she probably could have run general motors. she always operated from a position of feeling like she had no real authority or agency in the world. so i had -- it took me many years and many mistakes, many mistakes to overcome that and, in fact, even as recently as a few years ago after i had left my 30-year career with planned parenthood and i realized i had been, i had allowed the movement to subsume me and who i was, i had completely -- i had, i had given myself so completely over to it. and once again i listened to my father's words, and i realized he was right, i really could do anything my pretty little head desired. [laughter] ..

[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> that was dr. connie mariano

and gloria fedlt. the coverage of the fest vam of books will continue in a half hour with a discussion on astronomy, coauthors of observatories of the southwest. for a schedule of event coverage from this year's festival of books, visit booktv.org. more from tucson after this break. >> i had this enormous following and you're a kind of cult figure, and i was trying to figure out is there any recent historical figure that you think you are analyst to? people throw off the restraints of modesty. >> just to be clear though that 10,000 people come together because they are drawn to the

same vision of each other and want to think about and reflect on the incredible progress made over the last 20 years against what is a true crisis in the country, education and inequity, and what we need to do to solve the problem. >> you will be treated as a kind of rock star. [laughter] >> you know what, the sad reality is, i mean, maybe we would all wish, but, you know, there's critics and my friends, and it will be fun, but, you know, it's not all a love fest. >> the closest analogy i had was the marine corp., tough to get in, and then they send you to really nasty places; right? [laughter] in the movies, there's the moment where the one tough guy meets the other tough guy, and they are about to fight, and they go, wait, were you in the

marine corp.? did you go to vietnam? and yes, yes, and then their together. is there two alums who get together, where did you serve? south bronx, you? [laughter] and then they show each other their tattoos. [laughter] there is this, i mean, i'm joiking, but there is this kind of -- you are creating a kind of movement. the marine corp. alumni represents a movement representing a certain attitude toward the world. >> this is exactly the idea. i mean, this is the big idea. teach for america really isn't about -- we are about, teachers are critical, but teach for america is about building a movement amount our country's future leaders to say we have to change the way our education system is fundamentally, and i think in your article in the new

yorker about, about the formation of movements captured the whole theory of teach. it's the experience of teaching successfully in ways that, i know, i think we're creating a core of people who are absolutely determined to expand the opportunities facing kids in the most absolutely, you know, economically disadvantaged communities. you know, who are pouring themselves into their work and trying to put their kids on a different path and having varying levels of success and taking from that experience, incredible lesson. you know, they realize through their firsthand experience the challenges the kids face, the potential they have, and they realize it's ultimately possible to solve the problem, and that experience is not only important for their kids, but completely transformational for them. of course, they are all going through this together, age i think they leave with a common

set of convictions and insights, and just a common level of commitment to ultimately go out and effect fundamental changes we need to see to solve the problem. >> you have how many alum nee now? >> 20,000 alums. >> you consider your alumni to be as important as your active teachers in movement terms. >> yep. >> how many alumni do you need for a critical mass? >> well, owe know, i guess you never know what leads this to the tipping point. [laughter] >> you just bought yourself a good question. [laughter] >> you know, i don't know this is growing exponentially at this point, a mere, you know, five years ago we had 8800 alums, and today it's 20,000, and if we continue the growth, we'll have

more than 40,000 in five years from now. i look at what's happening in some communities where there's a critical mass and communities where we place people in some cases for 20 years within washington, d.c. and oakland, california, houston texas, and any other places and newark, new jersey where many things are happening today for many reasons, but if you took out the alums from the picture, you would take out the energy an leadership in those pictures. >> does the teach for america movement have an ideological personality? >> i think that people come out of this, age you know, we probably have -- we have a diverse community and people come into it viewing the issue we take on different ways from different sides of the political spectrum. i think people come out of it sharing largely sharing a few

views. one, i think people come out of it knowing we can solve the problem. it's not that the kids don't have the potential and the parents don't care. i mean, if you look at gallop polls and i'd be interested in seeing another one now that i think the prevailing ideology has started to shift a bit, but as of about three or four years ago, most people in our country thought that the reason we had low educational outcomes because kids were not motivated in low-income communities, and parents don't care. our members know for a fact that's not true. the kids work harder than any kids work, and they see the parents do care when they're brought into the process. they come out of it thinking when the kids are met with high expectations, given extra supports, they do well and realize there's no silver bullet in this. >> we're going to get do that. >> yeah. >> you can watch this and other

programs online at booktv.org. >> president obama issued a declare ration that this is read across america day all across the country. [cheers and applause] all right, president obama. [applause] there we go. we're grateful he did that and especially grateful that mrs. obama and secretary duncan are here. let's hear it for our special rairds. [cheers and applause] >> it sounds like you are pretty excited; right? what about? [laughter] thank you. we're also excited about reading; right? in our house we read all the time. do you know that? the president is a reader. we call him the fact supplier

because he knows facts both everything. you guys want to be facts people? you have to read, and we're going to do that. we're going to read something fun. secretary duncan and i were big dr. suess fans. >> we both have two children at home who are a little bit older than most of you guys, but if we had a nickel for every book reread, we'd be rich. these are great, great books. the more you read for fun at home, turn the tvs off at night, and just read and if you become lifelong readers, you can do anything you want to do. >> that's right. >> when i grew up, guess how many tvs we had in our house? >> eight? >> we had zero. we were read to every night.

