That Said With Michael Zeldin

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Hosted by TV legal analyst and avid reader Michael Zeldin, That Said features in-depth, thought-provoking conversations with best selling non-fiction authors about their recently-released books. Guests include prominent journalists, historians, musicians, medical and legal professionals, and contemporary thought leaders. Each episode explores the stories behind the book and the larger questions the book raises about politics, leadership, history, health, the arts, and society -- providing listeners with a deeper understanding of why these books matter. Presented by CommPRO and the Museum of Public Relations and is a proud member of the MSW Media Network.

  1. Sep 25

    The Midnight Special: The Secret Prison History of American Music | Colin Asher

    Join Michael in his conversation with Colin Asher about his new book The Midnight Special, The Secret Prison History of American Music which explores the rich tradition of music behind bars and shows how policing and prisons have shaped our musical culture from blues to hip-hop. After spending a decade as a bicycle messenger among other things, Colin received a Bachelors of Science degree from Northeastern University, and a Master of Arts from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.  As he says about himself, despite the fact that I wrote a book about musicians, I have no musical talent – but that didn't stop me from spending one of the best years of his life playing in a band with Spencer Ackerman. About the book In American popular music, we often glorify rebellious artists and “outlaws.” But in The Midnight Special, Colin Asher tells a deeper story about the criminal justice system’s impact on our musicians, explored through compelling portraits of five artists whose careers span the twentieth century. Opening with folk and blues artist Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, who was made to perform wearing prison clothes, Asher traces the intertwined histories of music and incarceration, from Southern prison farms of the Jim Crow era, through the heroin-driven mid-century drug wars that villainized a generation of jazz artists, and to our present era of mass incarceration. Asher shows how the suggestion of criminality has often benefited white artists, while prosecutions often hurt Black musicians. Comparing the divergent trajectories of jazz pianist Elmo Hope with country singer Johnny Cash, Asher examines how violent and discriminatory policing stifled Hope’s career and led to the creation of his album Sounds from Rikers Island (1963), while forgiveness and lenience brought us Cash’s masterpiece At San Quentin (1969). With keen musical analysis and sociological insight, The Midnight Special examines key themes in culture and criminal justice, from the movement for prison reform that allowed soul musician Ike White to stage thrilling concerts while locked up and record his album Changin’ Times (1977), to the crushing cultural weight of mass incarceration a generation later. Closing with Tupac Shakur’s Me Against the World (1995) and stories of music in prisons today, The Midnight Special recounts how prisons occasionally incubate talent but more often shorten careers and distort the public’s perception of musicians and their value to society. An urgent book about the ways music can affirm an individual’s sense of humanity in dehumanizing circumstances, The Midnight Special writes the history of prisons into American music—a story as important as it is overlooked. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    The Midnight Special: The Secret Prison History of American Music | Colin Asher

  2. Sep 17

    Julian Zelizer | Abraham Joshua Heschel, A Life of Radical Amazement | re-release

    Join Michael Zeldin as he speaks with Princeton historian Julian Zelizer about his book, Abraham Joshua Heschel, A Life of Radical Amazement. In his lifetime, Rabbi Heschel helped to carve out space for progressive religious voices on the national and international stage in the civil rights, anti-war, and religious freedom movements. Coretta Scott King, called Heschel “one of the great men of our times.” Julian Zelizer is the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Public Affairs, Princeton University. He is the author and editor of 20 books on American political history and is the winner of the Ellis Hawley Prize for Best Book on Political History among other awards. He is a political commentator on CNN and National Public Radio. Julian E. Zelizer has been among the pioneers in the revival of American political history. He is the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University and a CNN Political Analyst and a regular guest on NPR’s “Here and Now.” He is the author and editor of 22 books including, The Fierce Urgency of Now: Lyndon Johnson, Congress, and the Battle for the Great Society (2015), the winner of the D.B. Hardeman Prize for the Best Book on Congress and Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974 (Norton), co-authored with Kevin Kruse and Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, The Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party (Penguin Press). The New York Times named the book as an Editor’s Choice and one of the 100 Notable Books in 2020. His most recent book is Abraham Joshua Heschel: A Life of Radical Amazement (Yale University Press, Jewish Lives Series). In 2021-2022, he will publish three new edited volumes—Daniel Bell: Defining the Age: Daniel Bell, His Time and Ours (Columbia University Press, co-edited with Paul Starr); The Presidency of Donald J. Trump: A First Historical Assessment (Princeton University Press) and Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Lies and Legends About Our Past (Basic Books, co-edited with Kevin Kruse). He is currently working on a new book about the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and the 1964 Democratic Convention. Zelizer, who has published over 1000 op-eds, has received fellowships from the Brookings Institution, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, the New York Historical Society, and New America. He also co-hosts a popular podcast called Politics & Polls. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    Julian Zelizer | Abraham Joshua Heschel, A Life of Radical Amazement | re-release

