The On The Bookshelf Podcast

interview--The Cuban 5-”Castro’s Spies”

Documentary maker Gary Lennon of Ireland is the co-producer and co-director of a new look at "The Cuban 5", a deep-cover spy ring called The WASP Network. It operated in the Miami Cuban exile community, and was exposed by the FBI in 1998. The 5 were found guilty of espionage. The leader recieved two life sentences for conspiracy to commit murder for his role in the shooting down of two US civilian planes which were owned by "Brothers to the Rescue". That organization was helping Cubans escape from Castro's communist regime. President Obama released Gerardo Hernandez in 2014  in a prisoner exchange, and the others are all back in Cuba as heroes.

interview-Dean Inserra explains where the Purity Culture missed

There was an attempt a generation ago in Christian youth circles to encourage Christian teens "True Love Waits". It meant well, but it fell short because it didn't rely on God's plan from the  Bible as its motivation. Dean Inserra discusses the spiritual, psychological and cultural benefits of God's plan of Purity. The world has it all upside down.

interview-The Ultra-rich and their political significance

Michael Mechanic unveils the world of the ultra-rich (those even richer than the so-called "1 percenters") in his new book, "Jackpot: how the super-rich really live--and how their wealth harms us all".

The Bible teaches that "the love of money is the root of all evil".  Knowing that, this story will upset you but should not surprise you.  

interview--True Cold War story of a deadly mole and he agent who finally found him

Pete Bagley was an old-school CIA operative, a protege of one of the Founding Fathers of US Intelligence. He was convinced a Russian defector was a KGB plot to mask a very highly-placed mole in the CIA. It took decades to arrive at the truth. This is that true Cold War spycraft account, brilliantly told by best-selling investigative reporter and author Howard Blum. 

interview- Mitchell Cohen on the rise of Arista Records

Mitchell Cohen was an A&R rep with Arista Records, one of the fastest-rising independent record labels of the 1970s and '80s. Their roster of stars included Barry Manilow, Melissa Manchester, Whitney Houston, Patti Smith, Flock of Seagulls, Thompson Twins, and the Brecker Brothers. They also rejuvenated the careers of the Kinks, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, and Lou Reed , and gave the Grateful Dead their one and only Top 40 hit. Mitchell Cohen's new book also tells the story of Bell Records, a singles-oriented label with many hit artists in the 1960s, which was transformed when Columbia Records-wunderkid Clive Davis took over Bell and turned it into Arista.