[inaudible conversation] [inaudible conversation] heres a look at some of the upcoming book fairs and festivals happening around the country. On saturday august 20 second, book tv is live at the Second Annual mississippi book festival held at the state capital in jackson. Features former Senate Majority leader trent lott a Pulitzer Prize winner biographer John Beauchamp. Coming up on september 18 is the brooklyn book festival held in downtown brooklyn, new york. Later the annual baltimore book festival will take place at the citys inner harbor. On saturday september 24 for the for the 16th euro book tv will be live with author talks and call in segments from the National Book festival hosted by the library of congress at the Washington Convention center. For more information about the fairs and festivals that book tv will be covering in to watch previous festival coverage, click the book pierce tab on our website, booktv. Org. Representative marshall blackburn, what is on your meaningless . I have a great reading list for the summer, one of one of the things im starting with is the constitution. So many of my constituents are reading through the constitution and the declaration. Theyre doing doing that with their kids this summer. So were going to have some fun with that, do some some things working toward constitution day. I think that is exciting that so many families are going back and looking at those First Principles and founding documents. So in tennessee seven thats at the top the list. And some other things there is that daniels book i want to read, its, its bringing out the best in people. I think every once in a while its like to get a new perspective on how you lead a team, i say you lead people and you manage assets. Ive always been a big fan of the covey books with the leadership principles. So i have read a review or two of the said i think that what is going to be a good one to read, kinda motivational. So thats on there, theres an interesting book to buy and it is fluke. It looks at the mathematics and set Science Behind auto occurrences and so i want to read luke. Its interesting house some things just happen. Interest and curiosity, the the way it causes you to think, it accomplishes your mind to work and get you outside of your normal everyday box of looking at policy. So i enjoy that, it is that mental stimulation that intrigues your mind. Its its good for you. It keeps you thinking. When we talk to in the often it has been history,. Yes, i love, i read the kill me books this year, the triple pirates in it was great, its an matter fact that is when the summer that im going to read with my grandson and they love pirates, they get so into pirates and i thought, what a great way to introduce them to history and to our nations founding by utilizing brians book and going back and talking about the pirates. That is something that we are going to do. Last year i read some cookbooks and things with them, utilize some of those old cookbooks and the boys like to help me grow herbs in my herb garden and we do a little salad garden then what fun that was and they are very adventurous eaters, so we had a good time with that. Did you grow up reading . Yes, not all the time and i loved biographical sketches. I find inspiration in those. You know, i dont know who im going to read this year. I have not decided where i want to go i enjoyed the lincoln books because there are several different authors, Stephen Mansfield who is one of my favorite, different people had written on lincoln so you can get that wide view. And we will see who i end up reading this year. I am going to read woodwards book on the road to the white house. I think that will, its timely, think that one is a good one to read. And if anyone heard those bows we are in Marsha Blackburns office in the house and in those goff from time to time. To indicate that the house is in recess. When you find time to read . I read on flights, i read in the evenings before i go to sleep, sometimes if i get the time to sit on the back porch i may read a little bit. I really love inspirational reading. In the mornings, thats thats when i do my devotion and bible reading. You cannot beat a cup of coffee on the back porch a breeze is blowing for quiet time to do that, 6 00 a. M. A. M. In the morning with the sun coming up, its nice. For their books in the house when youre growing up . Reappearance readers . Absolutely. Even the world book encyclopedia. There is always something that you could find. The world book would be great if you are curious and having parents who were very curious, grandmother who had been a schoolteacher, all all of that makes a difference. Those are big influencers. In this media age and see my grandchildren so drawn to Electronic Media sometimes we just say this is a no ipad day and its a no videogame day. And then we read and that was part of the treat to them with reading a cookbook, its a good lesson lesson in science, its a good lesson in food, they are learning to read by, my grandson who just finished first grade is so excited because now he can read as he calls them chapter books. And hes very excited about reading chapter books. Does what you read help influence and play a part in your role at the house of representatives. Sure, absolutely. And it does, there are some books that are required reading around my house, when you talk about good economic policy, and you look at outofcontrol federal spending, i think that is a mustread. So when you go back to many of those foundational books, theyre going to be there, it doesnt change and theyre so instructive so yes it does. The summer to one of the things im looking to read and i havent decided which book but there are several Online Marketing, we are dealing with the issue of Data Security and privacy and i lead with peter welch out of her mount that Privacy Working Group for couple of years. I have found it so interesting that as you look at the New York Times list in the amazon list and different ones, the Business Books right now till with the digital space. An Online Marketing and i want to read a couple of those just to do my own Trend Analysis and see what people who consider themselves to be the experts or are considered the experts what they have to say and what the trends are that they are working toward. I think that would help me as we get ready to work through this issue. When you get your books . Oh it just depends, sometimes is the library sometimes i may think of something i want to read and we may just get it from the library of congress, my local library is wonderful i like to buy books. Im one of those that still like the hard hands and mark it up and read it. This year i have got to paint in my study which means i have to unload all of these books from the bookshelves in order to do some cleanup and painting. I thought oh