got involved in every single one of her publications. i am not the editor because that is not my core strength. but i watch over the publications and i helped get it organized and make sure things are on track. i also started making sure that all of our best people are working on it. >> we are publishing hard choices on june 10. .. overseeing all aspects, working closely with all the people that the company. >> is the editor, is there a lot of e-mails back and forth to train you and the author, is that how it's done? >> every case is different. in this case they try to get just as much attention to secretary clinton's book is out

to all wealthy authors who publish. i should mention the same breath where publishing james webb, who is a terrific united states senator and his focus right now. so i don't want to favor one author over another. >> when we acquired that book, jonathan karp knocked down here and now sits there was anything we could do for the e-book specifically to brainstorm some ideas and talked about when the right time to act on those ideas might be. we been thinking about also as a digital product from the very beginning. >> of my rule is the national media and the communications team. >> what is an effective media campaign? verdugo? >> depends on what the book is and it depends on what the potential for a book is. there is what i like to think of as top-down campaigns, campaigns like hillary clinton, which begin with national media and

breakout from there. a few big hit generate a number of things that sort of create themselves. >> my role at the clinton title has been to work on the marketing side of that, which has involved a website for the book, increase the page, the production of promotional videos, the release of content on the web. my role up to now has an very much the digital marketing role on this particular title. and it has been a fun one because so many people are watching and so many people care. or make a lot of videos for which we don't have many go up on the home page of aol for their yahoo! picks up instantly and puts on a major page. that part it's been really fun. >> watch for hillary clinton to appear in booktv soon on her latest book, hard choices.

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>> next is let's just say it wasn't pretty by diane keating and then followed by everything i needed to know. for more information visit latimes.com. >> next, live from the chicago tribune printers row lit fest thomas johnson and james nowlan discuss illinois politics in their book "fixing illinois: politics and policy in the prairie state". >> good morning, everybody. my name is john dudly. if gives me pleasure to welcome

you to the lit fest. i want to thank you to the sponsors that make this event possible. the author's book fixing illinois is on sale right now in the main lobby. there will be signing copies of the book outside of the auditorium outsidef of the conversation. today's program is broadcast live on c-span booktv and if there are questions we ask thad that you use the microphone so the vow viewers can hear. if you would like to see this again it will air again at 11 p.m. please subscribe to the road journal. this year we are introducing a digital bookstore through our

tribune book app. before i begin today's program. take a moment to silence your cellphone. please turn your camera flash off. you may take pictures. in fact, we encourage you to do so and post to twitter, instagram or facebook using #printersrowfest. it is my pleasure to announce the moderator. >> i cannot think of a more appropriate discussion in 2014 and an election year too a conversation with you and the authors of the book "fixing illinois: politics and policy in the prairie state" there is a book coming out i believe on tuesday by hilary clinton called "hard choices" and that might have been a more appropriate title.

on my far right is j. thomas johnson. tom was appointed president of the tax federation of illinois in 2006 and became president in january of last year. he was on the illinois revenue board and was the chairman of the gaming board as well. tom johnson. [ applause ] >> to my direct right is james nowlan. jim was a senior aid to three governors. he is president of stark county communication and they publish community newspapers in central illinois. he is vice chair of the illinois ethics commission that oversees the ethics and ethics training of 120,000 state of illinois employees. he was elected to the house of represent in 1968 at the age of

26. four years later, then governor richard ogle tapped jim to be his running mate as the republican candidate for lieutenant governor. welcome, please, jim nolan. [ applause ] >> now, i read this book and encourage you to do so if you care about the future of illinois. given what these gentlemen do in the book, it is series of recommendations or basically just conversation points. i had tom and jim on my radio show on wgn earlier today called the sunday spin and one of the questions i had was given all of the problems in the state of illinois, their recommendations only total 98. you couldn't get to 100? and by the end of the show we did get to 100. i want to address, and something i learned from talking to them

both, the last chapter of the book is entitled "corruption: an enduring tradition. "and you explained you made it the last chapter of the book for a reason. >> yeah, we believe -- in fact a gallop poll did a poll on trust in government and illinois ranked next to last in terms of citizen's trust in government. corresponding to that was also a poll question asked if you could would you move from your state. and illinois ranked first in that regard or last. and they are tied hand in hand. we believe the basic need in fixing illinois is to address our corruption and ethics in

illinois state government and local government as well. and jim had a prospective on that coming from a slight different angle. >> there is a cost to corruption we found in a survey of illinois development executives 2/3rds said the corruption effected somewhat or a great deal efforts to recruit business to come into the state of illinois. so it is a serious problem not only for the perception but in a sense in a reality of recruiting business in the state of illinois. >> but when you -- you have almost what i would say is an x ex -- acceptance of corruption. i wonder if there is an

acceptance among people there is always going to be some level of corruption and at least maybe we be -- we can -- try to find people with the bar low so tolerance is accepted. >> i was going to note i teach american politics at the university of illinois, or used it, and each course i would give an exercise to students, most seniors headed for law school, and in this exercise, i said your older brother has been charged with a serious dui. he is in his first year out of college, must have a car to do the job. his wife is at home pregnant with their first child. and the savvy lawyer for the older brother says look, i am confidant i can get this case dismissed if you will provide me

$1,000 in cash beyond my fee and the question the older brother asks the younger sibling anonymously is should he go for it or reject the idea. and in 7-8 courses in which i did the exercise, 2/3rd of the students said go for it. gives you a sense of what i consider a culture of corruption that too many of us in illinois feel we should take advantage of government because that is what everybody else does. >> what do we do about this? we know it is an enduring tradition. but what changes that kind of mentality? >> i think we need a take a bold initiative. we have passed nibbling around the edges ethic reform legislation in illinois but nothing specific with strong

penalties. if we take on the challenge we want to fix illinois, we have to take bold initiatives. and one of those areas we need to do that in is in the area of ethics and corruption. legislation that people look at and say wow is what i mean. did you see what they are doing in illinois? jim made a point that, you know, it used to be cigarette smoking was standard for young people. now it is no longer a standard vice. drinking and driving and so forth was okay. it is no longer acceptable in our culture. corruption can be no longer acceptable. and ethics lapse can no longerby acceptable. if we create a structure that that is the messening the public demands of their officials maybe

we can have the same level of success on this area as we have in cigarette smoking and in driving while intoxicated. so we can do it. we just have to embrace it and say this is what we need to do to address the problems that this state faces. >> give the mere suggestion number 99. >> we have 98 suggestions in this book. we invite people to add another 99. you know, our e-mail are in the book. just send us a great idea. this was my 99th. eliminate all public pension for all elected officials in the state of illinois. >> not civil severants and career employees but elected officials. why do i say that? pensions are a benefit for a professional core of long-term

employees and that is what what elected officials are. i am so tired of reading in tth the "chicago tribune" about a public official committed a crime, pled guilty and it took a year & half so they drew pension the whole time before sentences. if we eliminated that and gave every public official a 5% raise and said contribute that to your ira you are no longer covered by public pensions. that is not what they were created for. it is for long-term professional employment. get rid of it. why have that cloud hanging over public official because 2-5 have ethical lapses and paint ugly pictures for all of the

