Latest Episode of The Dispatch Book Club Out Now

Listen to Sarah talk to author Adam Hochschild about his book ‘American Midnight.’

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Dear members, 

The newest episode of The Dispatch Book Club podcast is out now! 

Adam Hochschild joins Sarah Isgur to kick off our latest book series exploring the 1920s. Hochschild’s American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy’s Forgotten Crisis details a deadly time in American history, threatening the country’s democratic principles. Join the two for a discussion on political repression, racism, domestic surveillance, and the hidden heroes who shepherded the nation through the next decade.

There are instructions below for how to add the private podcast to your feed or visit the show website here.

The discussion page for next month’s book, 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents by David Pietrusza can be found here. We’ll release that episode on March 25.

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Comments (14)
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  1. Avatar photo
    JohnD

    Sarah et al - great book and a great read. Informative and perhaps relevant for today’s troubles in the US. My hypothesis is that large wealth disparity, especially when a financial crisis witnessed irresponsible behavior getting bailed out, results in a populist wave that can be hard to control. Wilson et al tried to control it by cracking down on civil liberties. Trump tries to tap into and capitalize on it politically. Biden seems to deal with it by ignoring it and hoping it will go away. I find all three approaches problematic.

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    Wilhelm

    I appreciate the discussion, Sarah. You were respectful, if not without a critical question or two.

    But I wonder, has there ever been a historian of American labor who found noticed a villain in the bunch? From this book, one would believe that the labor movement was led by only the most morally upright.

    That's kind of the way we looked at Woodrow Wilson once. Humans always have more than two dimensions.

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    Bradley Alpert

    This discussion helps me revisit the question, "How can Chinese be so indifferent to human rights?" It's not all Chinese, of course, but it's also not just the CCP. It's easy to posit an explanation along the lines: Well, as non-Westerners, they have not gone through the Renaissance. But, as this discussion shows, mere 100 years ago apparently we were not so different. Eye opening.

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  4. Lindayoder

    Thank you. Thank you. The era was first brought to my attention many years ago when I read "The Quest for the Dream" (It was a book published by B'nai Brith) during the Vietnam era, which basically was during my college life. If people think political passions have gone wild today, they are totally unaware of how horrible they were at the beginning of the 20th century, which was way worse than the Vietnam era. I really got a lot out of Hochschild's book and was especially interested in his mention of a conversation I remember reading about in another book (and it may have been "The Quest for the Dream.") It was thought to have happened between Wilson and Tumulty in which Wilson supposedly worried about what was going to happen to people's rights when war was declared. Apparently, no such conversation occurred. It was something Tumulty dreamed up years later to make Wilson appear more sympathetic. Hochschild's book was fantastic and should be required reading in American History classes. The conversation was fantastic. I'm glad it was selected for the book club.

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  5. Mark Grassman

    Thank you for the excellent discussion. I just went over to B&N to pick up a copy of American Midnight. I just finished Mornings on Horseback (TR bio) and am currently reading Traitor to His Class (FDR) and have The Long Shadow (David Reynolds book on impacts of WWI with focus on Europe/Britain) on order, so American Midnight should complement those nicely.

    I have to hope, maybe our descendants will look back and wonder why we were concerned about treating pigs and chickens ethically (and we should) but then aborted 3000 "unwanted" unborn children per year. Theodore Roosevelt, a progressive hero, said something about a society that murders the unborn cannot endure. (I'm going from memory here.)

    I was just reading that in 2019 there were almost 1900 women and girls murdered in the U.S., mostly by "intimate partners." There may be a fair number of things we would not be proud of.

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      Wilhelm

      You're on a roll! Might I suggest: "The Forgotten Man: A New History of The Great Depression" by Amity Schlaes, as well.

      https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forgotten-man-amity-shlaes/1100558724

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        JohnD

        Wilhelm - great suggestion. Also her prequel ‘Coolidge’ was quite good.

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          Wilhelm

          Coolidge is outstanding -- the book AND the president!

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    Pradyag

    Thanks Sarah for the commitment to book club. This was a good podcast.

    In part because of the content. I was vaguely familiar with this history. Your reference at the end around High School curriculum reminded me I learned this some of this history in a Sophomore year elective on Political Movements [yeah Northwestern]. Post that 1983 experience I came to appreciate how few people know about the Wobblies, E.V. Debs, Eugenics and all the other 'challenges' we have faced. Thank you Mr. Hochschild for the book!

    The other reason I liked the podcast is you, Sarah. I appreciate your skill at exploring issues deeper. Approximately in the 31-32m mark you did a great job exposing, challenging and moving beyond talking points on the Progressive mindset. I am not making the observation because I am on the non-Progressive team.

    Rather your pivot to 'Experts' and the ideological center was awesome. The follow up, digging deeper in response to the 'ideologues are bad' response - which often feels like a conversation ender - centered the conversation in the real world. Our political culture does accept the 'bundle of sticks' too cavalierly.....your defense of Free Speech is a reminder that we often compromise for the team the very principles the team [both sides] refuses to acknowledge. When what we need to get back doing is asking our side 'are we willing to accept brushing aside first principles [Free Speech] and why. What is the downside?'

    Masterful in how exploring the blind acceptance of illiberal thinking in historical events serves to challenge our current environment without creating the binary defense mechanism inherent in your challenge questions. I betcha you are a very good Teacher.

    For those wondering what I am talking about....listen to the podcast. It is just one of many reasons why I appreciate Sarah and The Dispatch. You help to make me a more thoughtful, engaged citizen.

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    Ben Connelly

    Just going to drop this here:

    https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/gfile/of-memory-holes-and-memory-buriers/

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    Kyzyl Tuva

    Great episode Sarah. Amazing what a dark time that was in American history. I am happy that the reality of Woodrow Wilson is finally getting air time. He was a horrible stain on American History.

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  9. Stonylonesome

    That was a very thoughtful and enlightening podcast! I’m about halfway through the book and this discussion makes me want to ditch my Sunday afternoon plans and plow on through it. Sarah, as always, your talent at drawing out an author’s often unwritten opinions and the basis for their approach is unmatched in the podcast universe (well, maybe matched by David French….). Thank you!

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  10. Wineburg

    Sarah, Where are the notifications about the next book to read?

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      Wilhelm

      https://thedispatch.com/article/book-club-is-back/

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