The On The Bookshelf Podcast

interview-Jason Vuic exposes how lot sellers transformed Fla. in 1950s

It is a fascinating (and somewhat horrifying) true story of how legitimate developers (and some not so legit) carved up Florida into tens of thousands of lots per "retirement village" in the mid to late 20th century. They reached out to Northern residents who would have a pension and sold the a lot for $10 down and $10 a month. Most didn't build a town, they laid out small plots, many with artificially-created boat slips behind cottages. In doing so, the environment of central and south Florida was badly-affected and used. The books available in hardback, paperback and Kindle: "The Swamp Peddlers: How Lot Sellers, Land Scammers and Retirees Built Modern Florida and Transformed the American Dream" from UNC Press. 

interview-Barbara Becker on ”The Art of living with the End in mind”

The author, an interfaith chaplain and hospice volunteer, offers hard-earned wisdom and compassion for people coping with loss, dealing with Alzheimer's patients, the loss of two daughters to miscarriage, her own breast cancer, and the deep losses of dear friends and loved ones.

Her website is BarbaraBecker.com. 

interview--Civil Rights worker John Reynolds returns to Troy

In 1965, when he was 18 years old, the son of a sharecropper found a way to make a difference in the Jim Crow South. John Reynolds joined the SCLC, worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and Dr. Ralph Abernathy to register black voters in his native Pike County, AL and across the state. He eventually went to Rhode Island for the SCLC , helped organize and manage the anti-poverty event in DC in the aftermath of Dr. King's murder, then became a pastor, married and adopted daughters. In January 2023 he visited his hometown to dedicate the first Civil Rights Monument there, celebrating the Summer of SCORE and the successful voting rights drive. I was privileged to interview him in our station studios.

interview-Tom Cleaver discusses the US Air War in Vietnam

Based on lots of research, the US Navy flier Vietnam War vet wrote two books which received much acclaim from veterans and historians: "The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club: Naval Aviation in the Vietnam War" and "Going Downtown: The US Air Force Over Vietnam, Loss and Cambodia, 1961-75", both from Osprey Publishing. It has some huge surprises due to new data, including (North) Vietnamese war records from the 1960s, and ancient battle plans against the Mongols in the 13th century!

interview-Gary Scott Smith on the life & faith of Jackie Robinson

from the Library of Religious Biography series, History professor emeritus Gary Scott Smith brings wonderful insight into the faith that made it possible for Jackie Robinson to endure the vitriol of racism as he broke the color barrier in MLB. You'll meet the other people of faith who helped him: his mother, Rev. Karl Downs (pastor of his youth), Dodgers manager Branch Rickey (founder of FCA), and civl rights leaders including Dr. ML King, Jr.