servants. >> jim, you note the history of smoking and drinking and driving and that seems like a generational kind of change. one of the recommendations, jim, in the book is about teaching ethics as part of high school curriculum. >> we require two years of social science in the high school curriculum. indiana requires three and i think that is more typical in illinois. i think one should be devoted to civics or american government at least and that clearly has elements about ethical behavior should be part of that correspondence work. >> we touched on this earlier today about education and things like that and this really goes to one of the early chapters in

the book where you talk about the issue of renalism in illinois. and you have the political differences and most recently in this state the issue of carrying a concealed firearm in public. and the issue of down state illinois, the six counties outside of the chicago area, and truly then in chicago and more urbanized area, the urban areas are more supportive of gun control and down states more supportive of gun rights. and illinois under a court order was able to come up with the law thatoo make illinois the last state in the country that leg legalized the concealed carry of

firearms. and you made a comparison of texas. don't mess with texas. texas is its own country for anyone who hasn't been there. but in illinois there is diversity. and that has consequences. the suburbs of chicago is looked at as one state and look at down state, lack of growth, declining economy, fewer educational choices and also link that to come neighborhoods in chicago. >> i think many parts of depleted rural down state illinois have a great deal in common with the struggling neighborhoods in the city of chicago but they don't realize the commonalities they face.

you talked about regionalism and how it can be reversed. >> we have two regions. the metro area and then rest of the state. maybe the northeastern part of the region has identified itself as a metroplex and one of the great city areas of the world. and the rest of the state lost who they are. what are their goals, dreams and aspirations. how do they tie themselves to chicago? >> or will they tie themselves to chicago? >> we need to edge educate them about the fact their livelihood

is dependent on this area. many of the things produced in illinois are consumed by people in the area. how do we respect different traditi traditions when it comes to regional areas and we need to help the public understand how we are interconnected and the differences >> and that suggest the great met met metropolitan does a great of planning and put out broader economic development studies of the metro area. but illinois as a state is lost in all of that because it is the poor cousin to the metropolitan area. we don't do long-term thinking at the state level.

there is no planning unit in the budget or civics units on a state-wide bases that think about the problems and issues related to regionalism. we need to do more of that. >> or begin to do that. >> let's go back and do the overview here. illinois is a state facing many challenges. if we are not at the tipping point we may have tipped over already. most of those challenges, basically are financial challenges and those kind of affect economic issues about the -- we talked about corruption but the state's economy and businesses that might look to come to illinois are looking for a financial certainty and so you have a state with a $100 billion unfunded pension liability. we have a law that is passed but it is being challenged in the

court. let's take that off the table, though. you have, we just saw lawmakers left springfield and passed a $35.7 billion budget even though there is not revenue there to sustain the budget and there is a budget balance requirement in the constitution. one thing noted in the book is we have a finance structural imbalance in what the state takes in, how it takes it in and what it delivers. how do we fix that mess? >> we have this long-term planning. how do we tell the people how we will take care of the pension problem? how do we tell businesses looking to invest in the state

this problem is going to be managed? on the revenue side of the fiscal challenges, our tax structu structure depends on narrow-base taxes in the area of sales tax -- which is the primary revenue of state government. we tax goods at very high rates and we don't tax services at all. in the income tax area, we don't tax retirement income. we give a big property tax credit. both of them grow faster than the income tax base. so what we structured in illinois from a tax perspective is what i call an anemic tax structure. it doesn't grow with the economy and slower to growth. and we have to knowledge that we need fix that. and in our book we proposed various ways to do that. broadening the base of our tax structure. lowering the rates and with that broad n based we will get more

revenue growth than in the current structure. we need to have have long term vision of our fiscal challenges and how we will address them. if we do that, we will gain the confidence that we have a long-term plan and we build the faith in the ability to manage the fiscal challenges. >> and you note fax fairness. we have the effort it will be an advisory referendum about a millionaires tax. and we had talk about a graduated tax. even the sales tax has a fairness question there. >> absolutely. me perspective is get the tax base first before you decide the rate structure you put on top of it.

we don't tax retirement income. the federal does. but we tax unemployment compensation. what the policy rational for that? the fastest growing potential income in this country is retirement and if you exclude that the base grows slowly. politically the rational is seniors don't like paying taxes. i am a senior. i paid them all of my life and i have an obligation to pay them. we need to get the base right. and when we do i think the tax system will be fair moreso than a graduated tax rate on a base that is the wrong tax base. >> in proposing these, you are not proposing them as revenue n

increases? >> no! >> goodness no. >> we think we met our maximum tax burden in this state. broaden basis produces lower tax rate. we need to lower the tax rate and expand the base so it is more responsive and grow with the economy rather than slower than the economy. >> let's talk about the spending side, jim. what solid steps -- you talk about medicaid spending and there is one of those parts of structural imbalance, even though the state gets a match from the federal government, but the inflationary increases in health care spending -- we will see what the affordable care act does to that in the future but that helped drive this kind of exponential growth in the state.

>> i think the biggest challenge in the book is medicaid spending and how to bring the rate of increase for medicaid spending closer to that to the rate of inflation or growth in the revenue system. we make several proposals that might not stand the test of the waver process in the federal government, but one is from the very conservative illinois policy institute which has suggested that if we put most of the medicaid enrollees on private system -- >> basically a voucher system? >> it might be less expensive than the fee for service we have now. another area in which i think the state of illinois shouldn't be more aggressive is that of the rate of reimbursement to the state of illinois which is the lowest rate among of them and

that is 50% federal match to 50% state spending. several states around us have lower rates of unemployment than we do but are reimbursed at 63% rather than the 50% we are reimbursed at. if it was 57% by the federal government, we would save about a billion in state revenue we could apply to other purposes. so i think the illinois delegati delegation, the congress, should work on this with other members of congress because several states like illinois are being shorted. >> one thing that every politician says is education is my top priority. the illinois constitution says the state shall have the primary obligation for funding public schools. we know as a result of the supreme court decision that that

was a goal and not a fact. we increasingly see the property tax burden going up as a support mechanisms for public schools. we talk about tax reform and then you look at a property tax which is basically based on an 18th century model of wealth. what do we to do reduce spending, make a equitable, and try not to make it the quality of your school depends on your zip code in the state of illinois. >> lots of ideas. florida has 150 school districts. virginia has about the same number. indiana basically the school district is the size of a county. we have 893 school districts in the state of illinois. many of them are poor.

