everyone have a wonderful afternoon. we appreciate you being here at the foundation booktv visited capitol hill to ask members of congress what they are reading this summer. >> i am inspired by many different areas when it comes to picking books that i want to read. so one of the books is the arc of justice, the civil rights and murder. this book was recommended that i read from a person's very passionate about history. the partisan divide in congress i campaigned on being a person

committed to working across the aisle to working together to take care of america so i wanted to read about some best practices, so this book is interesting to me. i am so passionate about the commitment to infrastructure and really coming from michigan to know clearly how the congress needed to invest. so i wanted to find a book that game to some best practices, and i'm excited to read american made. when fdr put the nation to work by mick taylor. so i'm excited to read that at the time in our history when we were committed to investing in our infrastructure. another book that intrigued me is that america and race relations and how individuals throughout our history has really used their skills and their talent and made a

difference in exile - and exiled. so i'm excited to read a life in motion an unlikely ballerina by copeland. to read about her life as a gallery and a as an african-american and her success, accomplishment and challenges come at the early age i experienced that. my mom died when i was three so i've been very conscious of the impact of the last last thing you say to someone or your last meeting. and so the book the last lecture is about a professor that knows that he is dying and he's writing his last lecture. to me that really solidifies and two reconnect with how important it is those last words that you

may say what would you say if you knew that you were writing your last lecture were that this was the last time you got to speak? i'm excited and reading that book correctly. black, white and jewish cut the autobiography of a self shifting - i'm sorry the autobiography of the shifting so i'm so passionate about diversity. we are at a time in history where the diversity and the multi-grades were some people call them individuals that are biracial so this book is about a young lady that is black, white and jewish so can you imagine that so fantastic and merging all these different cultures together and for her to be in

america at this time when we are seeing the growth of america and accepting multicultural families and just embracing diversity. so i'm excited about reading about this because it is something that i truly promote. and then lastly, go said a watchman by harper lee. who would not want to read a novel by one of america's best authors? how long have we waited for this? by understanding little challenge of fighting it in the store but i can't wait to read it. that's what i'm going to be doing this summer. read. it makes a difference. >> we want to know what you are reading this summer. send your answer at booktv or post on the facebook page facebook.com/booktv.

what is it about ronald reagan that conservatives today should emulate if you want to get elected? speak conservatively 100% of the time. ronald reagan and the first speech 1964 to the farewell address in 1989 was 100% conservative and this is why ronald reagan even today is an icon of the republican party because everybody from just right of center to the most jealous of the tea party activists can read the speeches and watch the speeches on youtube. it's almost chapter and verse. the conservative message that conservatives embraced ever

since. reagan is your guy. you cannot make any kind of a slip from that 100% consistent conservative message. so, that's what you want to do in your speeches. but there's something else you need to do. you need to learn how to make people laugh and smile. i realize this sounds minor but one of the secrets about the success is during the wilderness years on the circuit. he would speak before the audiences and they could have been skeptical and hostile but he would always warm them up with a joke.

if you read the speeches and the white house every one begins with a joke. what is the purpose. they learned what they were speaking at all these places but if you could get people to laugh with you you are halfway to getting them to agree with you. but there is a larger message here. it may have been instinctual with him and it may have reflected his career in hollywood where he was a celebrity and where he people to like him. some of you know conservatives and i don't mean to stereotype conservatives.

i would say that most conservatives tend to be in a lot of them come across as grouchy even as an indignant. i think that you would agree with me than regarding the pacifism because the definition of a conservative is a person who is distrustful of change. and if you are distrustful of change you think it is for the worst. american conservatives there is a stern often angry current and i give you the example that was both foremost at the time reagan came on the scene. barry goldwater's philosophy is no different than ronald reagan. maybe i should go the other way around, it was no different than the goldwater philosophy. but their appearance to the

american people could not have been more different. barry goldwater was stirred. he was scary to a lot of people people in and the johnson campaign went to town on that. ronald reagan by contrast he's a friendly guy and he tells jokes and smiles. ronald reagan is conservatism with a friendly face. ..