  3. Sep 11

    The Wreck of the Mentor | Eric Jay Dolin

    Join Michael in his conversation with best–selling author Eric Jay Dolin about his latest book The Wreck of the Mentor which tells the story of the American whaling ship Mentor, wrecked in 1832 on a remote reef in the western Pacific. With supplies dwindling, the eleven surviving crewmen face not only the miseries of shipwreck in unfamiliar territory but also the profound uncertainty of contact with the Indigenous people of the Micronesian archipelago of Palau, who within days approach the deserted men brandishing axes, clubs, and spears. In this gripping saga of cultural collision, tribal wars, and dashed hopes, award–winning historian Eric Jay Dolin vividly reconstructs the Mentor’s doomed voyage, the years of perilous captivity, and the delicate negotiations and fraught naval rescue mission that followed. Illustrated by more than 100 images and maps, The Wreck of the Mentor is at once a powerful story of survival and a revealing window into the great Age of Sail―a time when maritime ambition collided with local sovereignty, and when the outcome of one voyage rippled across oceans and empires. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    The Wreck of the Mentor | Eric Jay Dolin

  4. Aug 25

    An Inconvenient Widow: The Torment, Trial, and Triumph of Mary Todd Lincoln | Lois Romano

    Join Michael in his conversation Lois Romano about her new book An Inconvenient Widow, The Torment, Trial and Triumph of Mary Todd Lincoln a revelatory new biography of one of the most misunderstood and vilified First Ladies in American history: Mary Todd Lincoln. Book Notes Mary Lincoln was at the center of politics at a time when society’s expectations for women were rigid and circumscribed. The product of Southern aristocracy, she grew up among an influential clan of politicians and elites who founded Lexington, Kentucky. Mary’s early exposure to the male-dominated world of politics instilled in her a keen political acumen and a fierce ambition. Proclaiming as a child that she was destined to become the wife of a president, she played a crucial role in boosting her husband to greatness. But her hopes for a triumphant experience at the pinnacle of power were lost to the Civil War and unfathomable family tragedies. Still, Mary persevered. She steadfastly supported the Union war effort, visited encampments, tended to wounded soldiers, and generously donated money and gifts to refugees from slavery. She was an unconventional, larger-than-life character who dressed too ostentatiously, grieved too publicly, suffered a shopping addiction, and seemed unable or unwilling to corral her emotions, her temper, and her opinions. She made enemies—influential men who wrote her story for her, often unfairly. After Lincoln was assassinated, she was all but abandoned by the nation he had given his life to defend and preserve. Former Washington Post writer and columnist Lois Romano rectifies the tortured legacy of Mary Todd Lincoln, who was failed at nearly every turn in her widowhood—by her family, by her government, by medical professionals ill-equipped to diagnose her mental illness, and finally, by history. Romano draws on hundreds of archives, letters, and memoirs to provide the most complete portrait—of not simply of an inconvenient widow, but of a brilliant and flawed woman, who possessed uncommon tenacity in the face of extraordinary adversity and personal torment, and helped launch one of America’s greatest presidents. Biography https://www.icrw.org/staff-members/lois-romano/ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    An Inconvenient Widow: The Torment, Trial, and Triumph of Mary Todd Lincoln | Lois Romano

