Kid books. I got into the dr. Doolittle search. Back in my youth nobody was reading. Nobody ever heard of them until after the movie came out the dr. Doolittle, most people discovered who he was and what it was about. I think it was a british set of books. For some reason i got a kick out of the fact they were talking animals. Our military. Of course the hardy boys and all the others that followed. Thats kind of part of who we were. My mom was an immigrant to this country, eighth grade education. She was really selftaught. She taught herself everything under the sun. Cooking, shorthand, reading, art. All this. I think that probably inspired me. From with each immigrant and how did she end up in east st. Louis . She was born in lithuania, brighter at the age of two. The lithuania population came from germany to baltimore. She didnt land at ellis island in new york. The baltimore and ohio reverend at two destinations, chicago and st. Louis. Had to go to chicago she wouldve been part of the largest immigration of lithuanias to america. She took the southern route. Her mom dead i should say, to meet up with my grandfather. That was kind of a thriving part of the st. Louis. Why . Stockyards, steel mills, railroads. Things immigrants could working. So she came, dropped out of school after the great. Became a switchboard operator at a local Telephone Company and worked her whole life. She really was my original teacher. Host what kind of books decrepit towards today . Guest mainly nonfiction. I dont force myself but i disciplined myself about every third or fourth book to read something fiction. I think its good for me. Naturally you think of politicians going to be reading history and biography, which i love, but ive got to get into it. A few years ago i was talking to someone and they said they of courses online that you can take. It doesnt charge anything. You can take a college course. I decided i would take a college course. What do you think i took . Host writing. Guest that wouldve been my second choice. My first choice was poker. I thought to myself ive never had a portrait court. I took in modern contemporary american poetry and was a professor at the university of pennsylvania who taught this online. Boy come is a good. Really good. I got to monitor his classes and they would send a test in such. It was a great experience. I could get all the poetry online site didnt have to by textbook. I learned all of these, Emily Dickinson and walt whitman, all through these troubled. I made a mistake of telling what of the people at the Editorial Board of the daily herald outside chicago to do this. They put in the paper. The next thing you on on all things considered. In being interviewed about taking a portrait course. I could talk for a few minutes. I know that about. They surprised me. The professor was live on the air. I had never seen or met this man. So this a professor has a quiz before you today. He asked the few questions. Thank goodness i got it right. Ive always tried to use my reading to kind of expand a little bit into fiction work, foreign authors, poetry, push myself a little bit. Host last year during our Summer Reading quiz you on booktv, we asked a lot of centers what theyre reading and a lot of them said all the light we cannot see. What was said about the book and what the senators sharing its . No. Well, i dont know about the others. I just heard about it and i was captivated. I thought it was such a fascinating premise that the was a blind girl who was surviving bombing raids in france, and what happened to her. I recommended it to others. Susan collins and often trade books and i cant remember if i recommended it to her or she to me. I thought it was really well written. Host with another book you recommended to senator collins country all of kid ridge was a novel i read. I think in a special out of it. The life of pi, remember recommended that you were along the way. We kind of had this exchange back and forth. Host whats on your current reading list . Guest i read in the heart of the city which is a story by nathaniel philbrick. Its a story about the six, a winship out of nantucket that was sought by a whale in the pacific, and many members of the crew survived, inspired are the melville to write moby dick. Its the story behind the story. I liked it so much, that i saw he came up with a second book called valian valley of ambitioh is a revolution for book. I bought it. Ive got it sitting there. It will be my next one up in terms of what im reading. But in terms of those ive been recently that were particularly good, im a huge fan of timothy egan, a writer for the New York Times and a heck of an author. He wrote the immortal irishman, a great story about an irishman who was banished to live on an island in the south pacific, escaped, became a big prominent leader of union troops. The irish battalion during the civil war, then went off to montana where he died at thats kind of, i will give away anymore but thats the premise of the book. How did he die . Tells the story leading up to the. He such a great author. When i read about the dust bowl, i had these images of what the gospel was that led to the migration in the 30s of folks from oklahoma out to california. Grapes of wrath and so forth. I dont know much about it. He writes a book about it. The worst hard time about the dust bowl. My goodness, i mean, it was an incredible scene to think these cities were just engulfed in dirt and dust that was blowing through and the cumulative to indicate the challenge in these cities, are you going to stay or be a quitter and leave . People would sign pledges, i will never leave, and then leave. It is a great writer. So the immortal irishman this book i strongly recommend. Host do you ever read books by your colleagues who have written, other political books transferred yes. Amy klobuchars book. I read harry reids books and Claire Mccaskills books, book i should say. I try to read those along the way. Spewing what about a dick durbin book . At another of the b1. Ive got 60 chapter city editor and my desk i dont know if its a book. Its just stores at the cumulative and written up over the course of my time in congress. Im not sure theres a book in there. Theres a lot of writing but someday i may entice