The Back of the Book

During the 1970s, childhood looked much different. Preteens, untethered to smartphones, listened to new records on turntables, wandered unsupervised in the wild, and…drove trucks and bathed in tin tubs? That was the case for 12-year-old Meghan Cox Gurdon, at least, when she was sent to live with her father on his homestead in rural Maine. Her new memoir, Free Range Girl, recounts the year she went “back to the land” – all while navigating the challenges of early adolescence. She and Chris discuss the trials and triumphs of her life on the homestead, why she views the past with charity, and how her experiences shaped her own approach to motherhood.Show Notes:Meghan’s book, Free Range GirlMeghan’s column at The Wall Street JournalTime Stamps:1:54 – Inspiration and method12:40 – Her father’s “back to the land” motivation14:07 – Forgiving the past20:00– First impressions of the homestead26:56 – An idyllic excerpt31:32 – The capability of children34:14 – Friends, music, and the escapades of middle school43:10 – The struggle to fit in46:00 – After the first year50:11 – Free-range parentingOpening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.Produced by Keira Stenson.

Twenty-five years ago, the New York City band The Strokes released one of the most widely hyped debut albums in rock history. Critics saw them as the saviors of rock n’ roll. But if the cultural influence of modern rock music is any indication, that promise fell short. In his new book Is This It: The Never-Ending Rise and Fall of the Strokes (and Rock ‘n’ Roll), music journalist Steven Hyden considers the fickle fate of rock through the trajectory of the Strokes’ career. He joins the podcast to discuss how the Strokes fit into rock history, why they captured such attention, and what their latest releases indicate about the future of music. He and Chris also discuss cigarettes, the return of Oasis, and Wisconsin sports culture. Show Notes:Steven Hyden’s book, Is This ItSteven’s Substack, Evil SpeakersThe Strokes song with a Barry Manilow melody, “Razorblade” Chris’s review of Steven’s Is This It in The Wall Street JournalChris discusses the Strokes on the Political Beats podcastLizzy Goodman, Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011Time Stamps: 2:19 — Introduction to the Strokes (and how they’d “save rock”)6:16 — Generational views on rock music14:04 — The 5x5 Continuum and cultural transference19:12 — The “cool” aesthetic and cigarettes23:05 — The Midwestern view of a New York band28:24 — Is This It, American version35:44 — Changes in music criticism40:48 — Reality Awaits: music in the digital age48:43 — Technology, music, and the middle-class band52:50 — The Oasis reunion: a participatory performance57:06 — In praise of Wisconsin sports cultureOpening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.Produced by Keira Stenson.

Let’s keep celebrating the semiquincentennial by tackling the remarkable history of our most inspirational founding document. Historian and Hoover Institution fellow Michael Auslin joins the podcast to discuss National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America. He and Chris cover the document’s chaotic creation, its less-than-ideal preservation, and its enduring impact on almost ten generations of Americans. Show Notes:Michael Auslin’s book, National TreasureMichael’s book event at AEITime Stamps: 1:45 Myths and misconceptions about the Declaration12:40 The forgotten Declaration takes center stage23:34 The Civil War and consent of the governed28:33 More reasons to loathe Woodrow Wilson33:45 MLK and the “promissory note” of equality42:30 The Declaration’s core claim of unity46:16 The DSA’s challenge to the greatness of the Declaration49:03 The Declaration preserved and displayedOpening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.Produced by Keira Stenson.

The first topic for our new season is an important one, and that’s no lie. Chris talks to Christian B. Miller, the A.C. Reid Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University, about the virtue of honesty. What does it mean to be honest? Is it more rewarding—and less risky—to be dishonest today than it was in the past? How are Americans dishonest today online, on campus, and in politics? Christian’s new book is The Honesty Crisis: Preserving Our Most Treasured Virtue in an Increasingly Dishonest World (Oxford, 2026).Time Stamps:2:49 What is honesty?15:14 Deepfakes and online infidelity31:07 Academic dishonesty and the tragedy of Jason Arday42:39 Honesty and politics52:39 The exception of the artsShow Notes:Christian B. Miller’s book, The Honesty CrisisBilly Joel, “Honesty”Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.Produced by Keira Stenson.

