Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by historian Christopher H. Owen to discuss his new book, Heaven Can Indeed Fall: The Life of Willmoore Kendall. They chat about Kendall’s brilliance as a teacher and writer, his importance to William F. Buckley, Jr., National Review, the nascent conservative movement of the 1950’s as a whole, and what lessons we can learn from Kendall’s political philosophy and works.

Get the book here:  https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793624444/Heaven-Can-Indeed-Fall-The-Life-of-Willmoore-Kendall

Show Notes:

The American Conservative: Emile Doak – “The Right’s Philandering Sooner”

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-rights-philandering-sooner/

The Imaginative Conservative: Donald Devine – “The Brilliant Enigma That Was Willmoore Kendall”

https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2021/12/heaven-can-indeed-fall-willmoore-kendall-christopher-h-owen-donald-devine.html

The Imaginative Conservative: Tom Pauken – “A Willmoore Kendall Moment”

https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2022/01/willmoore-kendall-moment-tom-pauken.html



The National Interest: Jacob Heilbrunn – “How Willmoore Kendall Invented Trumpism”

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-willmoore-kendall-invented-trumpism-198739

National Review: Matthew Continetti – “Willmoore Kendall and the Intellectual Roots of the Populist Right”

https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2021/11/15/willmoore-kendall-and-the-intellectual-roots-of-the-populist-right/

Heaven Can Indeed Fall: The Life of Willmoore Kendall (Guest: Christopher H. Owen)

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In Episode 142 of Ill Literacy, Tim Benson talks with John C. McManus, author ofTo the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945.  Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by John C. McManus, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of U.S. military history at Missouri University of Science and Technology, to discuss his new book, To the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945. They chat about the Philippines campaign, Okinawa, and the increasingly fanatical zeal and suicidal determination of the Japanese imperial forces. They also discuss major characters like MacArthur, Kreuger, Eichelberger, and Buckner as well as the incredible logistical hoops entailed in fielding a major army in the far-flung reaches of the Pacific.  Get the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/702467/to-the-end-of-the-earth-by-john-c-mcmanus/

 Show Notes: 

 Wall Street Journal: Jonathan W. Jordan – “‘To the End of the Earth’ Review: Defeating Japan” https://www.wsj.com/articles/to-the-end-of-the-earth-review-defeating-japan-1df44c74



Ill Literacy, Episode 142: To The End of the Earth (Guest: John C. McManus)

Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by Peter Heather, chair of medieval history at King's College, London, to discuss his new book, Christendom: The Triumph of a Religion, AD 300-1300. They chat about how a small sect of isolated and intensely committed congregations became a mass movement centrally directed from Rome, the Church’s chameleonlike capacity for self-reinvention, and how nothing was inevitable about Christianity’s rise and dominance in Europe.  Get the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/546307/christendom-by-peter-heather/

 Show Notes: 

 City Journal: Edward Short – “Fair Triumph, or Foul?” https://www.city-journal.org/article/fair-triumph-or-foul

 Literary Review: Costica Bradatan – “Onward Christian Emperors” https://literaryreview.co.uk/onward-christian-emperors

 New York Times: Paul Elie – “Looking at Early Christianity Through a Different Lens” https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/31/books/review/christendom-peter-heather.html

 Public Discourse: Robert Wilken – “ The History behind the Formation of Christendom” https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2023/07/89727/

 The Spectator: Eleanor Myerson – “The rocky path to Christian dominance in Europe” https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-rocky-path-to-christian-dominance-in-europe/

 The Telegraph: Peter Stanford – “How 4th-century Christianity radically reinvented itself from a marginal sect to a world power” https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/how-4th-century-christianity-radically-reinvented-marginal-sect/

 Times Literary Supplement: Diarmid MacCulloch – “Kingdom of God” https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/the-formation-of-christendom-judith-herrin-christendom-peter-heather-book-review-diarmaid-macculloch/

 Washington Examiner: Diane Scharper – “How Christianity Happened” https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/magazine-life-arts/376645/how-christianity-happened/



Ill Literacy, Episode 141: Christendom (Guest: Peter Heather)

