you do your own school. we will be back shortly. .. of them i need to finish now, one of them is on william wilberforce. he was a great man in history responsible for eliminating the slave trade in great britain and he's one of my political heroes in life. the abolitionists in america

looked to him and his example of how to get rid of slavery in the united states. so almost anything i can read about wilberforce i try to get my hands on. and the book i want to book this summer and it's a tremendous book about his life and how he brought people together to eliminate the slave trade in great britain. another book that i'm going to read this summer is called the longest day. it's about that terribly long day when we invaded europe at normandy that eventually led to the end of world war ii. and a friend of mine recommended it and it's an amazing book and i'm excited about reading that. some recent books that i read that i would recommend to people, one, written by a navy seal. about his experiences in afghanistan and it's called the lone survivor and he is the lone survivor and it's one of the

more remarkable stories of human courage and really is a tribute to the courage of his comrades who lost their lives in that time in afghanistan but it's a tremendous book. another great book that i just read not too long ago called the great upheaval by jay winik. it's fascinating in that it talks about the french revolution, the american revolution and what was happening in russia with catherine the great at the same time and it ties history together better than any book that i've ever read especially how each one of those -- each one of those countries affected each other and so it's one of the better history books that i've ever read. >> to see more summer lists and other program information visit our website at booktv.org. ♪

>> "after words" with tyranny cahill and delegate eleanor holmes norton continues. >> host: we're back with ms. cahill, who ran a remarkable campaign for congress. i can't tell you she's not one of my colleagues but she may be and how this was a remarkable book. "ms. cahill for congress" came out in paperback. i've indicated that you have been critical of the profession and of schools, but you've also offered a defense of schools and teachers and where they find themselves. can book is not a diatribe about

schools. what's right and wrong with education you need to get yourself another book. if you want to have some fun reading about education, about how one teacher went about teaching children what they needed to know in the sixth grade, all that they needed to do plus, plus what they learned by managing her campaign, then you'll find to read "ms. cahill for congress." now, at the same time that miss cahill does not spare schools when she thinks they should not be spared. she's been a teacher and she knows what it's like to work in those vineyards. i should offer an admission so you know where i'm coming from. my mother was a school teacher and she taught in the d.c. public schools. i have great affection for the d.c. public schools and the d.c.

charter schools in particular. public education has been part and parcel of my own life beginning with my own parents. that would be enough to make me defend schools and i don't think being a teacher was enough to make you offer the defense you do in a paragraph in this book where you call it a mirror of society that can't turn away kids and go on further. so why don't you describe your own sense of what it's like to have to work in a transient district. >> guest: uh-huh. >> host: like many schools today, wherever they throw at you, you got to teach. why it like for somebody in that profession today thrown into that situation? >> guest: right. well, i've taught in a number of different educational settings. my very first job was in compton, california in the inner city and my husband and i initially went there. we wanted to work and give back to our country. we had initially wanted to go in

the peace corps and we were married and had our son and so we weren't able to go so compton was an introduction to me to education. it was my first teaching job. i taught kindergarten and first grade there. it was a huge learning curve. you know, i've taught in private schools and i've taught in catholic and christian schools and then spent the majority of my career in the public schools. >> host: you went to catholic school yourself, didn't you? >> guest: i attended catholic school as well as public school. when my parents were divorced my mother couldn't attend private schools. i have frustration when they talk about vouchers and how productive the private schools are. why can't they -- the public schools do what their doing. and, you know, if we suppose we'd pick our clients maybe we could have the same results because it's a little disinag n disinagaindisinagain

-- difficult when you have 99% of our kids go to college. you don't service special needs children and, you know, your requirement is sort of filter out folks maybe you don't want there. so that's really not a fair comparison. it's apples and oranges. i love the public schools because they do take everybody and it can be a child we call them children in transition in our school district which is homeless. it can be a child, of course, who's maybe struggling with addictions. their family is very unstable. it could be a very, very high end child who has a very supportive family and strong education background in that family and really pushing that child. but we educate the spectrum. and we accept them all when they come through those doors whether they are in wheelchairs, walkers, sneakers, no backpacks. we take them all and we -- we get them wherever they are and we hopefully are moving them forward and it's hard work.

