RN Presents

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RN Presents

For Radio National Summer, a special series The Books That Changed Us. The Books That Changed Us asks how and why some books rose above others to shape the collective mind of the 20th century.  From stories of disease outbreaks to myths of war and understanding how power actually works — RN Presents is the home of great storytelling that helps you better understand what’s going on in the world.

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  1. EPISODE 1

    01 The Books that Changed Us — The Interpretation of Dreams

    The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud introduced us to the concepts of the unconscious, hidden desires and repressed sexuality and is the first in our new series, The Books That Changed Us which takes a fresh look at five influential books of the 20th century. The series begins with a book that was published at the dawn of the 20th century and is coming up to its 125th anniversary. Today it's influence it everywhere and can be seen in psychology, art, literature and cinema.  Guests Jamieson Webster — a New York based clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst and is a faculty member of the New School for Social Research. Her latest book is Disorganization and Sex and her forthcoming title is On Breathing: Care in a Time of Catastrophe.  Mark Polizzotti — an author, translator, editor-in-chief at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He is the recipient of a 2016 American Academy of Arts and Letters award for literature. His book is Why Surrealism Matters.  Daniela Finzi — Research Director, Sigmund Freud Museum, Vienna

    28 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    02 The Books That Changed Us — How to Win Friends and Influence People

    Championed by business tycoon Warren Buffett, utilised by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and exploited by the murderous cult leader, Charles Manson, the self help book, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie is almost 90 and has sold many millions of copies since 1936.  It was a surprise bestseller when it was first published in depression era United States to a readership hungry for advice for making it big in corporate America. It spawned a self-help industry and built its advice on the principle of smiling and sincerity. But is it really selling a form of manipulation? It's the second title in the series, Books That Changed Us which takes a fresh look at five influential books of the 20th century. Guests Joe Hart — CEO, Dale Carnegie training Adam Ferrier — behavioural psychologist and founder of creative agency, Thinkerbell. He's the author of The Advertising Effect: How to Change Behaviour and Stop Listening to the Customer: Try Hearing Your Brand Instead George Mladenov — lawyer and political staffer, he's best known for being a two time contestant on the reality TV show, Survivor. His book is How to Win Friends and Manipulate People.

    29 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    03 The Books that Changed Us — Hiroshima

    John Hersey's Hiroshima revealed the true horror of the 1945 nuclear bombing of Japan. Following the lives of six ordinary people from the moment of impact, the American journalist brought home the reality of the destruction and suffering caused by the atomic bombings.  First published in The New Yorker Magazine in 1946 it soon came out as a standalone book and became a bestseller. Some have argued that it lead to the beginning of the disarmament and counter-proliferation movement. This is the third title in the series, The Books That Changed Us which takes a fresh look at five influential books of the 20th century. Guests Lesley Blume — author of Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World  MG Sheftall — Professor of modern Japanese cultural history and communication at the Faculty of Informatics of Shizuoka University, author of Hiroshima: The Last Witnesses.  Tilman Ruff — Board member, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (Nobel Peace Prize 1985); Founding international and Australian Chair, co-founder, Australian Committee member, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN, Nobel Peace Prize 2017); Honorary Principal Fellow, School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne

    28 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    04 The Books That Changed Us — Silent Spring

    The extraordinary story of a lowly-paid public servant who launched an environmental conservation movement and became an unlikely 1960s pop culture icon. Using a combination of lyrical writing and fact driven journalism, when Rachel Carson's Silent Spring was published in 1963 it alerted the world to the dangers of the overuse of the pesticide DDT. The book was embraced by the burgeoning environmental movement and rejected by vested interests. It's still considered a benchmark in environmental writing today. This is the fourth episode of The Books That Changed Us which takes a fresh look at five influential books of the 20th century. Guests Michael E Mann — Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania, with a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication. Author of The New Climate War and Our Fragile Moment. Elizabeth Kolbert — journalist and Pulitzer prize winning author for The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural history. Her latest book is H is for Hope: Climate Change from A to Z. Mark Madison —  Chief Historian, US Fish and Wildlife Service.

    28 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    05 The Books That Changed Us — The Female Eunuch

    She told women they'd been objectified, stereotyped, sold a middle-class myth of romance and marriage and that another, better, life could be had. The Female Eunuch by the Australian feminist Germaine Greer was published in 1970 and became a blockbuster feminist text.  Greer's defiant and controversial thinking reframed relationships between women and men, but 55 years on, how does it speak to present day feminist thinking? This is the final in our series The Books That Changed Us, about influential books of the 20th century. Guests: Michelle Arrow — Professor, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University. Author of a number of books including The Seventies: The Personal, The Political and the Making of Modern Australia.  Anthea Taylor — Associate Professor Gender and Cultural Studies, University of Sydney. Her forthcoming book is Germaine Greer, Celebrity Feminism and the Archive.  Kathy Lette — Australian born, England based author of many novels including Puberty Blues which she wrote at 17 in 1979. Her latest novel is The Revenge Club.

    28 min
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For Radio National Summer, a special series The Books That Changed Us. The Books That Changed Us asks how and why some books rose above others to shape the collective mind of the 20th century.  From stories of disease outbreaks to myths of war and understanding how power actually works — RN Presents is the home of great storytelling that helps you better understand what’s going on in the world.

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  • Creator
    ABC listen
  • Episodes
    125
  • Seasons
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All right reserved.
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    RN Presents

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