Episode 2.01: The conflict in Charlottesville in August of 2017 showed that Americans are having a hard time figuring out how to represent the country’s past, let alone how to fix the present or plan for the future. But sometimes a stunning natural event like a total solar eclipse can bring us back together—if only for a few minutes. For the Season Two premiere of Soonish, host Wade Roush went on a road trip across 10 states, visiting the place with more Confederate monuments than any other place in America (hint: it’s not in the South); a virtual ghost town whose very name once stood for hope and the future; and a village in Illinois where the total solar eclipse lasted longer than anywhere else in the country. Special guest star Tamar Avishai, host of The Lonely Palette Podcast. The Soonish theme is by Graham Gordon Ramsay. Additional music by Tim Beek and Lee Rosevere. For more information about this episode, including an eclipse video and road trip photos, check out www.soonishpodcast.org. To support Soonish, go to patreon.com/soonish.