Colin Mustful is also a host for the New Books Network, New Books in History. Listen to his interviews with historical authors.

In this episode of New Books in History, Colin Mustful talks with Chris Lombardi, author of the book, I Ain’t Marching Anymore: Dissenters, Deserters and Objectors to America’s Wars. Going as far back as the American Revolution, the book presents a soaring history valorizing the brave men and women who spoke up, spoke out, and talked back to national power. Lombardi, who is an acclaimed journalist, provides readers a book that is meticulously researched, rich in characters, and vivid in storytelling.

In this interview, Journalist Jay Weiner talks about his new book, Professor Berman: The Last Lecture of Minnesota’s Greatest Public Historian. Written as an autobiography, Weiner captures the eloquent, profound, and often humorous voice of one of Minnesota’s most influential citizens. Professor Berman, who passed away in 2015, puts his remarkable life experience on display from his humble beginnings as the son of Jewish immigrants in New York, to his important work alongside Hubert Humphrey and two-time Minnesota governor Rudy Perpich. Filled with funny anecdotes and thoughtful wisdom about how and why we study history, this book truly represents “the last lecture of Minnesota’s greatest public historian.”

New Books in History presents an interview with University of Pittsburgh professor Gonzalo Lamana, author of the new book, How “Indians” Think: Colonial Indigenous Intellectuals and the Question of Critical Race Theory. Lamana considers the terms “Indians” and “Whiteness” while examining the development of critical race theory in colonial Latin America. By evaluating the works of important indigenous intellectuals from the past, Lamana provides valuable context for the social climate of today.

Colin Mustful talks with University of Florida professor of history Luis Martinez-Fernandez, author of the book Key to the New World: A History of Early Colonial Cuba. Listen as Martinez-Fernandez talks about his Latin American upbringing, the history of pre-contact Cuba, the historical context of Western Europe in 1492, the deep connection between sugar production and slavery, and so much more.

New Books in History presents an interview with Leah Price, author of the book, What We Talk About When We Talk About Books: The History and Future of Reading. Price, who is a Francis Lee Higginson Professor of English Literature at Harvard University, provides insights about the history of books and reading while also discussing modern trends of what, why, and where we read. As for the future of books and reading only time will tell, but Price believes that “the experience of immersion in a world made of words will survive if and only if readers continue to carve out places and times to have words with one another.”

New Books in History presents an interview with Kent Gramm, author of the book Gettysburg: The Living and the Dead. Gramm, who is a professor of English and Civil War Era Studies at Gettysburg College, talks about his search for meaning behind the American Civil War’s most well-known battle. Using voices from the past and present, Gramm artfully articulates what it means to experience Gettysburg in a way that is unique and emotionally stirring.

Colin Mustful welcomes Bennett Gilbert, Senior Instructor University Studies at Portland State University, to talk about his new book, A Personalist Philosophy of History. Listen as Gilbert describes how moral responsibility connects us to the past and creates compassion for past actors while also sparking change for the future.

New Books in History host Colin Mustful speaks with Gregory D. Smithers about his new book, Native Southerners: Indigenous History from Origins to Removal. Smithers, who is a professor of American history and Eminent Scholar in the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University, examines the history of Native Southerners through numerous historical eras while reinterpreting popular misconceptions about the past in a way that is compelling and easy to understand. Listen as Smithers expresses the vibrant history of Native Southerners who have constantly and successfully adapted to change.

New Books in History host Colin Mustful presents an interview with Roger Robinson, author of the book, When Running Made History. Robinson, who is a literary scholar, award-winning writer, and longtime elite runner, talks about the vast and often untold history of running as seen through his own eyes. Sharing details of specific races while also looking at the societal changes and impacts of running, Robison shows readers how running has and will continue to make history.

New Books in History host Colin Mustful presents an interview with Sigrid Lien, author of the book, Pictures of Longing: Photography and the Norwegian-American Migration. Dr. Lien is professor of art history and photography studies at the University of Bergen, Norway, and a leading authority on Norwegian photography. In her book Dr. Sigrid Lien keenly evaluates the photographs Norwegian immigrants sent home—including one of her own grandfather. Throughout the book, Lien delves into the lives of everyday people seeking a new and prosperous life in America. Using talented writing and skillful research Sigrid Lien brings the past to life without overlooking the important historical context in which the Norwegian-American migration took place.

New Books in History host Colin Mustful presents an interview with Dr. William Green, author of the book The Children of Lincoln: White Paternalism and the Limits of Black Opportunity in Minnesota, 1860–1876. Dr. Green, who is a professor of history at Augsburg University and vice president of the Minnesota Historical Society, examines the role of four white abolitionists in Minnesota during the American Civil War and Reconstruction periods as they fought for and won black rights before finally stating, “We have done our part.” The Children of Lincoln is a fascinating, well-researched book about the limits of black opportunity in Minnesota with remarkable parallels to today’s social and political climate.

Colin Mustful presents his newest interview with sociologist and author James W. Loewen. Loewen is the author of Teaching What Really Happened: How to Avoid the Tyranny of Textbooks and Get Students Excited About Doing History. In the interview Loewen discusses his book and explores important issues surrounding the way history is often misinterpreted throughout the American education system. The forty minute interview is published by and available through the New Books Network.