marshall to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the leadership of Gen. David Petraeus. Leading us through this discussion is Thomas Ricks, a veteran journalist and former Washington Post Pentagon correspondent, who argues that today’s military leadership is far inferior to what it was in the past. Ricks is the author of the controversial new book “The Generals: American Military Command from WWII to Today.” (Original Air Date: February 18th)