many of them are very wealthy. the wealthy do not want to share with the poor. they can tax themselves because they often have a high commercial and industrial base and they can produce far in access of the revenue flow of each student. we need to look at how we fund k-12 education not only from the state level but the local tax resources as well. we also suggest that in order to get a better product out of our k-12 education system, we need to lengthen the school here. and somebody asked the question where are you going to get the money for that and my first response was reallocate resources. i sounded like a politician and she said that is always the answer you get. further in the book we said

maybe we should look at how we fund higher education and we should eliminate the appropriate funds to universities. >> a voucher of higher education in the state of illinois? >> i don't think we agree on this totally. i see transferring it to a voucher as you are saying. so as to make higher education, which is in great turmoil right now, and make it more of a market in which the students march to the institutions thank you will provide them the best value and outcome. >> does anybody do that now? >> in some states, the public universities, i think pennsylvania is one of them that has very little direct

appropriates from the institution. but the dollars follow the need-based students. >> we do that now with the illinois financial assistant program. >> we do direct appropriates for public university. how many students do you have in the classroom is asked but in the four year programs we don't ask that. we think more accountability occur when the dollars follow the students rather than direct appropriates to the school. >> does that change the mission of some of these public universities in trying to cater

to a more free-market based approach? >> it undoubtedally would. but we saying the goal is to educate the students and the dollars follow the students. we think that is more appropriate of a measure given the tight resources we have that could produce greater accountability. when dollars follow the students accountability occurs. >> i want to go back to elementary and secondary education. you talk about consolidating elementary school districts into the overlay of high school districts that exist. doesn't that go back to the regionalism issue in that con l consolidation has been talked about as a way to make more

efficient use of but you have towns that first lose the post office and now -- you write in the book about the school district near you that was consolidated. schools are like the last identity of these towns. there is efficiency but you lose your identity in the process. >> many of the school districts or grade school districts underlying high school districts are in the suburbs. >> so is that more of a turf issue in the suburbs? >> it is an issue of here is what we have and we like it the way it is and we don't want to change. >> so there is no motivation for efficiency? >> we need to do a better job educating the public as to the

option. i agree with you, rick, that often community, especially a community shrinking in size the only last identity is their school system but what is that school system producing? do the students coming out -- are they able to compete to get into the best colleges or the best opportunity that people coming from larger school districts have? we have to think about that. the next generation. the future. that is what this book is about. fixing illinois for the future. and we need to take bold steps. they maybe tough. but in order to say to the world that illinois is really dramatically addressing some of our challenges so that the public regains confidences and we regain confidence in ourselves and the world gains confidence in us as well. some of these things are tough.

but if the ultimate outcome is positive, better education opportunities for people in shrinking areas, they ought to suck it up and swallow the will. >> as bitter as it maybe. >> as bitter as it may be. >> when we look at illinois and its strength, the transportation front is one major one. we are the crossroads of the country and a choke point in some respects which it comes to issues like moving freight from coast to coast. but nevertheless, we have o'hare airport and the interstate highways that converge here but they are crumbling. the infrastructure is crumbling. chicago metropolitan area is

dependents on mass transit and the chicago transit authority needs are huge. what do we do about that? >> we will have to make more investment in the infrastruct e infrastructure. the highway system is 50 years old and that is the standard length of the system. so we must do more than repave we must begin to rebuild them. we will have to invest more and that is a problem for us in illinois because we have a high motor fuel tax rate when you consider the home rule rates plus the sales tax that is put on top of the basic state motor fuel tax rate. >> which i believe are we the only state that does that kind of tax on a tax? or one of the few? >> there is only five i think that have the motor and sales tax. >> the sales is for general purpose rather than investment

in the infrastructure. we will have to look as the agency on planning talks about pricing on the expressway, more tolling and probably an increase on the motor tax because we have to face up to the investment needs we have in not just highways but mass transit. >> and one thing you note in the book and this is something states across the country are dealing with is fuel economy standards, cars are getting more bang that goes into the gas tang so had efficiency of the motor tax itself isn't what it used to be. it isn't keeping pace for those kind of needs. when you look at what other states are looking is perhaps a fee more miles travelled. a user fee. >> that is the orther thing.

we need to look at our tran transportation system as one thf big assets. texas and alaska look at oil to do such. transportation is ours and part of that is because we are in the middle of the country. you almost have to go through illinois. it creates a lot of jobs; that transportation system. so we have to say this is the best asset when it comes to moving commerce and people through the state who buy goods and services along the way. we need to think about it in those terms so we bless the opportunity to put more investment in that and keep it current so that we are able to reap the benefits of the a thriving transportation system in the state.

>> and you mentioned areas that do a shipping tax. >> absolutely. and those should be investigated. are they a fair system to support maintaining that asset? we think there are some. it is boom and bust system now. every 6-8 years we come up with a capital plan, fund it squen the eight years later we do it again. >> we are coming to the closing minutes of this session so if iowa a question i would encourage you to come up.you ha encourage you to come up. i'm not hearing about gubernatorial stuff in the

debates that you talk about. >> we are coming up on the 200 year anniversary of our state. in 2018. we hope it will steer the public debate to asking those seeking political leadership what are you going to do to fix our state so that the in the year 2018 we are not continuing to apologize for failures but we have things to celebrate our successesses we hope that is what is going to happen. we hope the debate is over what are you ideas to fix illinois so in four years we are celebrating successess rather than continuing to explain our failures >> or being the butt of the late night shows. >> the last primary had a 12% turnout.

vot voter appathy is great in this state. your ideas are great but they will never get anywhere with 25% turnout or lower. >> they were very low. partly offset by the facts that major democratic races were not contested. >> even the general election, what are the turnouts? >> they turn out to be higher because you have independents. and one answer, and i never thought of this in the past, is open primaries in illinois. while their primaries a party functions and parties use them to create membership rosters i am told that is the old days. you don't have to do that. people know how to target voters easily these days. >> i hope one of the answers is that we really focus attention

on the 2018 celebration of 200 years of our state and that every media when the politician comes in says what are we going to be celebrating four years from now? >> i am coming to your house in four years. i want to come over for the celebrati celebration. >> if we can get the theme going maybe we can increase the public participation in the government by focusing on successes in the future. we have a touch point. 2018. where are we going to be? what are we going to be celebratin celebrating? and how will you get us there? >> or what is left? >> we are thinking positive. we are optimist and we insist those who seek office talk about the future not about the failures of the past.

we had them. i am tired of talking about them. i want to talk about success. >> i think same-day registration was pased. >> it is pilot program for this year and i will have a story on this in the tribune in the next couple days. you will be able to register, and sign-up to vote at a concern spot in every county. it will be an interesting test of the county clerks and election authority in the state. >> my name is john. my question is how come i never hear about the fact as documented by the bureau of labor that the average wage paid

to government is 40% higher than the public sector. >> that is a good statistic. it is a reversal of a generation ago. and the reason for that is the service sector is a much larger part of your employment base than it was a generation or two ago and the service sector isn't paid as well as the producer sector. the other thing is public employment compensation as risen dramatically compared to the general population. more teachers with higher degrees, more degrees equals higher compensation. you are right. when questioned they acknowledge public is 40% higher than private but the public employee is also on average much more

educated in today's world. >> i think if you will break it out you would find lower skilled governmentm employees -- or lower skilled persons in the private sector whereasin the higher skilled level the government employees tend to do well in the private sector. >> when you look at the details and they have details in the report. every category and level of experience within that category is the salary paid to somebody in the local government is higher than people in private industries. >> thank you, sir. >> we have time for one more question. >> i am just barely old enough to remember word sentinual.

there was one word never brought up. madden, public enemy number one. the reason i don't share your optmism is the redistricting initiative and i would like to know what you think about that and the implications. >> i think we both feel strongly the redistricting issue should be on the ballot. we recommend it in the book. >> i think it is number 97 or 98 in the book. >> it is one of the proposals we make in the corruption chapter. we support an independent redistricting commission and it needs to be done to have better accountability and more competition. with more competition you will have greater voter interest because people will debate different points of view and seeking the same office.

