c-span: isabel wilkerson, the name of the book is "the warmth of other suns." thank you very much for joining us. >> guest: thank you for having me. ♪ ♪ >> for a copy of this program call 18 7/7 662 7/7 26. for free transcriptions or to give us your comments about this program, visit us at q-and-a.org. q&a programs are also available as c-span podcast. >> join us later today when we'll read air the q&a conversation with isabel wilkerson but it starts at 7 p.m. eastern right here on c-span2. is a great read to add to your summer reading list. c-span's latest book "sundays at eight." >> i always knew there's a risk in the beginning national and i decided to take it. because whether it's news or not, i just think it is. it helped my concentration. it stopped me from being bored. stop other people from being bored. it would keep me awake. would make you want to go on longer to enhance the moment. if i was asked would i do it again, the answer is probably yes. i would have quit earlier possible. easy for me to say of course. not nice for my children here. not respon

c-span: isabel wilkerson the author of "the warmth of other suns" do you remember the moment when he started thinking about it? >> guest: i can't can't say what the moment was because i've been living at all my life. my parents migrated from the south to washington d.c., my mother from georgia and my father from southern virginia and washington. that's where they met, married and had me so without the migration i wouldn't be here. i don't know who you would be talking to. so i have lived with it all my life. i grew up with people from north carolina south carolina georgia and i was surrounded by the language, the food, the music, the ambitions of the people who had migrated from the south. a lot of competition about whose childhood go to which school, catholic school a school across the park so it's been with me all this time. but i think when it comes to the actual writing of the book it probably started very likely after i had gotten out and then a reporter for "the new york times" and started to talk to people in other parts of the country. i was the chicago bureau chief for "the

this from our q&a series about an hour. >> isabelle wilkerson, author of warmth of other sons.do you remember the moment you start thinking about doing this? >> i can't say what the moment was, because i've been living it all my life. my parents migrated from the south. to washington, d.c. my mother from georgia. my father from southern virginia and washington. where they met, married and then had me. so without the great migration i wouldn't be here. i don't know who you would be talking to. so i lived with it all my life. i grew up with people from north carolina, south carolina, georgia, all around me in the neighborhood where i grew up. and i was surrounded by the language, the food, the music, the ambitions too of the people who migrated from the south. a lot of competition about whose child would go to which school, catholic school, school across the park. it has been with me all this time but i think when it comes to the actual writing of a book it probably started very likely after i had gotten out and been a reporter for "the new york times" and started to talk to peop

so i'm going to finish that book, isabel wilkerson did a great job with that book. and then i'm going to turn my attention to this book, "the south carolina roots of african american thought." basically because this book is sort of compilation of speeches and writings of south carolinians, most of whom i knew, and still no. jesse jackson, jr. some going to read this book and see exactly what is going on today compared to what a lot of them saw. and still see. >> you recently published a memoir in me. can you tell me about the experience of writing that? >> well, that book, "blessed experiences," generally southern black, this book that i spent 25 to 30 years compiling. i got serious about writing it about five years ago. and it's about my experiences growing up in the south, and how those experiences led to my being where i am today, and how they sit, my thought processes, and how i approach my job here in congress. .. but all of them were depressants a hat to look back on some of the nordic receive the blessing. >> what are you reading this >> for a republican sena

c-span: isabel wilkerson the author of "the warmth of other suns" do you remember the moment when hetarted thinking about it? >> guest: i can't can't say what the moment was because i've been living at all my life. my parents migrated from the south to washington d.c., my mother from georgia and my father from southern virginia and washington. that's where they met, married and had me so without the migration i wouldn't be here. i don't know who you would be talking to. so i have lived with it all my life. i grew up with people from north carolina south carolina georgia and i was surrounded by the language, the food, the music, the ambitions of the people who had migrated from the south. a lot of competition about whose childhood go to which school, catholic schoola