James Talarico
Guest on The Ezra Klein Show · Guest on The Jamie Kern Lima Show
Products they talk about
Common Sense👍 Recommends
…discussing how historical political texts infused morality and faith into politics
“You read Common Sense by Thomas Paine. You read Lincoln's speeches. You listen to Fannie Lou Hamer. You read Dr. King. Yeah. I mean, these were, they infused their politics with a moral foundation, oftentimes explicitly rooted in faith.”
on The Ezra Klein Show
Engaging the Powers👍 Recommends
…guest recommending theological book about christianity and political engagement
“And if I'm giving a second one, a theological book by another Texan, Walter Wink, Engaging the Powers, which is all about how Christians should interact with government, with political power, and how we use nonviolence to achieve change.”
on The Jamie Kern Lima Show
Giant👍 Recommends
…guest naming favorite childhood movie about texas history and culture
“Favorite movie is going to be a movie I grew up watching, most Texas kids grew up watching, which is Giant. James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson. Great movie. Long movie. Back when movies had intermissions, which I think we should bring back. So yeah, check out Giant. Filmed in Marfa, Marfa, Texas.”
on The Jamie Kern Lima Show
Jesus and the Disinherited👍 Recommends
…recommending a religious text about Jesus and Christian nonviolence in politics
“My second book is my religious book. And it also has a Texas connection. It is Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman. We mentioned Dr. King on this show. Howard Thurman was his spiritual mentor, the theologian who started to chart that course long before Dr. King. And he wrote this book from a series of lectures in Austin, Texas at Houston Tillerson University, historically black college in Austin. And it's a beautiful book.”
on The Ezra Klein Show
Lonesome Dove👍 Recommends
…recommending a Texas classic novel that captures the spirit of the state
“For the fiction book, my favorite book is Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, maybe the most famous and beloved Texas classic. Texas has gotten a bad rap recently around the world for the extremism and corruption coming out of our government. But if you want to see what's beautiful about our state, that spirit of friendship that I mentioned earlier, read Lonesome Dove. It captures the spirit of Texas better than a lot of other works of art. And it's such a great book. Y'all have a blast reading it. Won't be able to put it down.”
on The Ezra Klein Show
Lonesome Dove👍 Recommends
…guest discussing favorite books that shaped his understanding of texas
“Favorite few books. Well, I actually, there was a whole court case involving my favorite book. They were trying to ban books in Texas, and I used my favorite book to prove a point in a committee hearing, and that ended up being used by a judge, a federal judge, to strike down the law. And that favorite book is Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Highly recommend Lonesome Dove. It captures so much about, so much of what's beautiful and great about Texas.”
on The Jamie Kern Lima Show
The Sabbath👍 Recommends
…discussing how prayer relates to the concept of the Sabbath and eternity
“One of my favorite books of all time is The Sabbath by Rabbi Heschel. Yeah, one of mine too. And to me, prayer is almost like the Sabbath breaking in throughout the week. You know, in that book, he describes that throughout the week, we're all concerned about our status and our jobs and our to-do lists. And the Sabbath is when you, I think he describes it as glimpsing eternity.”
on The Ezra Klein Show
The Upswing👍 Recommends
…recommending a political book about the shift from individualism to communitarianism
“And then the last book is the political book and it's The Upswing by Robert Putnam and his co-author, I think her name is Shailen Romney Garrett. And the book is all about how throughout the 20th century, we as a country, as a culture, moved from individualism in the Gilded Age toward communitarianism to working together to do big things as a community. And then how we fell back into individualism, which I think today is still the reigning culture in this country.”
on The Ezra Klein Show