we didn't always understand that, but it instilled the love of learning and reading. we are thankful for that. whatever it is, stories, mysteries, add -- adventure, comic books, whatever it is, read for fun and you'll do well the rest of your lives. ready to hear a story? >> all right. >> green eggs and ham. have you heard that one before? i am sam. i am sam. sam i am. that's sam i am. that's sam i am. i do not like that sam i am. do you like green hags and ham? >> i do not like them, sam i am. i do not like green eggs and ham. >> would you like them here or there? >> i would not like them here or there. i would not like them anywhere. i do not like green eggs and ham. i do not like them, sam i am.

>> would you like them in a house? would you like them with a mouse? >> i do not like them in a house. i do not like them with a mouse. i do not like them here or there. i do not like them anywhere. i do not like green eggs and ham. i do not like them, sam, i am. >> would you eat them in a box? would you eat them with a fox? >> not in a box, not with a fox, not in a house, not with a mouse. i would not eat them here or there. i would not eat them anywhere. i would not eat green eggs and ham. i do not like them, sam, i am. >> would you, could you in a car, eat them, eat them, here they are. >> i would not in a car. >> you may like them in a tree. >> i would not, could not in a tree, not in a car.

let me be. i do not like them in a box, with a fox, in a house, i do not like them with a mouse. i do not like them here or there. i do not like them anywhere. i do not like green eggs and ham. i do not like them, sam, i am. >> i -- a train, a train, i train, could you, would you? >> not in a train, not in a tree, not in a car, sam, let me be. i could not would not with a box, i will not eat them with a mouse or in a house or eat them here or there. i will not eat them anywhere. i do not like green eggs and ham. i do not like them sam, i am. >> say, in the dark, here in the dark, would you, could you in the dark? >> i would not, could not in the dark. >> would you, could you in the rain? >> i would not could not in the rain, not in the dark, not on a train, not in a car, not in a

tree. i do not like them, sam, you see. not in a house, with a mouse, in a fox, in a box, i do not like them anywhere. >> you do not like green eggs and ham? >> i do not like them sam, i am. >> could you would you with a goat? >> no. [laughter] >> i would not, could not with a goat. >> would you, could you on a boat? >> i could not, would not on a boat. i will no, will not with a goat. i will not eat them in the rain. i will not eat them on a train, not in the yard, in a tree, in a car, please let me be. i do not like them in a box, with a fox, i will not eat them in a house. i do not like them with a mouse. i will not eat them here or there. i do not like them anywhere. i do not like green eggs and

ham. i don't like them, sam, i am. [laughter] >> you do not like them, so you say? [laughter] >> i tried to tell you this. >> try them. try them, and you may. try them, and you may, i say. >> sam, if you will let me be, i will try them and then you will see. >> is he trying them? >> yes. >> say, i like green eggs and ham. i do. i like them, sam, i am, and i would eat them in a boat, and i would eat them with a goat, and i would eat them in the rain and in the dark and on a train and in a car and in a tree. they are so good, so good you see, so i will eat them in a box, and i will eat them with a

fox, and i will eat them in a house and with a mouse, and i will eat them here and there and i will eat them everywhere. anywhere. i love you, sam. i do so like green eggs and ham. thank you, thank you, sam, i am. >> give a round of applause. [cheers and applause] >> oh, my. i love green eggs and ham. i have other special guests for you. who do you think that might be? no, president obama is not here, but it's someone better. taller than president obama. cat in the hat? could cat in the hat be here? where is cat in the hat? , where? tell him to come out.

come out, cat in the hat! [cheers and applause] oh, my, and who is this? thing one and thing two? [cheers and applause] oh, my. >> wow. >> oh, look at that tail. all right. now, with cat in the hat and thing one and thing 2 all in this together and mrs. obama and secretary duncan, we want to do a readers pledge with you. are you ready? you have to raise your right hand. your other right hand. [laughter] raise them high. >> all right. all the hand up. >> when you hear me say something, repeat it after me nice and loud. ready? are you ready?