we don't have that today in part because of the legislative process because of the lack of independent redistricting process. it is absolutely something we have to achieve one day. >> you could have done tease. you could have said if you want to know the answers, read the book. thank you for attending this fo fo fo forum. >> thanks everyone for coming. their book "fixing illinois: politics and policy in the prairie state" on sale now in the main lobby and they will be signing copies outside of the auditorium. thanks, everyone. enjoy lit fest. [inaudible conversations]

>> we just heard from thomas johnson and james nowlan. we will have more from chicago in just a few minutes. booktv is on facebook and twitter. like and following us for book industry news. book tv schedule updates and behind the scene looks at author events and to interact with authors during live programs. we tweeted on the content of hilary clinton's published book and we posted an article about

the swearing in of susie levine. we tweeted and posted our author programs in recognition of the 25th an answer of the protest on tinam square. we want to know what you are reading this summer. post on our facebook or twitter or send us n an e-mail. like us on facebook or follow us on twitter for more news about the word of publishing and what is happening. >> what is the d in d-day stand for? >> it stands for nothing. soldiers joked it stood for death. or day. it is just a code. you know, people have tried to

figure out what it stood for. it has no meaning other than d >> why june 6th 1944 about 69 years ago today? >> that is right. it was supposed to be june 5th. that was the day picked. it is tricky to invade the normand coast. 23 foot swing in the tides so the moon has to be right if you go at night to allow paratroopers to see and the glider pilots halling them. so june fifth was pick and the weather was wrong. there was never good luck with weather there. stormy for morocco and sicily innvasion. you can count on benign weather in the coast of france.

it was awful. he postponed it for a day. they had a narrow window that was suitable. the next appropriate period would have been several weeks later and there was anxiety the germans would find out. if they had any idea they were coming to normandy it would have been catastrophic. so the anxiety level is unbelievable when they post pone it. but they did and got away with it. >> number of troops and number of death? >> well, there are five divis n divisions that go in over the beach. two american and three british and canadian and three air borne

divisions. so a couple hundred thousand troops. the worst beach was omaha with several thousand deaths there. there was concern that the number of deaths could run into the tens of thousands but this didn't happen. the deaths were not light but less than anticipated. the british and canadians have a tough time but by the end of june 6th there were canadian troops as far as six miles inland. at omaha they were no further than 1500 yards inland. so there was disparty between the resistance these invaders found and their ability to push inland and that is the trick in an innvasion.

you want to push the enemies artillery out of change so cann cannot shell the beach. at omaha beach it took several days to get to that point. but nevertheless it turned out to be quite successful and the deaths, 3,000 or so, were lighter than many feared. >> you can watch this and other programs about d-day and world war ii online at booktv.org. just type d-day or world war ii in the corner of the home page. booktv asked what are you reading this summer? >> one book i started and i will be finishing is the "big burn" by timothy eagan.

he walks through the creation of the national forest. it is always good to know your history when you are on a committee like energy and natural resources. and great story of teddy roosevelt and the big fire of 1910 and hopefully lessons we can apply today. >> anything else? >> i am looking forward to reading a book called "the second nuclear age". it is book jack reed gave to me when i came to the senate and i have been putting it off too long. i have an interest given new mexico's history in the role of the nuclear deterant and looking forward to the learning about the landscape of regional nuclear power. hopefully he has answers along

the way >> what are you reading this summer? tweet us at booktv. post it to our facebook passenger or e-mail us. booktv@cspan.orbooktv@cspan.or. >> this is a look inside jones college prep. we will back with more live coverage on booktv in just a couple minutes. >> we cover hundreds of author programs throughout the country all year long. here is a look at the events we will attend this week and look for them to air in the future.

tuesday we are at the harvard bookstore in cambridge for lawance tribe and his thoughts on the roberts court from his new book "unconcern justice "and then we look at the use of invisible ink and how messages have been kept secret at the international club in atlanta. and on thursday in new york city we recount what occurred in america outside of the british colnies. >> on friday, hilary clinton discusses her new book at georgia washington university in washington, d.c. that is a look at the author programs we will be covering this week. for more go to our website and look for upcoming programs. >> the reason we are focusing on the speaker is because it is the speaker with the full majesty

and weight of his position to yesterday made certain allegations he hasn't answered to. would you prefer -- well -- i will yield to you. >> you have an audience. you don't normally have this in the 26 hours you present the case to the publicfelt but the interesting thing about your remarks is taking out of context, you were the for one purpose and one purpose alone in my opinion, and that was to imply that members were not american in their activities. would you respond and you knew there was no body here. >> cam scan. put those two men from your perspective on the two. >> speaker o'neal was a giant.

he knew the politics of the house and he kept much of it to himself. but he obviously received a great amount of intelligence all day long from what was going on in different places. he always believed politics was the art of the possible. he was broker within the caucus and the house. and what you saw was newt gingrich they would also be in the minority because they worked with the majority. so he started attacking bob michael, the leader and john rhodes and everybody in his own party because he said the only avenue to the majority is about

confronitation. this was about tv being misused. he knew in fact the chamber was empty. the rule came to show that the chamber had people in it or was empty and that changes the whole dynamics. that was a process that many years later tore this inst institution apart. >> congressman miller, tonight on c-span at 8:00. >> partnering can do things we cannot do alone. let me give you on example of fighting poverty in new york. robinhood runs 90 programs and one is called single stop and it

brings to bear a fee lawyer, social worker and other teams of people and anyone who comes in we sit down and figure out there problem. we compete the tax forms of 60,000 low-income low paid new yorkers. on their behalf we recover about $120 million almost entirely from the federal government. when you put $5,000 in tax refunds on the table of a low-paid new york family you will have added something like somewhere between half to a third of their income they earned into the private sector. and that is the amount of money that has covered their rent and now they can buy clothes, books, schooling materials, whatever it is that they want for their

kids. this makes a huge different. if you put it in the context of the total amount of poverty in new york, even the difference you add to families to bring them up to a non-level of poverty that is small. but the 60,000 tax filers we help these differences are huge. so i would urge you to change your focus from thinking you have to be talking about something that solves the most problem to something that squeezes the most out of those dollars. >> you can watch this and more programs online at booktv.or >> what roll should the government play in housing

finance? if you want to sfinance housing make sure everyone is aware of the cost. what when the sub-saharsidy is through companies that can abstract it to benefit them that is not a good way. >> we are back with more live coverage from the 2014 chicago

tribune printers row lit fest. next we will talk about the current state of africa. ... &%

you may take a moment to turn your camera flash off. we encourage you to take photographs. just please know flash. you can post those photographs on answer grammar facebook using hash tag printers or appeared without further ado comic is a great pleasure to introduce her moderator for the conversation, doug foster. >> thank you and thank you for

coming. it's great to meet you and have a chance to talk about the wonderful book. i wanted to start with the wonderful essay from the great kenyan satirist denyer banca pena who wrote that nine bloodedly good essay, how to read about africa by which he meant of course all of us who write about the continent should stop representing that. he's down with the following. broad brush strokes throughout are good. avoid having the african carrot tears laugh or struggle to educate their kids or just make good mundane circumstances. how could the women except in about europe or america and africa. african characters should be colorful, exotic, larger than life, but empty inside with no dialogue, no complex resolutions in their stories come in no