  5. Aug 8

    Vermeer: A Life Lost and Found | Andrew Graham-Dixon; Guest Co-Host Prof. Philip Eliasoph

    Join Michael in his conversation with Andrew Graham-Dixon about his new book Vermeer, A Life Lost and Found which is a groundbreaking study of the seventeenth century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer.  Andrew is a British art historian, art critic, author and broadcaster and one of the leading art critics and presenters of arts television in the English-speaking world. He has presented numerous landmark series on art for the BBC and in the course of his storied career, has won numerous awards for writing and broadcasting. Joining Michael as a special guest to help facilitate this conversation is Dr. Philip Eliasoph, Professor of Art History and Visual Culture at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Dr. Eliasoph is a Professor of Art History and Visual Culture at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut.  Book Notes The paintings of Johannes Vermeer of Delft are some of the most beautiful, even sublime, in the history of art. Yet, like the life of Vermeer himself, they are mysterious and have for centuries defied explanation. Following new leads, and drawing on a mass of historical evidence, some of it freshly uncovered in the archives of Delft and Rotterdam, Andrew Graham-Dixon paints a dramatically new picture of Vermeer and vividly evokes the world of the Dutch Republic as it was in its so-called Golden Age.  Vermeer emerges from this account as a man deeply engaged with his society: well-travelled, a reader of books, a man personally connected to many of the most interesting people of his time, including merchants, philosophers, preachers, bankers, regents and bakers. He was also deeply affected by the struggles that shook his world: the Eighty Years War for Dutch independence and the yet more terrible Thirty Years War.  Graham-Dixon shows how Vermeer was moved to become a pacifist by such atrocities, and thereafter made many of his closest friends in the ranks of Europe's first peace movement. He reveals that Vermeer's closest collaborator and chief patron was a woman. These are all previously untold stories, and they have a direct bearing on his art.  The many piercing descriptions of Vermeer's pictures, which are at the heart of the book, shed new light on his intentions. Graham-Dixon reveals that nearly all of Vermeer's best loved works were originally painted for a single significant location in Delft. Every one of his major paintings, including Girl with a Pearl Earring, View of Delft and The Milkmaid, are reassessed and their meanings rethought. The two great unresolved questions about Vermeer - why did he paint his pictures, and what do they mean? - are persuasively answered here for the first time.  Biography Andrew Graham-Dixon https://www.andrewgrahamdixon.com/books.html  Paintings Discussed Philip Eliasoph https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Eliasoph Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    Vermeer: A Life Lost and Found | Andrew Graham-Dixon; Guest Co-Host Prof. Philip Eliasoph

  6. Jul 25

    Breaking Chains, Building Futures | Dr. Stanley Andrisse

    Join Michael in his conversation with Stanley Andrisse about his book Breaking Chains, Building Futures, Pathways to Redemption, Education, and Excellence which Chronicles his personal journey from incarceration to earning a doctorate as an endocrinologist scientist recording at the Gaithersburg Book Festival. Watch the event here Stanley is an American endocrinologist, scientist and writer. He is a tenured associate professor at Howard University College of Medicine and Georgetown Medical Center. In his early twenties he was sentenced to ten years in maximum security penitentiary on drug-related charges.  Biography https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08XHFN2ZR/about Book Notes Explore the realities of life behind and beyond bars through a collection of compelling, first-hand stories. In Breaking Chains, Building Futures: Pathways to Redemption, Education, and Excellence, activist and endocrinologist Dr. Stanley Andrisse brings together a profoundly moving collection of first-hand accounts from individuals impacted by various lengths of incarceration. This powerful book sheds light on the struggles, triumphs, and enduring hope of people navigating life under the weight of harsh prison sentences and the daunting challenges of reentry. Through these authentic stories, you'll witness the raw humanity of life behind bars and the determination of those striving to reclaim their futures. Meet inspiring individuals like: Oswald Newbold, sentenced to life at 20 after growing up with teenage parents battling addiction. William Freeman, who spent over two decades serving a life without parole sentence. Desiree Riley, a Black mother whose story highlights the intersection of race, gender, and parental incarceration. Dr. Andrisse also shares his personal journey from incarceration to becoming a scientist and leading Prison to Professionals (P2P), a nonprofit empowering justice-impacted individuals to pursue higher education and redefine success. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the human impact of criminal sentencing and incarceration. Breaking Chains, Building Futures is more than a chronicle of hardship―it's a testament to courage, resilience, and the unyielding pursuit of a better tomorrow. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    Breaking Chains, Building Futures | Dr. Stanley Andrisse

