Books

Dogs have become a ubiquitous part of our culture; in some families, they’re treated as honorary humans. In "What’s A Dog For? The Surprising History, Science, Philosophy and Politics of Man’s Best Friend," John Homans looks at the complex relationship between dogs and people, and tells the story through his own experiences as a life-long dog owner. Homans is executive editor of New York magazine.

In the midst of partisan stalemate, the budget sequester and a renewed debate over guns, here comes legal scholar Louis Michael Seidman with a provocative idea: Ending our disobedience to the 225-year-old Constitution. Seidman says the time has come to acknowledge the failings of our treasured legal document and its archaic, idiosyncratic and harmful provisions. Seidman has taught constitutional law at Georgetown University for nearly 40 years. He is the author of "On Constitutional Disobedience."

March 4, 2013

What's the difference between a suicide bomber and an American mass killer such as Adam Lanza? Not much, according to criminologist Adam Lankford. Suicide terrorists and rampage shooters have far more in common than has been recognized, he says, a controversial conclusion that has turned conventional wisdom about mass murderers upside down. Lankford teaches criminal justice at the University of Alabama. He is the author of "The Myth of Martyrdom: What Really Drives Suicide Bombers, Rampage Shooters, and Other Self-Destructive Killers."

In two days, 85 billion dollars is scheduled to be cut from federal spending, cuts known as ‘the sequester.’  In Maryland, that means lots of changes, from air traffic control towers shutting down,to thousands of defense employees being furloughed.  We talk about what to expect.

Some Maryland lawmakers want to expand the hours and number of sites for early voting in Maryland. Critics say Democratic-leaning areas get the most help. We’ll hear from both sides.

Conventional wisdom holds that it takes years of hard work and some luck to rise to the top of your chosen field. But is there more to it? Through conversations with an array of successful men and women, some of them celebrities, authors Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield strive to determine if there's a formula for success. They are co-authors of "The Art of Doing: How super achievers do what they do and how they do it so well."

February 26, 2013

In today’s technology driven world, most people have either tried online dating or know someone who has. According to the dating site Match.com, one in five relationships now begins on the Internet. Online dating is a $2 billion industry. But is it really making dating easier? And how is it destroying romance? Journalist Dan Slater looks into this brave new world of matchmaking in "Love in the Time of Algorithms: What Technology Does to Meeting and Mating."

Author Charlie LeDuff examines the gritty past and present of his once-prosperous hometown in Detroit: An American Autopsy. LeDuff, a Pulitzer-winning former staff writer for The New York Times and former reporter for The Detroit News, is currently a television reporter for Detroit's Fox 2 News. 

Frederick Douglass, who escaped slavery in Maryland to become the most influential black American of the 19th century, lived the last two decades of his life in Washington, D.C., became active in local politics, continued to crusade for civil rights, and married a white woman. Journalist and author John Muller tackles this part of the legendary orator’s life in "Frederick Douglass In Washington, D.C. the Lion of Anacostia."