an editor to si sit down with the look of her. Host want one chapter you can tell us about . Guest i wrote a chapter thats continuing project. I got this curiosity and my mind when i was with obama on the campaign trail. I said to him, do you do anything with you in your pocket every day . Oh, yeah, he showed me this little pendant he had which was like a tiny little buddha. I believe thats what it was. He said i take it with me everywhere. I thought i would ask you all the people i know, president ial candidate and what did you care in your pocket or in the course of the campaign. One of the chapters is the story of the senator and what they like to carry in their pockets. Is that worthy of the book at . I dont know but it was something that caught my attention. Host is there a bio and one of those chapters . Guest its all over the place. A politician could write a book without reflecting on what brought you here. My immigrant mother, my father died when i was in high school from lung cancer, smoking two packs of camels that they, experiences i had with paul douglas, the first senator i worked for, introduced me to paul simon who hired me out of law school to work in his lieutenant governors office. How i got into the battle to take smoking on airplanes. My father. And what it was like passing a bill in the house. Theres a lot of cursor production on this. There may be a book in there somewhere. Host is there any poetry . Guest not yet. Im not that good at it. I guess im humble enough to say theres some things i do a little bit of but dont profess to have any great expertise. The interesting thing after taking the course is when i read the new yorker, it isnt just the stories and cartoons. I stop and read the poetry, or at least try to read the poetry before to the online course i didnt even try. Host as the democratic with your time is pretty scarce. Do you have to building reading don . Guest i would have a lot of airplane time. I commute every week. Ive done that for over 30 years from illinois back to washington. So there is time there, and i really found a book to be a great way to pass that time. Catch up on magazine clippings and so forth, i think it into a book. If i really get into it i will stick with it to the end. Im not into kindle. I tried it. It just wasnt my style. I like the tangible feel of that paper book also fine if im carrying the darn thing about him a briefcase im going to finish it because i think how long are you going to carry this . I stick with it and read. Its also great what if your city a passenger you dont want to talk to, and that does happen to politicians. Ahead of the nra from colorado, thank you, ive got a book about three. It reaches a point where you have at least a legitimate kindly wait to say dont bother me. Host when was the last time you were in the east same Lewis Library transferred passed by it. Long gone. Its one of the casualties of the port in which is now struggling to survive, but he really did a lot to me. Host what happened . Guest it to the transitio transition, 80,000 people at its peak that i remember, and then went through a racial crisis where there were africanamericans getting improved incomes, wanting to move into new neighborhoods come in white flight. My family was a casualty of that. We moved to another place in the st. Louis go into a suburb. Now its a city that is probably 95 plus africanamerican. Reduce, weve got a great new mayor. She really as impressive. Got my fingers cautiously to turn the city in the right direction. Population of about 25,000 today. Host industry . Guest nothing except casino riverboat. Nothing. Its all gone and the road is part of the problem. Host what about popular book, send a book, thinking of the Harry Potter Series are some of these that sweep the country or do they attract your attention . Guest usually not. There was that whole thing, the girl with the dragon and all the rest. I guess i read those. I thought they were pretty good but it dont get caught up into that too much. I did get fixed on certain authors. I think back, a fellow named Sebastian Barry who was an irish author at his written a series of books, seven or eight, about a family. I get the biggest kick out of reading his books. They are good stories to start with, and they talk a lot about ireland and all that went through in the 20th century. Just the irish turn of phrase, i get the biggest kick out of reading that. Theres a woman named fuller. Shes really a special case. Cant remember her first thing e but she wrote several memoirs about growing up in south africa in the southern part of africa, zimbabwe in that region. The one, but two of the or really excellent, one was entitled dont lets go to the dogs tonight, and the second one was cocktails under the tree of forgetfulness, or something of that nature. She came from the most dysfunctional family you can imagine the his wife, those being the political structure, her father was just kind of any demand, very handy guy and she grew up, they drank a little too much and that came through industries. Shes very gifted writer and think she lives in jackson hole mountain. Host Arthur Brooks that help you in your work in the senate . Guest sometimes i gravitate towards those that will make a difference. Theres another one and put it on for Summer Reading of a new biography of brandeis. I dont know enough about him. This would be a good book. I bought that one. I want to get into that when. That does something. Theres another one on fixing medicare that it is bordered. I try to get myself into the frame of mind he frame of mind do with somebodys into the programs that i thought maybe a reflection by some of these, some psycho thoughtful would be helpful host the do you ever read books you disagree with . Guest i dont usually get to the i usually get angry and stop. I find if i can finish the book, even if i tried a second or third time, maybe it was not meant to be. Made all these books are not meant to take to the finish line. Thats okay. I dont mind trying it, passing it along. I think i learned something even if i stop at 100 or 150 pages. Host you mentioned you ordered a book. Where do you get most of your books directory and the sun. Very convenient. My favorite store on amazon was waking up at 