Publishers Weekly review of Parting The Desert.
Read moreMaking Peace and Profits in Iraq
Rebuilding Iraq is such a monumental undertaking, with estimated costs of at least $25 billion, that the involvement of private enterprise was inevitable. It is also controversial.
Read moreWhat's In After Greed?
American culture at the end of 2002 is adrift. As quickly as the New Economy rose, it fell, leaving America rudderless once again. In the 1970s, after the seeming failure of big government to improve people's lives, it took several years for the free-market ethos of the 1980s to assert itself. Now we are in a new vacuum, but we will soon discover a new Zeitgeist.
Read moreIn the Beginning: Revisiting the Bible
Authors who have written about the Bible in a variety of ways talked about their books.
Read moreThe Imperial Presidency
Authors of books on modern U.S. Presidents discussed Chief Executives from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush in a forum titled “The Imperial Presidency.”
Read moreThe Battle Of The Experts
New crises produce new experts. A high-profile trial means that we'll see defense attorneys and prosecutors airing their differences on CNN. An election logjam means we'll hear from political consultants and campaign reporters. The events of September 11 dramatically altered the news agenda. Americans now care about Islam, and a group of scholars has emerged to explain it to them. A Princeton professor talks with Charlie Rose on PBS; a Johns Hopkins academic sits next to Dan Rather during the CBS nightly news; a Georgetown teacher entertains questions on CNN. Since the attacks of September 11, these scholars are in the spotlight, and at stake is not only whether the West can come to terms with Islam, but whether the world can prevent the destruction of suicidal extremism.
Read moreNews Review
Misunderstanding Islam
In the wake of September 11, the reading interests of the American public have changed. To a lesser extent, so have the interests of readers throughout the Western world. This may not rank as one of the more significant consequences of the attack on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, but it does reflect a new awareness on the part of millions of people--an awareness of just how ignorant they have been about Muslims.
Read moreLost Horizon
LA Times review of A Visionary Nation.
Read moreExamining the dreams that shaped America
Chicago Tribune review of A Visionary Nation
Read moreA Visionary Nation
Mr. Karabell talked about his book, A Visionary Nation: Four Centuries of American Dreams and What Lies Ahead, published by HarperCollins. The book is about the cyclical nature of visions and promises made during America’s history in the attempt to make a perfect society.
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Why Go Chasing the Next Utopia?
It's frequently said that the United States is a young country, but with 150 years of colonial history plus 225 years since the Declaration of Independence, we are starting to accumulate some serious history.
Read moreA Visionary Nation: Four Centuries of American Dreams and What Lies Ahead
FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY | JUNE 6, 2001
The magical fusion of the Web, the computer, and the stock market is a unique product of our cultural moment; the presence of visionaries who believe that they are fundamentally transforming culture is not,"" writes Zachary Karabell (The Last Campaign: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election) in A Visionary Nation: Four Centuries of American Dreams and What Lies Ahead. He traces the visionary drive behind U.S. evolution from the Puritans' city on a hillto westward expansion and Carnegie's ""Gospel of Wealth""; governmental growth precipitated by Teddy Roosevelt and realized under the New Deal; and the 1990s New Economy. Lastly, Karabell predicts three possible global scenarios: more people will make more money until ""the rewards will be diffused throughout society""; the stock market will collapse, with all the attendant losses; or ""the New Economy doesn't collapse but also doesn't fulfill its incredible promise"" (see scenario one). Perceptive, edgy and articulate, Karabell embodies the voice and perspective (tempered by considerable historical research) of millions of 20- and 30-something intellectuals and professionals.
No Left Turn
When Ronald Reagan ran for president in 1980, he was widely derided as too conservative to be elected. Even after he had defeated the other Republican contenders in the primaries, the consensus was that he could never win against a centrist Democrat like President Jimmy Carter. Yet, as we know, Reagan went on to beat Carter and profoundly change the political and social climate of the nation.
Read moreThe Last Campaign: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election
Zachery Karabell discussed his book The Last Campaign: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election, published by Alfred Knopf. The book details the last election before television changed the process forever.
Read moreSearch For Historical Truth
Authors and historians discussed differing perceptions of historical truth, and some of the problems and challenges associated with the identification of truth in the study of history. They also talked about their own philosophies of writing history in light of the difficulties and responded to audience questions.
Read moreWashington Post Review of The Last Campaign
Washington Post Review of The Last Campaign.
Read moreTruman Defeats Dewey, Again
New York Times Review of The Last Campaign.
Read moreWhat's College For?
Mr. Karabell talked about his 1998 book, What’s College For?: The Struggle to Define American Education, published by Harpercollins. The book describes his view that higher education has become radically democratized mass education. After his prepared remarks he took questions from the audience.
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