[cheers and applause] all right. i promise to read. >> i promise to read. >> each day and each night. >> each day and each night. >> i know it's the key. >> i know it's the key. >> to growing upright. >> to growing up right. >> i'll read to myself. i'll read to a crowd. >> it makes no difference. >> it makes no difference. >> if silent or loud. >> i'll read at my desk. >> i'll read at my desk. >> at home and at school. >> at home and at school. >> on my bean bag or bed. >> on my bean bag or bed. >> each book that i read. >> each book that i read >> puts smart in my head. >> because brains grow more thoughts. >> because brains grow more

thoughts. >> the more they are fed. >> the more they are fed. >> so i take this oath. >> so i take this oath. >> to make reading a way. >> to make reading a way. >> of feeding my brain. >> of feeding my brain. >> what it needs every day. >> what it needs every day. >> everybody clap. [applause] >> book tv is covering the festival of the book live online on march 17 and 18. we are airing several events each of those days live online. here's a look at the schedule.

>> about five years ago, i got a letter from a teacher that i had in 8th grade in chicago.

>> host: the blessings of thanksgiving. >> kind of what it meant to me. >> is it on your fridge now at your house? >> guest: in some box with all my memorabilia, but it was remarkable she saved that. anyhow, i apparently i wrote well and a teacher said you need to join the high school newspaper, and i had never thought of writing. i actually liked acting. i was in a lot of plays and things like that which i'm very grateful i was now because that helped me as a television broadcaster, learning how to use and project your voice and not being afraid to get in front of people and speak. i joined the newspaper, and they gave me a column called division news.

they were not homerooms then, but divisions, and my job was to go around to all the homerooms and interview people about what was going on with the people in their homeroom. >> host: great. >> guest: it was actually kind of a gossip column or something with who won the spelling bee or science fair, but i enjoyed so much having access that, me, carole, could talk to students and teachers and write them up and see my byline, oh, my goodness. it is -- it's kind of a heady experience. >> host: yes, indeed. you make the decision that this is going to be your life's work. >> guest: i loved it. i'm like, i loved this. the attention, the access, people coming up to me wanting

to tell me information. >> host: right, right. >> guest: and i was a curious child who read a lot. i guess i was pretty nerdy, but it all worked, the reading, the writing, the access, and being able to ask questions and get answers was just wonderful, and i said this is what i want to do, but did i know anybody black who was a reporter? did i know any white woman that was a reporter or any woman? all i knew was louis lane from superman, and then the start from the comic books, but the idea, i knew there was a "chicago tribune". there were all kind of great newspapers in chicago at the time, and my parents were avid newspaper readers, and so seeing

the bylines in the newspaper there and people covering things about murders and fires and politics, and i just decided that i had to do that. >> host: and you go, and your tell your parents this is what you've decided. you want a career as a journalist. what do they say? >> guest: ha, ha, ha, silly little girl. you can't be a journalist. women don't do that. certainly black women don't do that. you need to go become a teacher, and so you can take care of yourself. you can always get a teaching job, but we don't want to spend tuition. it was a struggle for them to get my tuition together for me, and it was like you need to be a teacher or a nurse or a social workers. that's just about all the things

young women in the 60s would aspire to. i was like no, i don't want to do that. i really want to do this. there were a lot of fights in my household and a lot of slamming of my door and putting my foot down, and, again, this was the first no. no, you can't do this, and i was just determined, and finally they saw i was not going to be happen or a good person to live with unless i got this opportunity, so they supported me, and i thank god for having supportive parents who didn't go to college, but made sure me and my sister did. >> host: at some point you hear a second no, the second of many no's when you apply to school, northwestern. >> north western university was right outside chicago, and that's where i wanted to go because at the time, it was one the best journalism schools in the country, and i had great

grades. as i told you, i was in all kinds of activities and things, and i had a b-plus, a-minus average from high school, and i applied to northwestern, and little did i know there was a quo that system going on. they acknowledged it now that there was a quo that of the number of jews and the number of blacks that they took into the clj, and so -- college, and so i go to the admission counselor, and he said i was wasting my time, that i needed to go become a nice english teacher to get a job, but i'd never get a job working for the "chicago tribune," so i knew what was going to happen, and i got the rejection notice a few weeks later. we regret to inform you -- i remember the first words. >> host: a thin envelope. >> guest: a thin envelope, no

forms of housing to fill out, just a little tiny letter, and i was like, and my parents, thank god, said we told you so, and i applied somewhere else. >> host: you do that, and eventually graduate from where and what year? >> university of michigan and why the year? >> host: never mind. >> guest: 1962. >> host: and you did well in school? >> guest: i did well in school again, and there were 60 graduates in my class from journalism, and everyone had a job at graduation time except me. >> host: the little red hen did not have a job again. >> guest: so i went to work at the chicago public library where i worked every summer from the time i was 15 years old. here i am with a degree, and i'm going back to my high school job, my college summer job, and

i was disappointed, but i just felt something's going to happen, something's going