kirks to confuse the cause. perhaps we could start there since it seems to me that your book is precisely what he's advocating in his essay and that is a portrayal of africans as people with their own agency. and idiosyncrasies and a sense of destiny. so what inspired the project in the first place? were you fed up at the way africa was being reported on from what you call poverty point? >> yes. that is the short answer. first and foremost, thank you all for being here and i'm glad you chose this particular essay, which does have a lot of resonance. he was writing about fiction, but when it comes to nonfiction, my discipline come in the narrative biases replicate ready reference poverty, we been in the most recent weeks where

we've been again about the stories that have gotten our attention about africa, it hasn't been -- it is spending up a kidnapping of nigerian schoolchildren rather than a decade, weeks, months, years as well, unsexy economic development, for example. it's hard to grab our attention on the story is one of generally incremental positive gains. so to that extent, that's a very good example of the way the nonfiction media industry, the reporters community struggles to get the attention of the world at large surrounding issues about and development and ordinary africa. now back to my book, i am proud that there are no animals in this book. a book with africa without animals. until i looked at the manuscript when it was finished, i went through like i did it. no safaris, none of that.

this book is a user's manual for the africa you have not heard about. the very ordinary things. given that my background is one of someone born in the u.s., right here in chicago, was in a lot of time and countries in sub-saharan africa. it's given me make perspective on where we are missing the mark, what we are not understanding and ordinary things like giving directions that here we would say we are coming to $700 pastry. if you were in nairobi where i was coming to be like okay, you will look for that petro station and then if you see a yellow building you've gone too far. so ask someone and then double back. so it's all contextual. if these ordinary little differences between different types of societies that i seek to eliminate, which is not as sensational or is scripting us a story of the kidnapping or

multimillion dollar spanking transaction, but it's really the subs and so the real africa and the one i eliminate in "the bright continent." >> let's go there and talk about have been a homegrown chicagoan from a nigerian speaking family how that informs the way you approached the story wanted to tell. >> you know, i spent a lot of time in nigeria and not sort of shuttle he between washington or is working as a reporter covering american politics, covering the state department come international development and home really again illuminated for me where we were missing the mark. not by the casual conversations and the fortune to go back and forth. there's a lot of african diaspora who do not have the

opportunity to go home and feel like it's another site of relevance for them. but it was when i was covering the united nations week, which is the general assembly every september. ever comes to new york. traffic is crazy. every head of state and entourage is very new york. in 2010 was the 10th anniversary of the famous millennium development goals, which was the blueprint for solving property in 15 years with these simple steps. as a journalist, as an american journalist for an american publication, i was watching the presentation and the united nations had a poster competition to commemorate the 10th anniversary. the winning poster they selected goes to the issue of agency we are mentioning. at the top of the photo, there's a photo of the book because it's hard to describe, from the bottom up -- from the waist up there with the leaders of the g8 in their suit in yucatán because

angela merkel was the lone woman in the pants to. from the waist down it had what i can only assume were sort of african children in a refugee camp. the mac break, no faces. >> no fleeces. they were reading online in the tagline read to your world leaders, we are still waiting. that just jolted my sensibilities. it took me out of my role as an american reporter and put me in the role of an irritated african because anyone who's spent time in sub-saharan africa's most people work twice as hard to get how this far. the idea someone could sit around and wait is preposterous. my first trip to nigeria or remember being floored about what you could buy in traffic. i was like 10 years old, nose pressed against the glass in traffic, seen people selling fruit, electronics, art, anything you could think of. live animals, vcrs and the vhs

tapes, which dates a little bit. an enormous amount of dynamism and force innovation. that ended up in the resonant game was necessity is the mother of invention. africa is the mother of necessity. and we are missing not as the world, including the united nations, the people who ought to be thinking most critically about what life is a contextually import countries. so that within a month i had liquidated all of my things and moved and started writing this book. >> as you set off, what were the misconceptions you were carrying yourself into that situation? what were the biggest surprises for you? >> great question. i will answer them in two ways. one i think formality bias is a term i coined in the book to

talk about the expectation that thinks a book is organized as they look in the united states for another wealth wealthy western country. as the presumption that getting directions means using google maps and you suddenly get where you are going. i think that extends to the role and reach of government by someone who is a good liberal, grew up in hyde park and covert american politics to realize the connection between the citizen and this date all across sub-saharan africa was bankrupt and it has been a huge part of what i realized was driving all of the innovations i went onto document. and the reason why people were needed to generate systems of production for workers that had nothing to do for the formal sector. people finding ways to provide a safety net without a government support. people finding ways to create health solutions and energy solutions in the apps and

electricity. all of these things driven by fundamental lack of belief in government. for me coming from a place where of course there's garbage collection, of course the lights are going to go out, that was one important difference for me in terms of trying to understand the political economy of what i was writing about. i'm sure we can talk much more about that because there's lots of different ways to think about the role of the state of africa and everywhere. the second was agriculture. when i first started eating it and started to talk about it with folks come it was a book about the funds. cell phones have come into africa and everyone is in no way the democratic moment. people are solving problems. all of that is true, but the very basic two out of every three people was touched by agriculture. food production, land use committee future of all about in

africa is probably the most important thing. >> that was at the front of your consideration hyde park? >> that even now. this is so interesting given the essential nature of food production for the world is one of the things that should make africa a site of concern and importance for everyone is the idea that we need so much more food. we need more arable land than we have. we have quite damaging monocultures and capital labor intensive food production in africa is in natural solution and to hunger at the same time. that to me was the revelation and to realize there's so much to do there and had not occurred to me as something that was as important as it was in sub-saharan africa.

>> i'm wondering what your own identity and background brought to the story in the places they created an obstacle. if i go into a small village in south africa to do my reporting and you go into a village in kenya or nigeria, there's a different reaction to that arrival, right? and curious how you thought about that as you are setting off because in some ways in terms of race and background and maybe some language i don't know you had a point of affiliation. in other ways he were an outsider. a single woman in her 20s living alone as you point out in the. i'm curious about deeply into jason where were the trickiest click >> is a wonderful question. nigeria is my country in your blood is my tribe. everywhere else, including

chicago through certain extent i'm traveling. i lived in kenya and i chose kenya for a particular reason. one is a tech explosion. the first story about that ended up being around these themes of the book was about google africa, how did the state offices that were plain hard work tumors in this exploding technology sector. so i went to kenya also in part because it wasn't nigeria and i could move between cultures and professional environments with more ease i thought than in nigeria but the expectations of me culturally. that proved to have been an important dispositive position. i also traveled to 17 countries over the course of the two years and in each place their advantages have been able to not

invite people to begin performing. in many places the donor economy comes with white faces and provokes a certain set of behaviors and a certain sort of lack of discretion or lack of disclosure that it might be in the case for someone who looks like someone, even if they're not the same background. so that was an advantage. my trip to somalia and marcus everett of countries with the disadvantage to be a woman. i faced this in washington as well, let's be clear. knowing your stuff, having the right questions, understanding the informal expert patients in terms of your interaction with one, particularly in government really matter. i felt that was very uncomfortable and i'd never been in a situation like that despite having traveled in the middle east and reporting from israel and turkey.

