.. .. the former slave turned congressman. 53,000 black southerners have been eliminated by white democrats and targeted. 53,000. i always thought it was interesting. about 50,000. he is keeping numbers. according to adam's diary never once does he say that black republicans in the south are being shot. what he does say simply that people like sumner are stretching the constitution. the fourth generation fourth-generation declines. after the war. they were wandering around italy. they roll the carriage and crashed the leg. and the doctors want to take it off. henry gets there in time to say goodbye. and for a long time. it was unkept and overgrown. at one time the they actually lost her grave it fell over. the grave was about 10 feet away from her stone. so she dies him because of that. henry of course famously varies. there is a lot about this in the book there is a fair amount of press. there is a great photographer but not a great beauty and i know that because henry writes to a friend upon the engagement. she talks a little bit too much into her greek and latin are a bit efficient. we can fix that. it is impossible to find a photograph looking at the camera. henry does that go out of his way to tell his wife that she is lovely which one should. the niece of general sherman. she walks into a room. and here she has on the right. she is gorgeous. she is married to a much older senator. henry is just take it with her. just kind of mad about her. the atlantic magazine is going to run a piece on georgia bangkok. and they want to acquire the photograph. and henry says to culver. it's fine to have a hobby they don't sell things. he breaks a tooth and he leaves to go to his office. they take 45 minutes. then someone finds her on the floor. the autobiography of henry adams he never once mentioned that he have a wife or that a wife that committed suicide. it was hardly unusual. from the 1890 he was forced out. this is the former calvary officer. speaking all across the south here is a people it. it's called the centennial. the opening line as robert lee was a great man. here we are debating with what we can do in the south. in the confederate statue in washington dc. again he's not alone in being on the reconstruction. but these guys are not enamored with confederate leaders. he writes to charles and says it's kind of a moron. why do you like this guy. henry of course becomes a fantastic story and most of the books are still in print. they are just a monumental work. at a time when most historians are writing loosely committed documents. adams would go to the archives and lead there. very readable books. they are still in print. he loses a lot of money. in the crash of 1893. who does he blame it on? his last letters are filled with anti-semitic comments about black voters and irish voters. late in life brooks is trying to figure out what the family's legacy is. he is aware that the force generation has not lived up to that. whose fault is it. not one figure of our generation will ever be remembered. he was just such a difficult guy. he left a legacy which is so hard to live up to. and with the growth and pessimism. it was a figure. not henry or charles or me we are appendages only that's how he ends his career thinking he's only an appendage. it is a really depressing story of a great family and willful decline. we had time for questions. one became a leader. actually the son of john quincy. does become the secretary of the navy. it's like cap a paragraph in the book. any kind of public career. the next generations are even happier to be anonymous and be a not -- not part of the spectrum. he does serve as have of the navy. that's it. >> are there any descendents of adam's alive still today? including and in public service or having the profile ridge there. yes. not that i met any of them. i'm not sure how they will take this book. if you go to the mass historical society their names are still on the wall. as benefactors in supporters of great places. they're declined to seek public office. not just charles francis. but they had two uncles who died and then it is one of john quincy adams in the harvard football coach. there is something in the family's gene that doesn't go while with alcohol. i'm not made any attempt to seek out current members. we will see how that goes. charles francis. junior no one forces one into a career of public service. the kind of walk away from an impulse. i think it says a lot about the global decline of the family. >> i read about britain and america during the civil war it was a great book. i did comment a fair amount about charles francis not been very good socially in england. how do you think he overcame them. that is a great book. i wouldn't go as far as that. he does try very hard. he always has people for some kind of public a function or dinner. a lot of important brief politicians. he's never one of these he is very smart at who was on his side and he was not. he wants to see that u.s. lose during that time. again he is not he's not the kind of people find schmoozing something that comes naturally. he's a very smart politician and knows how to play british politics. every night who is their dining. just he and the family. >> can you talk about charles francis almost nomination in 1872, he really tried to get in? >> the questions about charles francis senior. the quick story there in the book is a lot of reformers and people like the addams family in general really turned on grant very loosely. when it came to the cabinet and administration. a lot of people and administration were. the performers want him gone. the plan is to have a preconvention invention that you would choose someone like adams and therefore