we got bob kaiser from s&p capital iq.market response so sensitive to even the hint of tapering or no tapering in this market? >> to me it tells you that we're kind of between dominant story lines. we were basically doing a yield chase. we were confident the fed would do what it's been doing for months now. we were confident the economic battle was improving. now i think we have doubts about tapering before we're fully confident that the economic numbers are in liftoff phase. to me it's an adjustment period. we started today at the exact midpoint of our post may 1st level on the s&p 500. to me it just tells you you're kind of fibrillating on this move. >> do you want to get in on this group now? >> to taper or not to taper. >> the market is in a volatile situation right now. it's been going up and down like a yo-yo. the fed is going to have to choreograph tapering, because they have to make sure if rates do start rising they don't go too far because you don't want to shut the economy down. the economy is kind of stuck on c

first, to be clear about what i think of bob kaiser's book, he sent me page proofs. it was off to production, so it was too late to go on the back cover. he just sent to me and i read it, believe it or not, on vacation. not a novel. i read his book in tucson, arizona. and as soon as i finished i got out my computer and i wrote this e-mail to him, and it said, "an act of congress" is easily the best book on congress i've read in decades. it is a stupendous achievement, richly informative, a pleasure to read. wise in his assessment of why dodd-frank was able to succeed, and that this case is more exception and rule in these difficult governing times. and i ended by saying, generations of students will find it their favorite and most rewarding of signed reading in classes. bob's book reads like a novel. and let me tell you, -- knows what novels read like. [laughter] it's much more interesting than, and informative, then sitting through this series of hearings chris dodd had to sit through, and barney frank had to sit through, and the difficult conference that they have

i want to thank our distinguished panel, tom mann, christopher dodd, and bob kaiser. thank you all for coming. [applause] >> on your screen, author of "0 a long way gone "memoirs of a boy soldier. your sect book is coming out. why did you choose to make it a novel? >> well, the first of all i wanted to depart from the memoir, the nonfiction, and the second book is about a lot of people, from my experiences going back home after war, and there's a composite of a lot of things and i wanted to be able to have the freedom to play around with words and images more so that's why it's fictionalized. >> what kind of freedom does writing a novel give you rather than nonfiction? >> well, with a novel, for me particularly, there's a room to play with language more. and to actually maybe extend certain things, certain occurrences, and expand them a little bit more, maybe dramatize them a little bit more, and also tying things that are not necessarily related to the same time period but are still current. so in way, that's what i really wanted to do in this novel, where i'm talkin

when that is done i will go on to the act of congress by bob kaiser another from the "washington post," who looked at how the congress dealt with financially for a few years ago and used it to show how the congress is so broken these days. he covered congress back in the 1970's and says it is a big difference between that and now. it's completely lt yes to most people but he finds the real dysfunction in a few different ways and it is supposed to be a good read. after that another book by a guy from the washington post. i'm not doing it on purpose but if they have done a good stuff. collision 2012, it is a look back at the 20 top campaign. he did a similar book in the 2008 campaign so this is his look at the race and talked to all the guys involved. that will be later in the year. the other one is through the perilous fight which is why steve vogel also "the washington post," a colleague i worked with closely. he took a leave to work on this book. it's a neat look back at the six weeks during the war of 1812 when washington was really under siege and a look at what they went through a

almost done with adam and that's done i will move onto "act of congress" by bob kaiser and another guy from "the washington post" to look at how congress dealt with financial regulatory reform a few years ago and used it to explain why it but congress is so broken. bob covered congress back in the 1970s and it there was a big differencdifferenc e between then and now. it's completely obvious to most people that he finds it's a real dysfunction in two different ways and is supposed to be really good read. after that another book by a guy who works for "the washington post." i'm not doing this on purpose. "collision 2012" which is by dan balz which is a look back at the 2012 campaign. he did a similar book in the 2000 campaign so this is his look at the obama versus romney raised and all the guys involved and in that is coming out in august. the other one is through "through the perilous fight" which is by steve vogel also of "the washington post." he took a two year book leave to work on this book, a neat look back into the six weeks during the war of 1812 winnow washington was under si

he joins us along with bob kaiser from s&p iq.ng with us. >> yes. >> a frown over there, steven. >> yes, i'm trying to think of the answer. you have to boil it down to growth and valuation. the growth of the economy, a lot of people, investors, have been expecting it to accelerate. it hasn't. we've seen a slow down of growth in the united states. slower than expectations, and also in china. if you look at valuations. i looked at the dow today before coming in, a close proxy for the s&p and the overall market, about 14 times the earnings and a dividend yield. the valuation is getting kind of full. we've had a 15% run year-to-date and now seeing the growth slowing. it will take the wind out of the markets over the summer. >> you guys raised your rolling 12-month target on the s&p to 1,710. you're going to the next 12-month period right now. >> it's another group within s&p capital iq. as you know -- >> i've been bullish. >> i love all of -- >> fair enough. we're thinking 1,700, 1,725 by the end of the year. we've been bullish since

we talked about bob kaiser and others who looked at how congress dealt with financial regulatory reformlain this. bob talked about how there is a big difference between then and now. and it is supposed to be really good. so i'm not doing this on purpose. we are looking back at the campaign with the facts. we have talked about the this since the 2008 campaign. this is obama versus romney and that is going on in august. also "the washington post" when you look at it very closely and we work on this book together and there is a neat effect certainly during the war of 1812 and this is what the city went through and how it changed over the summer as well. so i guess the only thing that i'm trying to talk about and finish is the great gatsby this summer. i saw the movie because i started it right for them. >> let us know if you're reading this summer. tweet us at apple tv.com. post on her facebook page or send us e-mail at booktv at c-span.org. here's a look at some books are being published this week. and how ambitious young rail splitter saved the american dream and how he can do it again,