i thought not only was it odd that someone who's very american to be completely covered, but also so hot. it was like 95 degrees and i couldn't believe it. for the most part it cut both ways but is very enriching and humbling to travel to different cultures. >> one of the exciting things about the book is where the voices of so many young people and you point out 70% of the population in sub-saharan africa is below the age of 30. many commentators see including african heads of state he that sat as presidents in modern south africa likes to say, the ticking time bomb. you see the flipside of that is a situation that creates tremendous potential. >> i mean, the demographics are

shocking. it really my mind when you go down to the statistics and look at the youthful age. it is worth looking at the sort of charts that matthau, places like india, which is a similar profile, china has quite oddly unfair one policy kicks in. western europe in general were the replaced rate for like 2.1 people for every couple of notches not enough to sustain this sort of perfect dignity levels that at a macroeconomic level are for global competitiveness. you have this enormous youth bulge. i caught a demographic dividend and you have a workforce that is maturing. it can as a result of public health came from a living past childbirth, increasingly following through the educational endpoints to take

ownership over both political situations that are 50 years old, so the onus well, adolescent ease and economy setters thinking ahead. those dynamics are incredibly positive for sub-saharan africa. what is frustrating and i hear this everywhere. there's the mozambican anthropologist named us a note in one who talks. we should instead space between childhood and adulthood where you are stuck, we don't have economic opportunities that match or omissions. when the juggernaut gdp growth has not trickled down in the form of a job. when you work the informal dirt coming herbaceous, but she don't quite have all of the assets, whether tangible or skills base to move on with your life. you know, to get married to him to start a family, become an adult. we've had is now the lots of these millions: tens of millions of young people in sub-saharan africa.

when you look like it organization, those are the fruits of idleness with religious extremism. that's one end of the spectrum. the other embassy and incredibly dynamic young people who i profile throughout the book to incredibly important things to solve problems locally and scale them to improve the continent and the world. so the frustrating thing for all these folks is not the economic soweto, but the political economy where their government -- sub-saharan africa has largest gap between the age of leadership in each of the public and the world. in the united states 16 years. iraq obama, what is he now? 52? pavia and kimber in his 80s to come and look of a celebrated his 90th birthday. we're talking about folks who are geriatrics and a population that is under 30 and hungry and

concerned and motivated, but the cap is 46 years compared to 16 in the united states. beyond the reach of economy is not a ticking time bomb in terms of the population being dangerous, but it's about sitting around and waiting for the sold leaders to move on and for young people to assert authority within these quite hierarchical civil structures where people are encouraged to defer to others and wait their turn. it's a recipe for frustration, but the book in the profiling different people taken on the challenge in a way that is mr. do for young everywhere. >> one of the things you encourage us to do in the book is to drop archaic language, first world, third world, developed world, developing world and you encourage us to replace it with the word fat and lean.

i wonder whether you are trying to poke us for having really bad diet or where you are driving setback is ancient. i assume moving away from developed and developing is important because we want to look at the situation from the hideout, not from the top down and if we stay developed and developing, we assume other people are amateur to re-up where we have been in the u.s. >> right. that is a dangerous assumption. so it is provocative. the story tell about this as i do want to say the west seems silly given how much economic committee is happening in the eastern hemisphere as it were. i'm obsessed with maps. the book is all about maps in terms of being a way of thinking about orientation. >> from family to technology.

>> orientation has been ridiculous. even the border since it's a contender themselves part of the problem. likewise the termite developing is very normative. it assumes that it's one direction. it's linear. you start in the stone age and end up in las vegas and that's how it should be. i disagree with that. there elements of advanced economies are wealthy societies that are problematic in a sort of documented a few of them in an op-ed for "the new york times" and i wrote about this fat and lean idea. you think about oil dependence, overleveraged households, died in consumption. energy use. so to the extent that consumption is an issue for very wealthy countries, the slowing economy spur is constrained and where recycling is obvious, it is an offense he come and there is something behavioral to look at and learn from these lean

economies and also innovation is something we talk about so much of this contemporary moment in always been to me a little miss guided when you think about american innovation are silicon valley innovation where you've got super cool iphone apps, will find you a parking space or track whatever. it is innovation towards trivial issues. i wanted to focus on lean economies in the book because these are innovations for the most incredibly important -- issues of the time. if you're going to see retail solutions for off grid energy, you see them in africa first. erasing them right now because the pain point there because energy is and can't have. because people live in a state where they could go off at any moment. for public health i think finding ways of decentralizing

care. we spent 18% of gdp on health care in the night stays. it's not any better. i covered the debate in washington. when you look at timeshifting because there's so few resources on the continent, nurses do the work of doctors. community health workers who are trained to do the work of nurses. my people do the work of community health workers. task shifting is the watchword. you see people pilot this, but it fell across sub-saharan africa is a response to resource scarce be in an important way of bringing this sort of bowling alone problem if you are familiar with out where no one knows when another, where people don't have as many friends as they used to, where communities are fragmented and there's no local culture, sort of village spirit for lack of a better word to use yell across sub-saharan africa terms of relationships and extend relationships are your responses and mentioned

earlier to state failure, but also lean body politic. >> settee enough that, you use the word can't shoot for make do for hassle. the are a couple other examples of that in practice because the other thing in this book is the exit tatian that there's only things in africa or only things in u.s. or europe or africa and to learn rather than the other way around. >> well, the book is literally only about that. it was about the specific creativity born of necessity. something like task shifting for public health is a good example. something like off grid energy solution. the paradigmatic one is global financial services. when you are in an environment cannot talk about kenya where this really exploded. mobile money, the ability to use your cell phone as a bank

account to send money, to become iou 10 bucks or less in it to you phone to phone. >> let's try that. >> exploited in china because there's 40 million people in 2500 atms in their checking accounts and very few mortgages and no access to finance. it's a cash economy. people keep money in coffee cans and mattresses and pillows and there's no formal hand reached out from the banking sector to empower people who do have assets, who are not to report, but are not able to participate in the global financial system, let alone the regional financial system. global money was the telecoms -- it actually began its mobile airtime transfers for the telecom enabled people to send minute, backing up, it is all prepaid because there's no credit reporting system and there's few formal addresses. so how could you oppose traditional telephone accounts.