5 a. M. On a sunday morning and thinking i got to order some books, and they said to you want sameday delivery on a sunday in chicago. I would like to find out that works. Darned if it didnt deliver it by 2 30 in the afternoon. Its reconvening. Having said that i go out of my way to overpay for books from neighborhood bookstores. I worked my way through college at a bookstore called discount books and records. In washington when what the georgetown. It was one of the second or third best jobs i ever had i memorized the inventory. I knew where everything was it was there by publisher. I got a big kick out of it and i think that got me started on this craziness on books. I have more books than i should, but i thought about amazon under the there are but also thought i dont want to lose all these neighborhood bookstores. So in broadway right around the corner from my condo in chicago is the unabridged bookstore. I make a point of going in there to buy christmas gifts. I spend too much money. I couldve saved 20 on amazon but i think ive got to keep these guys in business. They get such a good inventory. I have a soft spot when it comes to neighborhood bookstores. Host do they know who you are . Guest they do. I that have worked in a bookstore, if you told me weve got 30 minutes, would you like to own a bookstore . Great. Weve got an hour, great. Our and have to agree. If its a good bookstore, just give me the time. I will amuse myself or however long you want me to stay in their if its a really good bookstore. Host is there any books you recommend to your colleagues or to your staff transferred yes. The empire of the summer but was a book i read. The story of the comanche indians. I thought to myself i knew nothing about native americans. All i knew i took out of westerns, off of movies. Its all stereotypical. So i read the empire of the summer moon. John cornyn comes walking into the senate gym. I say to john, have you read empire of the summer moon . Never heard of it. Ill give it a. Its all about texas and oakland and kansas were the comanche is really dominated for decades. I gave it to cookie loves a. He gives it as a gift the next christmas to everyone republican senator. So yes, thats what i recommend that turned out to be popular. Host is that the only book you recommended to your counterpart on the republican side . Guest is a book called the heart of everything that is, and its a story of this emission which takes a different part of the United States sue nation. I recommend that you Heidi Heitkamp and Amy Klobuchar because a lot of it has to do with the dakotas and minnesota. Host but what about eleanor. If you want to learn about the a little or a lot politics is a book you would recommend . Guest theres a lot of intelligence recommending to one of the staffers here city of the center. Get the biggest kick out of this book. This is a 19th century history of chicago and it just tells the from its early days of settlement on three colombian exposition. People have read the white city, erik larsons book, that takes place at about the same area, 1893. They built this huge white city, but i think city of the center for such an eyeopener in terms of creating a city. It was a small town in the kind of grew just geometrically. At the end of the 19th century with railroads and Central Location and opening up the west. So i would start there. I think thats a good book to read. I read most of the books that paul simon wrote. He was prolific. When he ran for president they said of him, they said he has written more books than Ronald Reagan has read. That was what i think i dont know if george will said that but somebody did a long the course of the campaign. Did not have a College Degree but he was a prolific writer and author, journalist. His books are very good reflection on the political scene. Host what about the u. S. Senate . Is there any book you would recommend . Guest master of the senate. The history of the this body. I dont think ever anything that matches up post to this is a bjs old hiding office we are in, right treasury he also made office in the capital. I had his office for the with operation over a little ways from here, and if this is part of his legacy, easily couldve been, he would walk through at night, story goes, paul douglas via senator that have worked for as a kid, ph. D in economics, cerebral liberal progressive from exactly the kind of politician that lbj hated. So douglas was chairman of the joint economic committee, an assignment he loved and nobody else wanted to lbj came to because he couldnt cause any trouble. Hes working late one night in one of the side offices over here. The door opens without an announcement, in steps of vijay. Vijay. He looks round and thus is a word, closes the door and lease. The next day douglas gets noticed, youve been evicted. So i now have it today, but it is time i think elect clinton a lot of real estate in the capital post back as a u. S. Senator do you have any involvement with libraries in illinois for the u. S. Libraries around the country transferred i do. I have a lot of friends involved with fibers. Theres a woman who to nominate the next library of congress. Her name is carla hayden. Africanamerican library in now in baltimore was originally, that was returned from illinois. You would expect chicago. It was downstate illinois. It was a large africanamerican publishing but her mom and dad were born in you going illinois. The reason i was the railroads. The african americas gravitate towards the railroads. They got jobs in the railroads. Father conduct be a pretty prominent musician. He traveled around. She was born in florida. He went to new york, finally made it to chicago. If you go to Malcolm X College in chicago, the auditorium is named after her death. So carl hayden has a great story. Shes run into some opposition from some quarters but hope she ends up being the next library and. Let me just say one thing about writing if i can. When it comes to writing i think its like most other skills. They say he needed to 10,000 times. If you read stephen king, a book called on writing, which i recommend because the front end of the book is an autobiography which is always. Is almost as fun as bill bryson to another writer i read all the time. T