This Weekend's Program

Bob Edwards Weekend, May 19-20, 2012

HOUR ONE:

Los Angeles Times columnist Doyle McManus joins Bob to discuss the latest political news.

Christopher Buckley is back with a new book, this time a fictional novel about U.S.-China relations.  In They Eat Puppies, Don’t They, a Washington lobbyist teams up with a neocon to turn the American public against the Chinese.  Buckley discusses the novel, how his famous father influenced him and his writing and how to determine fact from fiction in our capitol city.

Then, in this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, we hear the essay of Jessica Paris.  Summer is fast approaching – the season of taking it easy.  Paris says we should just say no to those impulses.  She is not a puritan or a miser, but in a world of bounty, choices have to be made.  And Paris believes that sometimes deprivation leads to greater satisfaction than indulgence.

HOUR TWO:

Try to imagine what would happen if Middle Eastern women were able to take control of their religious conflicts. That’s what writer, director and lead actress Nadine Labaki has done in her new film, Where Do We Go Now, and the result is poignant and witty.  Labaki will discuss the film, and the new promises and perils facing the Arab world.

Writer Seth Grahame-Smith found surprising success with his 2009 novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  It became a New York Times best-seller and spawned many imitators.  Another best-seller, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter followed in 2011. He also wrote the screenplay adaptation for Tim Burton’s film version which comes out next month. Now Grahame-Smith returns with Unholy Night, another dark revisionist tale.  Here he tells his version of the Christian nativity scene and recasts the mysterious Three Wise Men as murderous thieves who unwillingly become guards for Mary, Joseph and their newborn’s journey into Egypt.

Bob Edwards Weekend airs on Sirius XM Public Radio (XM 121, Sirius 205) Saturdays from 8-10 AM EST.

Visit Bob Edwards Weekend on PRI’s website to find local stations that air the program.

Jessica Paris and This I Believe

essayist Jessica ParisEach week, we’ll hear a new This I Believe essay - this time from Jessica Paris. For Paris, “just say no” is more than an anti-drug slogan from the 1980s.  It’s a credo that gives her the freedom to discover the things she truly wants to experience in life instead of succumbing to the instant gratification pushed by so much marketing. Paris is an educator, and program manager with the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.  She lives in Juneau with her husband, two children, and three chickens. Her essay is featured in the new book, This I Believe: Life Lessons.

Click here to read a transcript and to listen to her essay.

Click here for guidelines to submit your own statement of beliefs.

Forthcoming on The Bob Edwards Show

The Bob Edwards Show, May 21-25, 2012

Monday, May 21, 2012: Criss-crossing the continent, renowned geneticist Bryan Sykes provides a groundbreaking examination of America through its DNA.  Then, Bob talks with Phil Madeira about the album he produced called Mercyland: Hymns for the Rest of Us. Phil is a member of Emmylou Harris’ band Red Dirt Boys.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012:  Diana Henriques has written the definitive book on Bernie Madoff, based on unprecedented access and interviews with more than one hundred people at all levels of the crime. The Wizard of Lives: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust is now out in paperback.  Then, for nearly fifty years, Frank Deford has been dissecting American and international sports.  He has covered just about every sport, in every medium, and he touched on it all in his new memoir, Over Time: My Life as a Sportswriter.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012:  Kate Bornstein’s memoir A Queer and Pleasant Danger is the story of “a nice Jewish boy who joins the Church of Scientology and leaves twelve years later to become the lovely lady she is today.”  Then, singer-songwriter Joe Pug joins Bob to talk about his latest album, The Great Despiser.

Thursday, May 24, 2012:  Nashville singer-songwriter Kate Campbell took up piano at age seven before switching to the guitar as a teenager during the folk-rock heyday of the 70s. Since then, over the course of thirteen albums, she has written, recorded and performed almost exclusively on the acoustic guitar. On 1000 Pound Machine Campbell returns to the instrument of her childhood and enlists Will Kimbrough to produce the eleven-song disc. Campbell joins Bob to talk about her new album and performs a few of her songs.

Friday, May 25, 2012:  Doyle McManus, Washington columnist for the Los Angeles Times, joins Bob to discuss the latest political news.  Next, Bob talks with banjo player Bela Fleck and the Original Flecktones, who have reunited for their latest CD called Rocket Science. Howard Levy is back on piano and harmonica, joining bandleader Fleck, bassist Victor Wooten and Futureman on percussion. The group is touring now and we sit down with them backstage at The Birchmere before their show.  Then, in this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, we hear the essay of Michael Seifert.  We know that powerful people influence politics.  By comparison, it’s sometimes hard to believe that ordinary citizens with modest means can make a difference.  But inside the voting booth, everyone is equal.  Seifert is a Catholic priest from Cameron Park, Texas – the poorest place in American, according to the 2000 Census.  The rate of civic participation matched the economic description.  But, Father Seifert has been encouraging his neighbors to get out the vote, and their actions have resulted in more attention from local politicians, and better quality of life for the townspeople.

This Weekend's Program

Bob Edwards Weekend, May 12-13, 2012

HOUR ONE: 

Los Angeles Times columnist Doyle McManus joins Bob to discuss the latest political news.

For a relatively young country, Israel and its supporters wield immense power in shaping United States government policy. Peter Beinart is a former editor of the New Republic who lays out his criticism of the Jewish State in a new book called The Crisis of Zionism. Among Beinart’s more controversial ideas is a proposed boycott on products made in Israeli settlements. 

Then, in this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, we hear the essay of Lauren LeBlanc.  Americans like to dream big – for the country, and themselves.  Teenagers imagine a future for that includes throngs of adoring fans, and photographers tracking their every move.  LeBlanc was no different, but life hasn’t worked out that way.  Instead, she’s a mother of two, living in the suburbs.  Her life is simple, and she couldn’t be happier.  LeBlanc says that she may never make an impact outside her community, but that’s okay because inside her home, she is irreplaceable. 

HOUR TWO:

Studs Terkel was a noted writer, broadcaster, oral historian and story teller.  He died in 2008, but shared several lengthy conversations with Bob.  We honor Terkel’s centenary by re-airing portions of their chats.  Terkel was born on May 16, 1912. 

For his latest album, singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright reflects on his life … this time on the sunny topics of aging, decline and demise. He also brings in his family to help: all of his kids and most of his ex-wives appear on the album. Wainwright joins Bob in the studio to perform a few songs and to talk about his CD titled Older Than My Old Man Now.

Bob Edwards Weekend airs on Sirius XM Public Radio (XM 121, Sirius 205) Saturdays from 8-10 AM EST.

Visit Bob Edwards Weekend on PRI’s website to find local stations that air the program.

Lauren LeBlanc and This I Believe

Lauren LeBlanc and one of her daughtersEach week, we’ll hear a new This I Believe essay - this time from Lauren LeBlanc. When she was young, LeBlanc had grand dreams of living in New York and singing on Broadway.  Instead, she became a mom and schoolteacher in suburbia.  While it’s not the life she once imagined, LeBlanc now knows she wouldn’t have it any other way. LeBlanc is a native texan living in Louisville, Kentucky…married to her high school sweetheart and has two young daughters. For three years, LeBlanc has used the This I Believe curriculum in her language arts classes to teach her eighth graders how to put their convictions on paper. Her essay is featured in the new book, This I Believe: On Motherhood.

Click here to read a transcript and to listen to her essay.

Click here for guidelines to submit your own statement of beliefs.