During the New Year's week, we’re featuring some of BookTV’s weekend programs in primetime. Tonight we feature bestsellers of 2012 and panels from the book festivals we’ve covered this past year.
First, a discussion about Dwight Eisenhower with biographer Jean Edward Smith author of "Eisenhower in War and Peace" and David Eisenhower and Julie Nixon Eisenhower authors of "Going Home to Glory: A Memoir of Life with Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961-1969." (12pm ET)
Next, an interview with Sally Bedell Smith who discusses her book, "Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch" (2:45pm ET).
Then, novelist Salman Rushdie discusses the fatwa issued against him by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 for his authorship of the novel, "The Satanic Verses," which was deemed “against Islam, the Prophet, and the Quran.” Mr. Rushdie recalls the nine years he lived under the fatwa and his life in hiding. Salman Rushdie speaks with Robert Siegel host of NPR's All Things Considered at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium (4:30pm ET).
Finally, Jon Meacham, executive editor and executive vice president of Random House, recounts the political thinking and career of America’s 3rd President Thomas Jefferson. The author examines Jefferson’s relationship with political power and reports that despite his strong beliefs and opposition to confrontation, Jefferson was able to successfully lead the country in a highly partisan political environment (7pm ET).