it's hard work. and i do feel like the public schools are a mirror to society in that, you know, often you can tell what the village is like by the school. and if you walk in that school you're going to see the same ills that are outside that school because those children bring those issues into the school and we need to find ways to help them and to deal with it and to educate them. >> host: i'm a great devote of our catholic schools here but i have very much been against public money to private schools. we had a voucher experiment thrust upon us against the will of the majority of the people here. republicans were in power and refused to bring a bill for vouchers to the floor because they can do anything they wanted to in the district. they've done so. the results show that the children who were already in

private school are doing fine. >> guest: sure. >> host: but the experiment was children in the very same place, in the poorest-performing schools public schools that's been lost. now they're comparing children who already were doing well with children who are in the public schools whereas i'm in the position of having gone to public school. >> guest: uh-huh. >> host: but there has to be an alternative for a child if the public school can't do its job and we have an extraordinary no longer experiment. a third of our children go to public charter schools. >> guest: yes. >> host: publicly supported. >> guest: yes. >> host: that means off with your head if you're doing what you're supposed to do. in a private school especially do we respect freedom of religion. we can't go into that religion to find out very much. so there's a needless kind of controversy here when the people have voted with their feet for

an extraordinary public alternative. i don't think it's happened anywhere else in the country but i was interested in your view because you have the kind of balance that we need to bring to education. a child in a different school for every child as the public school is, it ought to be a publicly supported school that is accountable to the public if our public funds is going to go to those schools. >> guest: that's right. >> host: i was very intrigued by your role as an educator and teachers don't know everything and making children understand that and you show your role according to your book more as a facilitator than a classic teacher. >> guest: uh-huh. >> host: and you told a story about how the nevada or the reno school system didn't have enough social studies books. in fact, didn't have any so you used newspapers and there were these weird words i guess they come from washington, names of

agencies that don't really describe what the agency does and you would say instead of -- and so you're asked a question, a rather embarrassing question and you would say, well, let's look it up. >> guest: sure. >> host: and you used a phrase passionately curious from einstein. describe how you kept their respect while you didn't know? >> guest: i think one of the most important role you play as a teacher is to show that you're a learner and what a good learner means. and you sure don't know everything. there's no way everybody can know everything, right? and i think often particularly maybe young teachers maybe feel threatened if there's a question that's asked and they don't know the answer so maybe well, right now they put that child off well, you've just lost an opportunity to show what it means to be an educated person and be a learner because you don't need to know everything. what you need to know is how do you find out.

how do we educate ourselves? and it's good to be curious. it's good not to know and ask questions. we want children to do that. we want them to really probe and to be curious. we don't want to shut them down because it's not in this chapter and we're not learning that yet. i mean, let's really explore and that's what education should be. it should be an exploration in learning. >> host: well, miss cahill, once you get these passionate learners before you, they'll want to know in a political campaign where do you stand on some of the issues. >> guest: oh, sure. and they did. >> host: they asked you -- they asked some passionately curious questions for you. and you talk about questions like what are your views on abortion? now, these -- you are -- you are -- you are raising this class to be insistent learners so they ask you, okay, miss cahill, we want to know where you stand on abortion. everybody talks about it here.

how do you handle a question like, we're all supposed to ask questions. >> guest: you know i made a commitment to the parents and that was that i was not going to brainwash their children into becoming some liberal. that was not my goal. my goal was not to focus on issues but to focus on the process. and so when that child did kind of corner me and ask me that, and i knew his family background. i knew his parents were struggling. they were looking at a divorce. they were a very religious family. so i would say, christian conservative and kids tend to like their teachers. you know, they tend to look at them as a role model. another grownup they have an attachment to. >> host: which is why it's so important that we both have freedom, academic freedom and teachers take that seriously by, quote, not brainwashing their children. >> guest: that's not our job, absolutely. so when that young man asked, he, you know -- he was very cute because he said, i won't tell