my goodness, i will never get it done because ill be flipping back through all of these books with notes. But its the way i like it. So i continue to do that. How is the Library System in your district . The Library System in my district is healthy. It is robust. One of the things that interest me as the way they are beginning to utilize downloads. And to expand their reach to integrate their offerings. Tennessee has done a very good job through the tennessee connect program with our schools and universities and public libraries. So it is a wonderful tool. We regularly visit the library of congress for books that are being rotated out to take to some of our libraries that may be need that extra push for filling their shelves and having books for children to come check out. Does the u. S. Congress have a role in funding for libraries . Are they pretty independent . [inaudible] youre also an author. Yes. Close that process like for you . It was terrific and i enjoy and still working on it. I keep up up couple of files, were documents in my computer and my setting things to them. My husband is also an author, he has a business book, and he uses it as he teaches self training courses but he is a sales pro. It focuses there but he has one coming out as a joke he is a practical jokester and someone asked him monday why he always wear a bowtie and he says where did you not know i am president of the international bowtie society . Just made it up, spur the moment and so the idea kinda took off in so now this year he is writing a book, he just got the options on cover is called the bowtie bible. So its kind of a parody, a fun little tiny short book. Does he teach how to tie it bowtie too . How to tie a bow tie, how to how to wear a bowtie, hes had a lot of fun with it. It is just a fun evocation with him. Tell us of why your book, what the process was like, what the topic is, working from. Life equity is a term that i use many times when i was talking to women about the value of investing in themselves. We think in terms of you think of a Small Business owner and you think about building equity in a business, you think about building equity in a home, you think of that building equity as you want to grow your nest egg and you are building equity in that, but how often do you apply that yourself and to your resume . Think about that equity that youre building for you, because because every skill that you develop and acquire is adding to that. All skills are transferable. Many times, especially women they think that if they were successful in the volunteer world, that it is difficult to transition that to the forprofit world, or maybe they need to go back to zero. They should look at lateral moves or step up and not be thinking in terms of going back to square one. So we talk about how to utilize those skills. Your life equity is your passions plus the skills that you have developed plus your goals. You use all of that to invest in yourself and to defined yourself. That is your life equity. The key is putting that work for you to help you achieve what is for you the american dream. What was the process like writing it . I took it from speeches that i have given given over a couple of decades and have worked with the literary and beverly jar now and worked with her to pull it all together and pulled profiles of women that i know who have reinvented themselves. And and have redefined themselves. And have use that as a part of some of their life equity. Sometimes men defined themselves in women have a tendency to defined themselves from there by their families. Looking at more holistically your job, and all all the skills that you bring to the table that can be used to help define the strength that you as a woman bring to either the private or the public sector. And they tell a story and like life equity about being out campaigning. Ive ive been in the state senate and now i was campaigning for congress. Another one in tennessee had only put their name on the ballot and won the race. I was the first woman elected in her own right. We had had four women who had followed a spouse and i was in a county that had a little what we call cafe, your plate is one meat and three veggies. So we call it meat three. I had gone in and this county did not have many women that served in elected office in size passing out my Campaign Material and i went over to this gentleman that you could tell had been out farming and i handed him my card and i said hi am state senator Marsha Blackburn im running for congress and i sure would appreciate having your vote and so he looked at me and he said little lady, what qualifies you . Now thats a giveaway you know you not to get the vote when youre called little lady. What qualifies you for the u. S. House of representatives i thought well you know ive been a threeyearold choir director, the ring mother and the girl scout cookie amount, so man, so i think i probably could handle the u. S. House of representatives because i have handled those jobs. And bear in mind he did not want to talk about that i was a state senator and just had led a fouryear fight to keep us state income tax free. That didnt go, so i kind of threw that adam and i thought no those jobs to be in the 3yearold choir director in the room mother chairman of the girl scout cookie month, those are true life skills that do prepare you for working with people, for working with diverse groups of people. And with being able to help lead groups and entities and organizations. Part of that is Transferable Skills so people will undersell a woman when itcomes to the job that she can do. Is that impress him . I think it did because a call me back over to the table, he motioned to me like this, and he looked at me and he said little lady if you win this thing what are we gonna call you, congress grown, Congress Lady . And i said you know what congressman suits me just fine. So he chuckled and i hope i got his vote. To ever get recommendation from books from your colleagues here, do you ever recommend book. Yes, i do from time to time i will, i also have constituents that know im a voracious reader and a writer and they will say you need to read this or they will send me an email with a book review and say thats how i came up across flute and also bringing about the best in people, its things things that were recommended to me. By people who know what i like to read and recommended that i read this. Is there a chance chance for what we call that beach reading, maybe not. Not enough. Maybe nonfiction. Not enough, the thing about reading fiction that is really interesting in i others a book coming up and i think its called foreign agent, and and reading things, clancy book or Something Like that is you get way over there and and letting the mind just go and thinking about the possibilities and every once in a