because it is prepaid, people change minutes back and forth. i say dud, here is 10 minutes for the taxi ride. it was a barter economy. people realized what an incredible idea this was an use it and use it as a classic or b. telecom realized what was happening in my $500,000 grant from the u.k. development agency decided to pilot a real banking system using cell phone and long story short, 86% of households and can you the system in a stephen caldwell $35 million a day. it is enormous. it is life-changing. it allows people to build assets. it allows people to have meaningful financial lives and what is most exciting is people are layering on more complicated financial service is like access to credit and loans in rudimentary credit reporting scheme now. i think without that come

without a cell phone nowak's us to finance, the situation like the united states should never have invented money here. we would never have thought of this. the sort of necessity driven innovation is an excellent example of something that is of the problems of development economist have been struggling over forever, how to improve financial lives of the poor. so that's a great example in the book is full of other ones like that. >> we are going to begin to take questions if people want to go to the microphone. i'll be due that i will ask one more. i've got tons. i don't want to dominate the questioning. so one of the beautiful examples of a new kind of approach to media in this book is issued jaws, the comic book and radio show. i wondered if he would talk about how these new ways of reaching people with news about

everything they need to know about the connection between guiding your 16th in order to keep predators from being able to go after them to investigative reporting about fraud in the teaching scheme, how that works. explain the pete dye, too. >> shoe jazzes a radio show and comic book published in kenya for use. it was generated by the release nation to use media in africa can it's mostly the videos and not they were verney type about the demographics. there is an extremely large population that is not engaged in a way that is thoughtful and developing skills in developing the kind of capacities people are not getting in school. so it doesn't ayn rand about the defunct efficient educational system, free educational system

and effort tips for making money, improving your life, participating in civil society and the reach is really remarkable. they've embraced the souls of where the young people are ready are graphic novel is so different of a textbook. text that is alienating graphic novel, which is serialized of this incredible cast of characters about dyeing your chicken feet which keeps them from getting stolen by hawks. this is a big problem for people are trying to raise livestock, but there's all this attrition. so they put this in the magazine and encourage people to do it. they also have a radio show. radio is the killer media across the sahara in africa. it reaches everywhere where hdtv has. i think what's really interesting is they completely ignore the educational system and try and reach those folks who have dropped items goal or

who are sort of not perfectly well-educated, but so interested in improving their lives and they reach out to them in a way that is social in a way that, you know, a book is one thing, but a magazine party, but you can pass around till it falls apart. so in terms of the medium as well as message oka south african youth and it's a great model. beyond that, i would critique myself a little bit for not focusing as much on media and focus on technology, family, commerce, used in agriculture and energy. but media, someone is a reporter and sure you would agree it is a vital ingredient of civil society and democratic culture and something essential for people to participate. it's as important as water and electricity in my opinion. for some really amazing media ventures that can reach people.

i didn't cover enough of them, but it's clearly an important tool for the sort of development agenda. >> i mentioned this part of the first question what i need in a word about africa and i wanted to ask you about the other sensational thing he did in the last year, which was to come out as a man. there's not much in this book about the struggle about lgbt people to extend for themselves themselves -- >> probably eight years or so and i'm incredibly proud of him. it was incredibly courageous. it was in a secret. that's also the thing. i've written about the ugandan

bill, david pozzi the nps sponsored. as in uganda a couple of months and during the time this is going on i read about it in the context of being one of those classically cynical political distractions. this is a place where you have young people without jobs, a president that's been there since 1986 in people who are not aired with homosexuality per se as much as these other things. this is something that's been used as a wedge issue, has been used as a crude ploy by politicians in that country to distract from other more complicated issues in the political scene. more broadly however, in africa is quite real and it's quite dangerous to be out. defense in the country or city, and a place like nairobi, cop

car, cape town commandos are different in rural areas. i did note that uganda had its first pride parade this week, which is remarkable given the danger involved in that and we could quibble about whether what the nature of the danger is, whether it's the population that is feeling animosity or whether it's political class. either way it's a big problem. i point to my discussion community norms in the boat. family is an important dynamic in sub-saharan africa. your shelter against everything and it's the thing people look to to drive norms and to create support systems. so the discussion within the top little bit about fgm and senegal and gambia where it is illegal, but it has been practiced for centuries. so the norms in the community in senegal where they were trying

to eradicate the days are that you have to do it because it was like wearing white on your wedding day. so over the course of one generation and i would say steady work within these communities for 15 years, but in one generation to norms have shifted. it's no longer a good. the problem is solved by people standing up in a grain collectively and publicly to affirm that they would not cut their daughters. so once everyone did it, they became a shared public norm but then immediately change people's behavior. and so, to the extent people are interested in legislative solution and human rights doctors want pronouncements from the government inaction from the secretary of state of the u.s., i am not sure that's the way to get it up in the problem of in africa. and maybe the longer complicated work of communities to collectively change norms. it's not a satisfying it there,

but conforms to my general argument that the government is not where you go for a change in africa. >> it is peer-to-peer. >> exactly. >> why don't you tell us what your name is and where you are from. >> i am neck here from chicago, just down the street. you touch in your last comment part of the question is going to ask about people not looking to the national government for help and support. to the extent there's any reporting in this country about africa, to the way that is stereotyped as primarily tribal in nature. he mentioned the importance of family or mauler social beings. what is your perception about a possibility or even how africans and cells per seat governing as the nation? you mentioned earlier the mapping is probably all wrong and that would detract from any possibility of effective governance. how do you see that evolving

over time in the hope that there'd be an effective national governance in sub-saharan africa? >> that is one i have grappled with very seriously in the book. you are right to the contours of states themselves don't necessarily define the way people live their lives. the region from accra on the west end in town on the way to the nigerian border to kinneret is itself an economic summer people are crossing borders, engaging in economic activity, tribes across these borders. the suwannee group is present in all 17 countries in west africa. to the extent the state borders don't describe or capture life as lived as experienced, it is a huge problem. beyond the day-to-day of how

people negotiate these inauthentic orders, there are actual benefits to thinking about the region is not just a sort of nation by nation environment. when you look at a country like nigeria, which is the very biggest on the continent, it is 170 million people in a country neighboring it is togo, which is under 6 million. when you look at echo weiss, the entire west african economic unity, it jars to be some thing that looks comparable to the major economies like brazil and india and china. the east african community, which is kenya, uganda, tanzania, that starts to look like a powerful economic lock. when you look at the southern countries, the same obtains. sub-saharan africa is 800 million people. so the attraction, at least for the investor class that these

sort of big exploding commercials on this more pronounced when you think about africa as interlinked sort of economic communities. from the political level, the more granular sort of regional basis, i think people are so disappointed in national government. it was a story mentioned over in a weekend were like citizens all over the world, people ask themselves what have you done for me lately? fans are looking on african states is absolutely nothing. whether it's the educational system, the road in front of your house on a public health outcomes really disappointing. people come up with these alternative arrangements, private schooling systems. they buy generators for their houses and it can be very frustrating. i guess i would say i believe this about american government as well. immiscible government to much more exciting than the federal government i used to cover in washington. to the extent it relates to people where they are but offers

a regional and local skin in the game, it is more exciting to see the same about sub-saharan africa are communities of purpose that are local, they can access needs on the ground and make decisions about allocation of resources, to declare this as been going on for centuries. we sort of disrupted that with the political overlay on the traditional map of africa to the extent local is better from a political and economic to. that is my best hope for african governments, at least in the short term. i would hold out hope that the national governments would improve in the outcome, but right now it is to be a to hold 800 million people hostage to their leaders who underperformed. >> in a book you suggest for children and grandchildren of the african diaspora have a role to play. you mentioned the move backlogs and i wonder if i have your

next. and seeing what other people who have gone back have been doing whether you think there is a generational clique of recognition that comes from process. >> i would say yes. i think one exciting element of what had been years of export, bring trainees to call it is what i call great game, which is folks like myself who have an understanding of the incredible dynamism and sub-saharan africa and the fact i really believe this is fact that it is one of the most, if not the most important stories of the 21st century, it might take some of my peers know for someone who has this date and spent time in africa is little more time to get to the realization. for someone like myself it is obvious. it is a slight advantage in whatever sector. if you're working in private

