SUMMER READING SPECIAL: The World From the Beach With Carlos Lozada

Looking for nonfiction book recommendations to kick off your summer? In this annual episode, hosts Jim Lindsay and Bob McMahon join Washington Post book critic Carlos Lozada to discuss the books they’re reading, the books they’re looking forward to, and the books they’re packing with their towels for the next trip to the beach.

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Hosts
  • James M. Lindsay
    Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
  • Robert McMahon
    Managing Editor
Episode Guests
  • Carlos Lozada
    Washington Post Nonfiction Book Critic

Show Notes

Looking for nonfiction book recommendations to kick off your summer? In this annual episode, hosts Jim Lindsay and Bob McMahon join Washington Post book critic Carlos Lozada to discuss the books they’re reading, the books they’re looking forward to, and the books they’re packing with their towels for the next trip to the beach.

Bob's Picks
Grant by Ron Chernow
Tailspin by Steven Brill
Lagos Noir edited by Chris Abani

Jim's Picks
The World America Made by Robert Kagan
Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941 by Stephen Kotkin
Heat by Bill Buford

Carlos's Picks
A Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantú
The List by Amy Siskind
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
The Death of Truth by Michiko Kakutani
Beautiful Country Burn Again by Ben Fountain
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
The Journalist and the Murderer by Janet Malcolm
The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro

Ukraine

Ukraine rushes to push back against a new Russian offensive in its northeast Kharkiv region; U.S. President Joe Biden invites Kenyan President William Ruto for a state visit, the first U.S. state visit for an African leader since 2008; London’s High Court decides on whether to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States to stand trial; and tens of thousands protest in Tbilisi, Georgia, after its parliament passes the controversial “foreign agents” bill.

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Israel’s newest military operation in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah stirs concerns of catastrophe for Palestinians in Gaza, and prompts the United States to condition its offensive military aid for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war broke out; Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet in Ankara, Turkey, to continue their diplomatic efforts; the seventy-seventh Cannes Film Festival showcases new films ranging from niche to blockbuster; and Russian President Vladimir Putin orders tactical nuclear weapon drills as a signal to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Censorship and Freedom of Expression

In this special episode to mark World Press Freedom Day, Jeffrey Gedmin, cofounder and editor-in-chief of American Purpose and former president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, joins Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins to discuss the global state of press freedom. They cover the challenges that a growing number of journalists face in exile or imprisonment, the U.S. role in upholding freedom of the press, and more.

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Despite China’s growing pressure, Taiwan has developed one of the world’s strongest democracies—one that will be increasingly tested in the coming years.