Award-winning CNN journalist John Blake grew up a self-described “closeted biracial person,” hostile toward white people while hiding the truth of his mother’s race. In this episode of Narrative Edge, Peter and Orlando explore a powerful conversation with Blake about racial reconciliation, acceptance, and empathy.
An indelible portrait of a family, The Peach Seed explores how kin pass down legacies of sorrow, joy, and strength. And it is a parable of how a glimmer of hope as small as a seed can ripple across generations. Peter and Orlando explore a conversation with author Anita Gail Jones and learn about the Civil Rights movement in Albany, GA along the way.
The Allman Brothers Band's Brothers and Sisters is iconic. In this episode, Peter and Orlando discuss Alan Paul's deep dive into the time before and after 1973’s Brothers and Sisters. It was not only the band’s best-selling album, at over seven million copies sold, but it was also a powerfully influential release, both musically and culturally. And this book has converted one of the hosts into a fan.
Famed NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly comes to grips with the reality every parent faces: childhood has a definite expiration date. Peter and Orlando share their thoughts and opinions of Mary Louise Kelly's chronicle of her eldest child’s final year at home. Plus, we'll hear from Mary Louise herself.
Mary Louise Kelly: It. Goes. So. Fast. The Year of No Do-Overs
It’s the summer of 1964 and three innocent men are brutally murdered for trying to help Black Mississippians secure the right to vote. Against this backdrop, twenty-one-year-old Violet Richards finds herself in more trouble than she’s ever been. Peter and Orlando dive into Anywhere You Run in this episode and talk with Atlanta-based author Wanda Morris.
Sally Sierer Bethea was one of the first women in America to become a “riverkeeper”—a vocal defender of a specific waterway who holds polluters accountable. In Keeping the Chattahoochee, she tells stories that range from joyous and funny to frustrating—even alarming—to illustrate what it takes to save an endangered river. In this episode, Peter and Orlando discuss the Hooch, an important water source for so many people.
At the height of the John Birch Society’s activity in the 1960s, critics dismissed its members as a paranoid fringe. After all, “Birchers” believed that a vast communist conspiracy existed in America and posed an existential threat to Christianity, capitalism, and freedom. But as historian Matthew Dallek reveals, the Birch Society’s extremism remade American conservatism. After a discussion with Dallek, Peter and Orlando share some of their thoughts and insights on Birchers, a deeply researched account of the rise of extremism in the United States.
Some of the most popular music in the world has roots in Atlanta. In Rap Capital: An Atlanta Story, author Joe Coscarelli chronicles what it's like to be a rapper in Atlanta today and puts on spotlight on artists such as Migos and Lil Baby. After a discussion with Coscarelli, Peter and Orlando share some of their thoughts and insights on Rap Capital: An Atlanta Story.
King: A Life by Jonathan Eig, the first major biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in decades, is a generational book filled with new information and perspectives from living witnesses, declassified documents, and unheard audio recordings. After a discussion with Jonathan Eig, Peter and Orlando share some of their thoughts and insights on King: A Life.
Award-winning author Julia Franks' latest novel is the story of two young women contending with unplanned pregnancies in different eras. After a discussion with Julia Franks, Peter and Orlando share some of their thoughts and insights on The Say So.
What can the simple art of reading aloud do for student comprehension? Join us in conversation with Jordan Motsinger of Cobb County Schools to find out!
Before dawn Oct. 26, 1960, police dogs roused a then-31-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. awake in a DeKalb County Jail cell. Sherriff’s deputies yelled for him to get up, handcuffed and manacled him by flashlight, and shoved him into the back of a police car. They ignored his pleas for an explanation.
It was 4 a.m. when they drove into the night on a desolate country road. He had no idea if he would live to see the sun rise.
This summer, encourage kids to join in on the world-wide celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission with this collection of space-themed books.