equity or public-health and you want to do something interesting and take knowledge he worked you want to start an agribusiness. i would tell the story if it somehow goes with a family friend of long vintage, someone who used to pick me up from cool when i was growing up in chicago history of ethiopia. he emigrated here after having done advanced degree in what was then czechoslovakia and was working here at the university of chicago. in 2005 i'm aware that ethiopia. talk about disappointing your parents. he went to become a farmer. this ties back to the agriculture piece i was mentioning. the idea you could leave medicine in the united states and work in agriculture to ethiopia and find yourself contributing, doing and some ice at her, more alive, feeling more in charge, feeling more influential is really surprising to some people, but not to death

or appeared he is 400 employees. he drives five cars. he's gained a little way. he's doing really well running an agribusiness in ethiopia. i think that is a really exciting dynamic for so many people like myself who are first, second generation to the night date to realize your opportunities you are uniquely opposition to these and not be an essential piece of africa's growth story. >> unfortunately, we are out of time. but i think that is a fantastic place to leave it for now. this book is full of stories like that that rhapsody and it total around analytical strand. so the book is the great continent, dayo olopade coming thank you for being here today. it's a brilliant book if you want to understand the continent better, you will buy it.

>> thank you, doug. good to be here. [applause] >> thank you for attending today's session thank you tour moderator, doug foster and our great author, ms. olopade. her great hook, "the bright continent: breaking rules and making change in modern africa" on the main lobby. she will be signing copies of his out of the auditorium for anyone interested. thank you. enjoy your afternoon with the lit fest. [inaudible conversations] >> that was dayo olopade on africa. we'll be back with more from chicago shortly.

>> yours look at the best-selling nonfiction books at "the los angeles times."

>> i am going back through a series that i've read before in the center on our presidents. i am looking forward to that. i got started pirating at the countrymen. looking at the president in a

leadership skills and how they solved problems. the reason i am doing it is because our nation faces a variety of problems right now and what people are seeking to see is action based leadership that is going to put some solutions on the table. >> great. anything else on your plate? be my guest, as i got into this, let in a great leaders and their problem-solving abilities, i picked up something on margaret thatcher. i'm looking at reading some on her and then i am doing some noodling on the own genealogy online and a little bit of research they are working through the ancestry.com and doing a little bit of additional research to look at my forebears and how they solve problems. >> what are you begin this summer? toles what is on your reading list. treat us at booktv. posted to our first date page or

send us an e-mail. >> what role should the government play in housing finance? if you want to subsidize housing in this country and we want to talk about it in the populace agrees that it is something we should subsidize, then put it on the balance sheet and make a clear and make it evident to make everybody aware of how much it's costing. but when you deliver it through these third-party enterprises, fannie mae and freddie mac, when you deliver this up city three public company with private shareholders and executives who can extract a lot about subsidies for themselves, that is not a very good way of subsidizing homeownership. >> read more with gretchen morgenstern another featured interviews my book notes and q&a programs and c-span sundays at

8:00 from public affairs, now available for a father's day book at your favorite booksellers. >> when the islamic revolution in it, they were cut off from the western part because of religious reasons. iran has problems with using data toddies and because the west shortly after imposed action and they didn't have the resource is, technology or infrastructure to really continue with disuse organ donation so they decided to focus on living donation. for simpler, old fashion way to it with this was a nasa rationalized he may think because 80% to 90% of people who need organs need kidneys. so they focus on the largest part of the population that needed help while we focused on everybody at the same time and we focused on finding the technology is prepared to keep

organs viable and transport them quickly and do everything we could to get them from cadavers. getting them from cadavers made sense because why put a living person not risk if you can get them from a cadaver. the important point is we went in two different directions. he ran spent 30 years improving it living donor program while we spent 30 years concentrating on our deceased organ program. now, if you look at today, there is a real can that you can get from the result. if you need a heart or liver, better live here. if you need a kidney, being iranian. why? if he medically qualified to get a kidney, you get one. in the united states, out of the 120,000 people who need organs, 100 senate and the kidneys. 15 to 20 americans die every day

because they can't get a kidney. and that is not happening in iran. >> book tvs live coverage from the printers row book fest will be back short day. [inaudible conversations] >> wow, i am thinking and doing a ketchup summer. a lot of things that are not particularly new, but i sort of take out their list of them and they start with two sort of real-life rescue his tories from

world war ii. one actually i'm reading now is a mitchells off the hook, frozen in time, about an american aviators who crashed in greenland in the second world war to the rescue mission that went after them and also went down another one that disappeared and they finally did eventually rescued these guys who let her month and a tale of an airplane. the second part is about an expedition to go back and find the people lost trying to rescue the original clue and located aircraft about kinds of things. a great story. and we did not come of course you read the book jacket and it's got another one, lost in shangri-la or something like that. it is again about a mission that went wrong or were supposed to be a joyous light over new guinea in 1945 where the plane went down in the rescue was pretty harrowing and to months.

people surviving. surviving desperate situations is good reading for congress in an election year. i had the opportunity to meet recently. i may mispronounce his name. it was david von drill, lincoln's rise to greatness. peter roskam, our deputy were put together a group of about 15 of us to have dinner with them one night a couple weeks ago. i got the book for free, autographed. but i was just -- lincoln has always been compelling figure i think for any politician in any american, the greatest president of the most critical time in the history and i love the way his political skills, you know, had so much to do with holding the country together in holding this party together.

i think there's probably a lot of lessons. this is a republican majority in the 1860s that had never been the majority before. a new president, but a new senate majority that never functioned that way. not as if a then had been part of a republican majority. so how do you act? how do you relate? what is the appropriate ballot between presidential power, legislative oversight of the critical situation and just like in sheer political scale and cunning. and manipulating the various factions. so anyway, we had a wonderful discussion about that and it got me really interested in reading the book. there's two other biographies i promised myself i'm going to read. one is william mccreary spoke on grant. were going three. now i've reassessment of grants. nobody's ever doubted what a

great general he was in a critical he was to winning the civil war. but there's been a lot of questions about him is president. i think he sort of going three little bit of a rehabilitation right now so i'm interested in that. the last one i promised myself i would read a message sent and that roy blunt in missouri who is a great reader, a very good friend that brought to my attention and that is james smith's biography of eisenhower. he was a wonderful biographer and i remember reading in the 80s he had a dual biography of lee and grant those very famous. again, ray had been telling me what a great book this was on eisenhower and i happened to catch a lecture on c-span history on the weekend it's been said i think he died in 2012, but they were replaying this lecture and generalship and i

was really intrigued with that. i thought my buddy has been bugging me to read this book. i just listen to this great lecture and the one other experience i had read in the work was 20 years ago. xml going to read this eisenhower book. when you are my age come to your member eisenhower. not quite the historical figure that a lincoln or grant would be. i was assigned reading about presidents that i feel just because my lasix grants have some connection with either have elected their president or on occasion that it is a fascinating thing. >> on your website -- >> idea. or sometimes recommended reading list. sometimes we'll put together a think we will do link in this month and we are going to have three or four books that i think are particularly good unlin