Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller

When asked about the Declaration of Independence, most Americans quote memorable phrases from the preamble. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

But historian Robert Parkinson says even Thomas Jefferson, who penned those words, would be puzzled by our preoccupation with the introduction when the grievances that make up the body of the Declaration were the meat of the document.

Parkinson’s new book, “Tyrants and Rogues,” is a deep dive into those grievances — and the villains of the Revolutionary period who spurred them.

“Americans are throwing a temper tantrum here, because they feel like their father has betrayed them,” he tells Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas. It’s a conversation set in 1776 with implications for 2026 — a launch into a month of books that commemorates America’s 250th anniversary.

Guest:

Robert Parkinson is a historian and professor at Binghamton University in New York. His new book is “Tyrants and Rogues: Understanding the Declaration of Independence.”

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Last month, the Wall Street Journal declared this summer to be the era of the “man band.” Those would be boy bands who’ve grown up — think New Kids on the Block, Boys II Men and the Jonas Brothers — along with their fans, who now have more disposable income to fork out. Exhibit A: The Backstreet Boys residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas last summer grossed more than $55 million.

But it’s about more than the money. It’s about the mostly middle-aged women who are no longer afraid of the cringe — and the mostly middle-aged boys-turned-men who are no longer afraid to embrace the passion of their fans.

Novelist Emma Straub saw that fandom first hand when she went on a New Kids on the Block cruise several years ago — and was blown away by the intensity and camaraderie of the now adult “Blockheads.” That visit inspired her new novel, “American Fantasy,” which is a deep dive into the lucrative world of a fictional ‘90s-era boy band named Boy Talk and the woman who still worship them.

Straub joins Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas to talk about boy bands, the pleasure of enjoying them without shame and how aging changes our perceptions of our past — and current — selves.

Guest:

Emma Straub is is a New York Times-bestselling author and the owner of a Brooklyn-based bookstore, Books Are Magic. Her latest novel is “American Fantasy.”

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Between death and emigration, Ireland lost almost a quarter of its population in the mid 1800s to the Great Hunger. Entire villages starved to death after potato blight wiped out the island’s primary subsistence crop, and British overseers did little to help.

“Hamnet” author Maggie O’Farrell’s ancestors lived that history and stayed in Ireland. According to family lore, her great-great-grandfather was a map-maker who helped the British redraw maps of the island after the famine altered the land.

Inspired by that story, O’Farrell decided her next novel would be centered on her homeland of Ireland and the tragic era that marked both the place and her people.

“I think it’s hard for us,” she tells Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas. “These days, we can look at the statistics [of death and people leaving]. But if you zero down to one or two people’s tiny little lives, you see the enormity of tragedy behind it.”

O’Farrell’s new novel, “Land,” tells the story of two such people, Tomás and his wife, Phina, who survive the Great Hunger and have four children. It’s a universal story told through the specifics of one family and one piece of land. She talks about it — and her work on the Oscar-winning adaptation of her novel, “Hamnet,” — on this weeks Big Books and Bold Ideas.

Guest:

Maggie O’Farrell is an author and screenwriter. Her new novel is “Land.”

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When novelist Ann Patchett is on Big Books and Bold Ideas, watch out. She and host Kerri Miller trade quips, stories, theories and book recommendations like two longtime friends.

And this week, Patchett returns to talk about her latest novel, “Whistler.” She and Miller discuss the backstory about the novel within the novel. They trade stories about why friendships lost and rediscovered have a special mind of magic. And, of course, they talk about Minnesota author and friend of the show Kate DiCamillo, who has a special knack for editing Patchett’s work — and vice versa.

This is a rollicking, warm and delightful conversation — a singular Big Books and Bold Ideas, as only Miller and Patchett can do.

Guest:

Ann Patchett is a prolific writer. Her latest novel is “Whistler.”

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Has mythology given Medea a bad rap? Has her story been distorted because it was more appealing to portray her as a lusty, vengeful, violent woman married to a golden-boy hero?

The essential conundrum, writes novelist Natalie Haynes, is Medea’s shift from superpowered sorceress to helpless, abandoned wife.

Medea is at the center of Haynes’ new novel about Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece and the tragedy that flows from their love affair. She joins host Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas to talk Medea’s essential juxtapositions and what ancient myths have to say to modern culture. They also talk about how Haynes’ time doing stand-up comedy informs her writing.

Guest:

Natalie Haynes is a mythologist and the author of many novels, including “Stone Blind” and “A Thousand Ships.” Her new book is “No Friend to This House.”

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Subscribe to Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS or anywhere you get your podcasts.