for the party they have to decide and split the vote. or is grant going to step aside. again, adams particularly liked to have the nomination and henry and charles francis junior there at the convention lobbying for the father. all they have to do is say guess i'm there. on the first ballot. on the first ballot he actually comes ahead. this was the late 19th century. someone who is running for governor in indiana they want to know the top of the ticket. they have really invested in it. at one point he writes a letter to the convention and he says if you all stand up and say i want adams that i'm your guy. that's what it's gonna take. despite the fact that his kids are there pushing hard. they do root of the nomination. of course greeley gets crushed by grant. kind of a quiet back story is by 72 adams is telling the diary. he is not the guy who used to be. he finds himself slipping. he does have dementia late in life. he is maybe not the guy he was before. he does not get the nomination. have he run independent he would've lost to grant. he is the one guy that slapped it down. it was all for grants renomination. but that he would've been clearly the front runner. the mind really was on the wane. in looking at families with other world world-famous people, politicians and business people in other fields do you think it is really unusual that the adams family did addams family did not continue in great success. >> i think it's very usual in typical. it's kind of the fate of presidential children. your dad is taipei. he is gregarious. how you follow that act has got to be tough. and for adams there is grandfather and father. it's not surprising that a lot of presidents children decide it's easier to just walk away in pursuit some private avenue. i can criticize adams for doing that. every time there is an opening for dog catcher. it's got to be in adams. and that has to be really difficult to deal with the fact that charles francis senior does not become the third president kenny gets a fourth generation the hook. and then henry can write his books. even henry is hoping according from his writings that being in washington as a journalist and historian. it always has to come to them. they can't lobby for it. i get what kind of pressure that would put on them. then their whole lives were so completely different from what the founders of the family are for. he is uniquely trained to be the third president. there for seven years. anybody would've been a better president in 1868. certainly grant was not. most americans don't leave their county. let alone go to russia. he was trained to prepare it. yes i want to be the nominee. >> it's an interesting dynamic. too many abbeys. henry thinks his father is quite brilliant and a great father. he thinks his father is a cold and terrible person. and he's actually very attached to abby. henry thinks comparison to his grandmother that abby is just kind of an interesting and unimportant. but again she is a great host in london. much more vivacious than her husband. she is wanted at the dinner parties. it's not a great love affair. they just don't seem deeply in love with each other. maybe that is just kind of the way it is. i liked her. and like everybody in this book. she was a better mother than charles senior is a father. [applause]. [inaudible conversations] here are some of the current best best-selling books according to newsmax. in 100 bible verses that make america. robert morgan argues that the bible played an important role in the founding after that npr host and perfect union. a dual biography of 19th century political power couple jesse and john freeman. that is followed by scott mcewan. then pastor and former southern baptist number offers his thoughts on character over reputation in character still counts. wrapping up the list. in the relationship between colin foul and dick cheney. some of these authors have appeared on book tv and you can watch them online at book tv.org. >> at the atlantic council in washington dc. they discussed the diplomacy in the middle east. in this portion of the program they weigh in on the attack that killed the iranian general. >> at the end of the day this is a political assassination. you think the personality and the leadership position they have a good character of people who can run these organizations. we are not talking value judgment here. and what is the goal. if the goal is to change for the better. you have done the opposite by killing him. i think partly they didn't understand. your point is will made. it is is not an overrated general. the fact is for all of the bad things that he has done he is very important politically military and culturally. to the people that we consider enemies now but that we want to somehow fix the relationship with. i don't think the president understands that. and i doubt the people around him. the people who gave him this option and then later said we did not think he would pick it. why put it as an option in the first place. i think there is a certain psychological element. i talked about the american troops in baghdad. whether we like it or not it was very important. they almost have a halo around them. for people and lebanon and iran. that you should understand is going to generate hatred and as going to generate acts of revenge. and i do not think we have seen the end of that. i think it was just a token here we go. i think we will see more acts of revenge. to watch the rest of the program visit the website. using the box at the top of the page. >> thank you so much for coming i am honored to i am honored to introduce our author bruce riedel. he is a senior fellow in the middle east studies. has book "beirut 1958"