  7. Jul 3

    Reviving the Artist Who Fought Hitler | Irvin Ungar and Guest Co-host Philip Eliasoph

    Join Michael in his conversation with Irvin Ungar about his new book Reviving the Artist Who Fought Hitler, My Life with Arthur Szyk which tells the story of his journey from pulpit rabbi to the world’s foremost authority of the artist who became America’s leading anti-Nazi artist.  Irvin has devoted the past three decades to scholarship on Arthur Szyk. He is the author of Justice Illuminated: The Art of Arthur Szyk and the National Jewish Book Award–winning Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art; and he is the creator and publisher of the luxury limited edition of The Szyk Haggadah among many other accomplishments. During World War II, the Polish-Jewish immigrant Arthur Szyk became America’s leading anti-Nazi artist. His art was so effective that Adolf Hitler reportedly put a bounty on his head while the US military declared him a “citizen-soldier” of the free world. Szyk steadfastly fought for the rescue of European Jewry during the Holocaust, creating artworks like De Profundis, which imagines Jesus sharing the suffering of countless lifeless Jews. His civil rights art challenged segregation and his illuminated Declaration of Independence resides in the Library of Congress. Szyk’s masterwork, an illustrated Passover Haggadah, is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful books ever produced by human hands. Once world-famous, Arthur Szyk was all but forgotten after his death in 1951. Reviving the Artist Who Fought Hitler recounts Irvin Ungar's decades-long journey to restore Szyk to public consciousness, and become the principal collector, dealer, scholar, and promoter of Szyk’s art in the United States, Europe, and Israel. Richly illustrated and full of forgotten history, this memoir is an inspiring story of artistic passion and an invitation to commune with a heroic advocate for all humanity. Irvin Ungar https://utpress.utexas.edu/9781477333020/ https://www.szyk.com/ Check out some selected works by Arthur Szyk Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    Reviving the Artist Who Fought Hitler | Irvin Ungar and Guest Co-host Philip Eliasoph

  8. Jun 6

    Riding For America | Nancy Hays

    Join Michael in his conversation with Nancy Hays about her new young reader’s book Riding for America, The Story of Isaac Murphy, Sports Icon of the 19th Century which tells the story of the most storied and yet forgotten African American jockey of all time. Nancy received her bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois in Urbana and master’s degree from Northwestern University. She founded Nancy Hays Entertainment, Inc. in 1993. She is a professional singer, dancer, actor, and author. Riding for America is her first book. Riding for America is a story about a mother's sacrifice and inspiration as she guides her son to become the highest-paid and most successful sports icon of the 19th century. This book tells the story of their journey from slavery to the thrill of sports success, fame, and fortune. Isaac Murphy was a superstar with class, sophistication, and impeccable integrity. His life exemplifies perseverance and triumph against unimaginable odds. Isaac was a great son, pupil, mentor, husband, friend-and a great American. He deserves to be remembered and celebrated as one of the most extraordinary sports heroes in U.S. history. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    Riding For America | Nancy Hays
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About

Hosted by TV legal analyst and avid reader Michael Zeldin, That Said features in-depth, thought-provoking conversations with best selling non-fiction authors about their recently-released books. Guests include prominent journalists, historians, musicians, medical and legal professionals, and contemporary thought leaders. Each episode explores the stories behind the book and the larger questions the book raises about politics, leadership, history, health, the arts, and society -- providing listeners with a deeper understanding of why these books matter. Presented by CommPRO and the Museum of Public Relations and is a proud member of the MSW Media Network.

Information

  • Creator
    commpro.biz
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    205
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 That Said With Michael Zeldin
  • Show Website
    That Said With Michael Zeldin

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