Every Sunday at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT)
Upcoming Book Breaks
May
May 19 - Steve Inskeep on Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America
Abraham Lincoln was a skilled conversationalist. He told jokes, relied on sarcasm, and often made fun of himself. In this new book, Steve Inskeep focuses on sixteen pivotal conversations between Lincoln and people who sharply disagreed with him, ranging from conspiracy theorist Duff Green to military strategist General George McClellan. Inskeep shows that repartee was more than performative: these conversations provide unmatched insights into Lincoln’s moral and political choice-making.
Steve Inskeep hosts NPR’s Morning Edition and Up First. He is also the author of Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab.
May 26 - Dylan Penningroth on Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights
June 2 - Richard Brookhiser on Glorious Lessons: John Trumbull, Painter of the American Revolution
History Scholar of the Week
Middle and high school students (age 13 and up), submit your questions for one of the historians being featured on Book Breaks! If your question is chosen, you will be named History Scholar of the Week, and it will be announced live on the program! In addition, both you and your teacher will win a $50 gift certificate to the Gilder Lehrman Gift Shop. Your question can be about the book or the topic in general. Please submit only one question per program.
Submit your question here.
The deadline to submit a question for the upcoming Book Breaks is Thursday.
Book Breaks Archive
The Book Breaks archive contains more than three years of past programs featuring historians such as David Blight, H. W. Brands, Ken Burns, Eric Foner, Annette Gordon-Reed, Peniel Joseph, Jon Meacham, Elizabeth Varon, and more. Still deciding whether to subscribe? You can watch Harold Holzer’s talk on Brought Forth on This Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration (winner of the Lincoln Prize) below to help you make up your mind.
View the full archive of past sessions
The Institute thanks Citizen Travelers, the nonpartisan civic engagement initiative of The Travelers Companies, Inc., for its support of Book Breaks.