while people will talk about washington and they will go you know this stuff coming out there, you just couldnt make this up, and so i think that reading fiction or reading some of these parodies it can be good because it allows your mind to just think. Speaking of washington, to read books about washington, about the congress, kind congress, kind of contemporary narrative. No. Not a lot. I guess i just dont have the appetite for that. Maybe i do so much periodical reading, i spend hours every day reading so maybe im too immersed in it to appreciate that. It if you were to recommend a book for your district to read for example, may be a districtwide book, where would you go . I think reading the constitution is a great place to go this year, think reading the federalist papers over those things are foundational that are just intriguing. I think for children one of the Benjamin Franklin books, those are exceptional because of the appreciation that he had in his life for a lot of different skill sets and the way he worked to develop different skill sets, and same thing for jefferson, a lot of different skill sets, being someone who was a farmer, was a financier, who had interests in just a lot of different sectors of his life, those help children to grow and know that they dont have to do just one thing. To have any authors who live in your district . Yes we do, we have plenty of authors, John Beauchamp was in nashville, brad thor lives in nashville, we have Stephen Mansfield, who is in nashville, and contemporary christian world who got Michael Smith who is there, amy grant, buchanan who is also in my apple study group in church with us. Thomas nelson down in nashville now. He is there in southwestern is also there, they are to have nashvilles Oldest Companies and people many times will say how did winters alley come about . They think is a bunch of honkytonks they actually dont know is the back door the alley off the back door of all the Printing Companies and Thomas Nelson being one of those in southwestern who started with the bible and expanded and moved to educational books and i worked with the Southwestern Company working my way through college, is how i pay for my tuition. Have you ever spoken or been involved with the southern festival of books . I have not. I have gone a couple of times because i love it, authors around ten things that bring authors together and those are fabulous, Alice Randall who has written a couple of bestsellers is a very dear friends. Recently the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeares death, are are you a shakespearean in any way . All, i appreciation, reading and i have always thought that going it would be a good excuse for a trip to italy to go, its right around i think florence and see the balcony that inspired romeo and juliet, that would be a good excuse for a trip, im sure plenty of people have used it for research, right . So when you return to a favorite book, what is that book that you pick up every couple of years and reread . I go back through the seven habits of stephen coveys book. I keep those grouped together on the shelf ends it is great to pick those up every once in a while and then a snow day, Something Like that and just go back and hit the chapter topics that keeps your mind thinking about prioritization, organization, and keeping the first things first. We all need those reminders. When i need to bolster myself for the fight i will pick up nonoaud, is one of my favorites, its along with road to serfdom, the book that i made my kids read. So you have to understand it. Finally you have mentioned that you keep files, so, is there another book in the works . Works . Oh, i would love to do another book on leadership for women and focusing it on women, there so many women that you know women have a life you get into a career, take take time off with the family, you kind of work parttime and manage rearing children or maybe an elderly relative and youre providing care, that you want to go back into the workforce. An understanding the value and that what the route brings to the work process, i think there is something that is valuable to do. So i would probably write again and write on something to do with women and leadership. Of this is an extended look on book tv at Marsha Blackburns reading habits. This is this is book tv on cspan2. Here is a look at some of the current bestselling nonfiction books according to the Harvard Bookstore in cambridge, massachusetts. Topping the list, philosopher aaron james look at how Donald Trumps personality personality contributes to his politics and president ial campaign. Whatever last years National Book award explores the current state of black america in between the world to me. Next up harvard sociologist Matthew Desmond works look set up and policy in america and evicted. Followed by hamilton, the published script of the Pulitzer Prizewinning and tony winning broadway musical. Our look at the bestselling nonfiction books according to the Harvard Bookstore continues with apn in which jerusalem history professor chronicles the revolution of modern humans and the challenges facing our species today. Grinnell university microbiologist researcher riding dieter looks at how microbes affect health in the human super organism. And paul recounts face immortality and his memoir when breath becomes there. Rounding out the list of known chomsky and post 911 in who rules the world. Thats a look at some of the best sellers according to the Harvard Bookstore in cambridge, massachusetts. Many of these authors have appeared or will be appearing on book tv. You can watch them on our website, booktv. Org. Good evening. Good evening. Thank you. Welcome to our series i vivian, manager of the africanamerican department for interframe library and on behalf of the library and the Maryland Library for the blind and handicap we welcome you here this evening. It is my pleasure to bring to you Sean Robinson who is a Career Development trainer for the center for urban families. He will introduce our guest speaker, michael denzil smith. So, sean. Good evening. How is everybody . It is a privilege to introduce this young man, he has i told him i spent four hours reading his book, if if you havent read it, you have to. It challenges my thinking. The in actuality it is every mans education. To that degree, to the further extent it is actually womens education as well because when you read his book and think how rich his perspective is you get an idea of what it looks like for folks in this generation to really have a global perspective on what looks like for justice. His written, i want to do a quick quick exit of something he wrote that really struck me. He said that anger is what makes her struggle visible. Our struggle is what ask moses the hypocrisy of the nation that bashes itself, a moral