Heartland’s Tim Benson is once again joined by friend of the podcast H.W. Brands, the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin, to discuss his new book, Founding Partisans: Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Adams and the Brawling Birth of American Politics. They chat about how, while the Framers viewed political parties a fatal threat to republican virtues, parties emerged even before the ink on the Constitution was dry. They then discuss all things Federalist vs. Antifederalist/Republican, how contentious the political battles between them were, but yet how, despite all this, peaceful transfers of power continued.  Get the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/713058/founding-partisans-by-h-w-brands/ Show Notes: 
Wall Street Journal: Adam Rowe – “‘Founding Partisans’ and ‘A Republic of Scoundrels’: Opportunists and Patriots”
https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/founding-partisans-and-a-republic-of-scoundrels-opportunists-and-patriots-b61dbf2f Washington Post: C.W. Goodyear – “American political discord is as old as America itself”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/12/06/founding-partisans-political-book-review/

Ill Literacy, Episode 140: Founding Partisans (Guest: H.W. Brands)

The Heartland Institute's Tim Benson is joined by Ian Buruma, Paul W. Williams Professor of Human Rights and Journalism at Bard College, to discuss his new book, The Collaborators: Three Stories of Deception and Survival in World War II. They chat about the backstory behind the three subjects of the book—Felix Kersten, Yoshiko Kawashima, and Friedrich Weinreb—and why all three have been vilified and mythologized. They also discuss the three subjects’ varying levels of culpability for the crimes committed by the people and regimes they served. Get the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/659322/the-collaborators-by-ian-buruma/

 Show Notes: 

 The Guardian: Matthew Reisz – “The Collaborators by Ian Buruma review – intriguing study of the frenemy within” https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/mar/12/the-collaborators-three-stories-of-deception-survival-world-war-ii-by-ian-buruma-review-intriguing-study-of-the-frenemy-within

 New York Times: Lesley M.M. Blume – “Amoral Traitors? War Heroes? Survivors? Depends Whom You Ask.” https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/11/books/review/the-collaborators-ian-buruma.html

 The Times: Ben McIntyre – “The Collaborators by Ian Buruma review — three stories of deception and survival in the Second World War” https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-collaborators-by-ian-buruma-review-jljr2msmd

 Times Literary Supplement: Josh Ireland – “Unholy compromises” https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/the-collaborators-ian-buruma-book-review-josh-ireland/

 Wall Street Journal: Diane Cole – “‘The Collaborators’ Review: They Dealt With the Devil” https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-collaborators-book-review-world-war-ii-history-they-dealt-with-the-devil-8a1cad6b

 Washington Post: Scott Martelle – “For three liars during WWII, deception proves to be both good and evil” https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/05/03/world-war-ii-collaborators-book/



Ill Literacy, Episode 140: The Collaborators (Guest: Ian Buruma)

In Episode 139 of Ill Literacy, Tim Benson talks with Ronald C. White, author ofOn Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.  Heartland’s Tim Benson is joined by return guest Ronald C. White, senior fellow at the Trinity Forum, to discuss his new book, On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. They chat about Chamberlain’s early days in Maine, his studying to become a minister, and a how a childhood stutterer ended up being fluent in nine languages. They also discuss his Civil War heroism, his turn as governor of Maine, and how he made a civilian life of meaning after having experienced the extreme highs and lows of war. Get the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/566059/on-great-fields-by-ronald-c-white/

 Show Notes: 

 C-SPAN: On Great Fields (VIDEO) https://www.c-span.org/video/?531806-2/on-great-fields

 HistoryNet: Dave Kindy – “This Son of Maine Was Much More Than a Civil War Hero” https://www.historynet.com/interview-on-great-fields-chamberlain/

 Wall Street Journal: Randall Fuller – “‘On Great Fields’: Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, Professor and Hero” https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/on-great-fields-joshua-lawrence-chamberlain-professor-and-hero-af8c509c

 Outro music: Aswad, Warrior Charge, War Ina Babylon: An Island Reggae Anthology, 2009

Heaven Can Indeed Fall: The Life of Willmoore Kendall (Guest: Christopher H. Owen)

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