anybody. i just really want to know, you know, what do you think, miss cahill by abortion? and my heart really kind of ached for him because i knew that he was trying to see if we lined up, you know, with his religious views. and he liked me. he didn't not want to like me. >> host: and he didn't want the wrong answer. >> guest: he wanted his answer. i said sweetheart, what i really care about is what you think. i think what's important here is what you believe. so what do you think about that issue? and he said, well, i think it's wrong. i think that's a life. and that could have been me. and, you know, most children will associate those issues with themselves. and i understand that and so i very empathetically totally understand i don't think what i believe on this issue is important. what i believe is important and i really hope you talk to your mom and dad about that. it's important that you have

those family conversations. >> host: that is a wonderful demonstration in the kind of cross-examination you want a teacher do rather than quote answer the question. will be a mess, honestly. i think it's going to be a mess. if we can stay in the front of the field, we'll be okay. >> starting alongside vickers will be last year's sonoma winner kyle busch. marcos ambrose qualified third but will start at the rear of the field due to an engine change. both stewart-haas cars start in the top ten. tone you stewart is fourth while ryan newman starts seventh. and how about nascar now analyst boris said? he'll roll off ninth and should be a factor throughout the day. i'm mike massaro sitting alongside mike wallace. when it comes to road course racing, the two guys we always watch out for, jeff gordon and tony stewart. mike, they've combined for 15 career road course wins. what it is about their style that makes them so good at this type of racing? >> first of all, we're out in wine country, so we'll use the

word "smooth" to start with. tony stewart and jeff gordon have grown up to be very smooth with their race car. they know if they keep all four tires on the racetrack, they'll have a great day, good, smooth shift, good braking. that that's what takes them smooth. >> i don't know if the restarts will be all this smooth today. we heard brian vickers say he thinks the restarts will be a mess being double file. if you were in this race, what would be your biggest concern? >> number one, i would be excited to be in the race first of all. brian vickers starts up front, but you got to get in the corner cautiously and make sure you don't run over someone, run into the side of them and hope nobody runs over the back of you. it's going to be exciting. what's going to be better? if you were lined up 15th in a double file restart, you're seventh. you got a shot at a top ten. >> all that easier said than done, not getting run over or running someone over at a road course. who will win this thing? >> i got to go with kyle busch. momentum is on his side. when i say "momentum," he won bo

th races there last year and watkins glen. he thinks he can win the race and he normally does. >> there's reason for confidence. he won at just about every road course race there was to win a year ago. nascar now returns for the monday round table edition at 5:00 eastern on espn 2, allen bestwick will be joined in studio by ricky craven, ray evernham and mike wallace. join them for a complete recap on the sonoma race monday at 5:00 eastern. this has been your nascar now pit pass. >> and just a reminder, after the race, turn it over here, espnews your home for all your nascar sprint cup series post-game action tonight from sew know minicamp tune in to espnews for your news conferences, highlights analysis. still to come, they're ready to kick it off at the tennis club in wimbledon. venus williams ready for another charge. we'll hear from venus straight ahead.

>> continuing here on espnews, let's talk tennis. in the open era, only martina n.f.l. that low have a and steffi graf have won more ladies singles titles than venus williams. she's won back-to-back wimbledon crowns. overall she's 58-7 with seven finals appearances. on the eve of the start of this year's championship, third-seeded venus had this to say on the key to her success at wimbledon.

>> everybody wants to know the secret. there is no secret, just hard work, doing the right thing at the right moment and making it happen. when you walk on the court, it's all business. there's no moment to enjoy until you have the win. that's how it is in sports. you focus, focus, focus, and then when it's done you enjoy it. in previous years i have had just a great feeling at this tournament, and i'm looking forward to having that feeling again. >> it's fantastic to look up and see a good number by your name and it is wimbledons and it's great to be part of history. i ar am. if i can step it up a notch, it will be even more of an honor, but i guess it will mean more and more every year when it's all said and done. >> over next two weeks here at espnews, we'll be bringing you all the wimbledon updates on early and late matches alike. now chris fowler and patrick mcenroe with a look ahead from

