this is just over an hour. >> it is our great honor and pleasure to welcome author michael hiltzik who is here to discuss his latest book "the new deal: a modern history". mr. hiltzik has a ba from colgate university and an m s of journalism from columbia. in his extensive career with the l.a. times he has been a financial correspondent in new york city and bureau chief and financial staff writer, editor and columnist. he has had every job. topics he has written about include business, technology and public policy. , his many writing awards are the prize for the expos on corruption in the music industry, gerald loeb award for distinguished business and financial journalism, and silver gavel from the american bar association. michael hiltzik's three critically acclaimed books are the plot against social security, dealers of life, and a death in kenya. praise for this book has been enormous including the following:a sweeping, lively survey of the roosevelt administration's efforts to restart the american economy nearly 81 years ago. a timely, well executed overview of the program that la

please welcome michael hiltzik. [applause] >> thank you for that kind introduction. thanks to all of you for coming out tonight. i have been saved by tivo. we are all here tonight for what should be a joint effort, a turning point in american history. my goal tonight is the same as when i started my book which is to recover the new deal from the mists of time and the accretion of eight decades of ideology and misunderstanding. so i will speak for half an hour and hope we will have time for questions from all of view. i can't cover everything and there is a point you will be curious about. i wanted to establish the relationship franklin roosevelt had with the american people. from a letter that came into the white house in january of 1934 seeking advice on an excruciating personal dilemma. it began dear friend. our neighbor pete smith loaned us $25 and the mule team. area will pay the meal unless he can see me. here's my question. what should i do to save the mule? hard to imagine sending a personal question to any president the other than fdr including barack obama.

please help me welcome author michael hiltzik. [applause] [applause] >> thank you so much for that very kind introduction and for having the collected works out here. thanks to all of you for coming and out on dancing with the stars night. i guess i have been saved by tito. we are all here, i hope tonight for what i think will be a joint effort to look back at a turning point in american history and to explore how that moment still resonates for us today. my goal tonight is the same as the goal that i set for myself when i started my books, which is to recover the new deal from the mists of time and the accretion of eight decades of ideology and misunderstanding and sure forgetfulness. i'm going to speak for about half an hour, and then i hope we will have time for questions from all of you. i just can't cover everything. i no there are points that you will be curious about that i will mess. but want to set the stage by establishing the relationship that franklin roosevelt had with the american people. so on going to read from a l

please help may welcome michael hiltzik. [applause] >> thank you so much for the very kind introduction and thanks to all of you for coming out. i guess i have been saved by tivo. [laughter] but we're all here i hope tonight for what i consider to be a joint effort or a turning point* in american history. my goal tonight is the same as the gold that i set for myself which is too recover the new deal from the midst of time and from eight decades of ideology and misunderstanding. i am going to speak for about half an hour i just cannot cover everything. but i want to set the stage by establishing the relationship of franklin roosevelt had with the american people. i will read from a letter that came into the roosevelt white house from the midwest and seeking advice from the excruciating pain personal dilemma. the letter began, dear friends. [laughter] our neighbors had to do dollars for the miele team but now says he will take a mule. here is my question. what should i do? a. [laughter] it is hard to imagine including barack o

applause] >> for more information and to read the author's column, visit latimes.com and search michael hiltzik. >> next, from knoxville, tennessee, authors fred brown and jean mcdonald talk about their book, "growing up southern." >> the title of your book is "growing up southern: how the south shapes its writers." so my first question is, how does the south shape its writers? >> we asked that question to the people we interviewed. what makes a southern writer, and is a southern writer any different from, say, a writer out west or in the east or something like that. and most said that the writers in the south may not be, you know, they classify themselves as writers per se. they view themselves as southern writers because they live in the south, but they're americans nonetheless, you know? they're very american, very southern. but place is a big thing with southern writers, place, home, people, that sort of thing whereas the west may be writing big, larger -- writers may write larger on larger themes and everything. the south seems to be a little more compact. at least these writers that we in

times dot com and search michael hall set -- hiltzik. >> next authors fred brown and jim mcdonald talk about their book, growing up seven. >> the title of your book is growing of southern, how the south. my first question, how does the south it riders. >> we ask that question to that 13 writers that we interviewed. what makes a southern writer, what is a southern writer. is a southern writer any different from a writer al west or in the east or something like that. and most said that the writers in the south may not be -- the class by themselves as writers. they view themselves as southern writers because they live in the south but are americans on the last. very american, very southern. place. the west may be riding bay and larger. larger themes and everything. a little more compact. at least these writers that we interviewed, all who were born before world war ii, that was sort of their definition. yes jemima's seven writer, but i am unamerican as well. i read about southern themes that all americans can appreciate and indoor. when we interviewed the great southern writer. it said th