In this special double feature, Chris welcomes the authors of two new books about the American way of life—one about the many things that make it great, and the other about something we’ve lost. First, Matthew Mehan of Hillsdale College’s Washington, DC, campus discusses his latest children's book, The American Book of Fables, a collection to help the young and old celebrate America’s 250th birthday. And in the back half, Andy Smarick of the Manhattan Institute talks about his first novel, Community Day, a mystery about the distressing decline of civil society.Show notes: Matt's book, The American Book of FablesAndy's novel, Community Day, on Substack and AmazonMatt's other workAndy's other workTime stamps: 0:49 – Matthew Mehan on The American Book of Fables29:01 – Andy Smarick on Community Day Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist. Produced by Sean Doolan & Keira Stenson.

Chris talks to Melanie McDonagh about her new book, Converts: From Oscar Wilde to Muriel Spark, Why So Many Became Catholic in the 20th Century. Dr. McDonagh discusses some of the prominent (and less familiar) British artists, writers, and intellectuals who entered the Roman Catholic from the 1890s through the 1950s. What were the social and cultural origins of the century’s remarkable increase in Catholic conversions? What people and ideas brought figures like Wilde, Graham Greene, and Evelyn Waugh to Catholicism? And why did the stream of conversions drop off so dramatically in the 1960s?Show notes: Melanie’s book, ConvertsMelanie’s column at The StandardDavid Jones, “Vexilla Regis”Chris on Evelyn Waugh and Muriel SparkTime stamps: 3:00 – Why chronicle conversions?7:32 – The influence of St. John Henry Newman13:07 – Origins of the conversion trend31:43 – Clerics courting converts36:55 – Sacramentality and art52:00 – Vatican II and the Church todayOpening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.Produced by Sean Doolan. 

Sean Keilen, professor of literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz, talks with Chris about his new book, Shakespeare's Scholars: Three Lessons from the Liberal Arts. They discuss how Shakespeare depicts the role of scholars in Hamlet and The Tempest, what Shakespeare can teach us about the scholar’s proper relationship to the public, and the current state of literary studies in academia.Show notes: Sean’s book, Shakespeare’s ScholarsUC Santa Cruz’s Shakespeare WorkshopSanta Cruz Shakespeare Time stamps: 3:03 – Shakespeare's academy18:12 – Hamlet38:38 – The Tempest52:50 – Scholarship inside (and outside) the academyOpening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.Produced by Sean Doolan.

In this special episode, recorded as part of AEI’s American Dream Lecture Series, Dr. Zena Hitz addresses the role of liberal education in sustaining the democratic project. She also identifies the most significant threats to liberal learning and offers practical remedies that might address them. After her lecture, Zena sat down with Chris for a conversation and fielded questions from the audience at AEI.Show notes: Zena’s books, A Philosopher Looks at the Religious Life and Lost in ThoughtLearn more about St. John's College and the Catherine ProjectWatch previous editions of AEI’s American Dream Lecture SeriesTime stamps: 5:04 – Zena’s lecture36:53 – Zena’s conversation with Chris56:38 – Audience Q&AOpening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.Produced by Sean Doolan.

Novelist Karan Mahajan joins the show to talk with Chris about his new work, The Complex. They discuss the novel’s memorable characters, settings, and themes, as well as Karan’s literary influences and the challenges of writing about Indian culture and politics for a non-Indian audience.Show notes: Karan’s novel, The Complex“The True Margaret,” a short story excerpted from The Complex in The New YorkerChris’s review of The Complex in the Washington ExaminerKaran’s previous novels, The Association of Small Bombs and Family PlanningTime stamps: 5:08 – The Complex’s cast: The Chopra clan17:58 – Laxman Chopra & literary villainy32:27 – Karan’s literary influences, Tolstoy and Naipaul42:55 – Experimenting with narrative perspective48:54 – Modern readers & writersOpening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.Produced by Sean Doolan.

Chris talks to Tess Chakkalakal about her new literary biography, A Matter of Complexion: The Life and Fictions of Charles W. Chesnutt. Tess explains why Chesnutt is such an important figure in American literary history, how his short stories and novels made the case for a color-blind society, and why he should be more widely read today.Show notes:Tess’s book, A Matter of ComplexionChesnutt’s short stories: The Conjure Woman and Other Conjure Tales and “The Wife of His Youth”Chesnutt’s novels: The House Behind the Cedars and The Marrow of TraditionChesnutt’s speech, “Race Prejudice; Its Causes and Its Cure”Time stamps:2:22 – Chesnutt’s early life and education15:16 – The Conjure Woman25:09 – The House Behind the Cedars44:28 – The Marrow of Tradition52:44 – Chesnutt’s views on race and their legacyOpening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.Produced by Sean Doolan.