the all england club. >> in england, the grass courts at wimbledon green and pristine and ready for the beginning of the championships here on monday, but as one pundit said today, it's a bit like strawberries without the cream because the world number one and defending men's champion rafael nadal forced to withdraw, ten nights in the knees just too painful. he's back in majorca coming up. he promises to be ready for the summer hard court season in pursuit of his first u.s. open title. we will not have a fourth consecutive rafa-roger final. the focus now shifts to the search for the 15th final for roger federer and andy murray, who was in nadal's side of the draw. >> it is a major disappointment not having nadal here, first time the defending champ on the men's side not defending their title since ivanisevic. even with nadal here, i still

liked federer to come back and win wimbledon again. >> and get major title number 15 for passing pete sampras. he seems so loose after winning in paris, getting the weight off his shoulders. skipped the grass tune-up but seems ready here. >> he will be ready. he's tied with sampras all time with the french open title he won, 14-5 in major finals. the only guy he's lost to has been nadal. he's looking for number six at wimbledon. so emotional he was when he won his first wimbledon title back in '03. he cried even back then. you can expect to see a lot more tears if he's here on the final sunday. >> they're hoping for a federer-murray final. can murray end the seven-plus decades of few fit for british men here? >> i like his chances. i'm not sure he's got enough oomph in his game to go all with t way. he was due to play nadal in the semifinals. look for murray and andy

roddick. i think roddick has a big run in him, too. >> the williams sisters on opposite sides of the draw. they made the final last year. venus going for a three-pete. >> venus ander is row that are the only two women who come in here thinking they should win this tournament. certainly venus loves playing here. her length is so effective on this surface. serena getting to the final last year has won here in the past, but this is really venus territory right here. this is where she needs to play her best tennis every year. throw out whatever she's done in the last couple months, particularly at the french open. look for venus or serena to take the title here. >> serena hasn't won this in six years. she's very hungry. yes, there's a roof here, but maybe we wouldn't need it. can you believe it? the forecast for the first week of wimbledon dry. no wind expected. we hope you join us. our customary starting time, 7:00 a.m. eastern time on espn 2 for the beginning of the championship. we'll see you then.

>> we all learned a lot from our dads, and this is the perfect day the share that and say thanks. rick reilly for the past few months has been talking the star athletes for his new series called "homecoming." rick visits with the athletes right in their home towns in the company of the people that mean the most to them. on this father's day, here are these athletes and their fathers. listen to their stories about shaping a life's path. >> tell us about your dad. >> tough guy. very tough guy, but, you know, the type of man that that you really respected. you knew that if you didn't do your job, you would get disciplined, and my father would take me to work with him during the summer. >> what did he do in >> he was a bricklayer, and my job was to make sure that he had bricks to lay. >> in the summer? >> in the summer, like 110 degrees every day. it was very, very difficult work, but it taught me the meaning of hard work. >> i don't know if i've ever known an athlete that was closer

to his dad than you were. i remember you saying you loved to play catch, baseball catch with your dad, but in the sixth grade he stopped playing with you. do you remember why? >> because i started throwing the ball hard enough he couldn't hold a martini in the other hand. [laughter] once i could throw it hard enough to hurt his hand, he said, okay, that's it, i'm done. >> what's that like when your 12-year-old boy says, you know what, dad, you're not going to have to work pretty soon. i'm going to take care of you. >> obviously he turned out okay. but... but isn't that god's plan for all the kids to take care of their parents? god has blessed josh and we are just lucky to have him here tonight. >> now how old was he when you realized, wait a minute, this kid's pretty good, maybe this kid's a little special? >> well, actually, he was pretty good even when we played flag football and he had defense. he could run.

>> who would have ever thought i could run at one point in my life. >> surprising. >> your dad had four kids. you have four kids. as you've gone along parenting, what do you realize you learned from your dad? >> to really be available to them and to support what they're doing, even if it's not what you choose to do or what you have sort of hoped they would do in their life and just to support them and really be engaging, to be involved if what they're doing, not just being present. >> those stories from rick reilly's new series "homecoming" debuts july 9th, 7:00 eastern. for five weeks you'll go home with riley and some famous athletes. >> we'll tell you who is leading the charge at the bethpage ope