After her husband of 25 years left her, Florence Williams channeled her pain into a new book that looks at how broken hearts affect us, body and soul.

The adage, “absolute power corrupts absolutely,” feels relevant today. Authoritarian leaders are on the rise worldwide. Democracy is on the decline, even here in the United States. Does power twist otherwise good people? Or will bad people always take power by the reigns? 

That is the question at the heart of former Minnesotan and political scientist Brian Klaas’ new book. In “Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us,” he explores why we have so many awful leaders, from political dictators to corporate bosses to the local neighborhood association bully.  

He joined host Kerri Miller for another conversation featuring Big Books and Bold Ideas. This week, she and Klaas discuss why power changes people and if there’s anything that can be done to ensure that leaders don’t abuse their clout.  

Guest: 

• Brian Klaas is an associate professor in global politics at University College London and a columnist for The Washington Post. His latest book is “Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us.” 

Steamboat Willie might be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of early cartoons. But the golden age of animation was far from simple and saccharine. Join Kerri Miller for a conversation about the history of animation.

It took many decades after Mahmood Mattan’s execution at Cardiff Prison in Wales for his name to be cleared over a killing he did not commit.

Booker Prize finalist Nadifa Mohamed remembers seeing his picture in the newspaper, and she later learned that Mattan, a young Somali sailor, knew her father.

Mattan’s story — and the life he led before his hanging — is at the center of Mohamed’s novel, “The Fortune Men.”

Host Kerri Miller talked with Mohamed about her historical novel, her family’s history and about the miscarriage of justice during this latest Big Books and Big Ideas show.

Guest:

Nadifa Mohamed’s new book is “The Fortune Men.” She is also the author “Black Mamba Boy” and “The Orchard of Lost Souls.”

When celebrated ESPN writer Ivan Maisel’s son died by suicide in 2015, he channeled his grief into words. His deeply personal and moving book, “I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye: A Memoir of Loss, Grief and Love,” is a testament both to a father’s love and to the human soul’s ability to grieve and remember and still not lose hope.

Host Kerri Miller talked with Maisel for her weekly Big Books and Big Ideas conversation.

If you’re struggling or have a loved one who is struggling, a reminder that help is available through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

Guest:

• Ivan Maisel is an author and speaker. His new book is “I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye.”

When Barbara F. Walter started researching her book, “How Civil Wars Start, and How to Stop Them,” in 2018, many wondered if it was an “exercise in fear-mongering.” The idea that the U.S. could find itself mired in a second civil war seemed incredulous, even irresponsible.

In 2021, it doesn’t feel as implausible.

Walter’s book examines how civil wars start and what they have in common. “Civil wars ignite and escalate in ways that are predictable; they follow a script,” Walter writes in her introduction

Walter joined host Kerri Miller to talk about the risk factors for a country imploding and why she is concerned about America right now.

Guest:

• Barbara F. Walter is a professor of international relations at the University of California-San Diego and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

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For our final Big Books and Bold Ideas show of the year, host Kerri Miller talks with three writers who also own bookstores and invites them to share the titles from 2021 they loved and were most eager to put in readers’ hands.

Ann Patchett is out with a new collection of essays. Join Kerri Miller for a wide-ranging conversation with Patchett about being present, the gift of friendship, and how the pandemic can reveal what matters most.

Marine Corps veteran Phil Klay won the National Book Award in 2014 for his first book, “Redeployment,” a collective of stories that emerged from his service in the Iraq War.

His much-anticipated second release came out in October, and once again, he uses his military experience to inform the story. “Missionaries” is a novel that follows the lives of four characters leading up to a pivotal year in Columbia, and uses that backdrop to examine the system of counterterrorism warfare the United States has developed and exported worldwide.

Listen to host Kerri Miller talk to Klay about his book, about how wars end and the distortion of patriotism.

On this week’s show about big books and bold ideas — what a lawyer who investigates sex crimes says about the state of #MeToo and writing a novel about his experience.