Q&A with George Packer
George Packer talked about his historical narrative, The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America. He said the book traces the stories of three people over… read more
George Packer talked about his historical narrative, The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America. He said the book traces the stories of three people over the preceding 20 years and their struggle to make a life for themselves in an America whose “institutions have failed them.” One was entrepreneur Dean Price. Another was Tammy Thomas, who lost her retirement because of the bankruptcy of General Motors. There was a 1998 video clip of one of the main people profiled, Jeff Connaughton, whose political career included fundraising work for then Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) before writing what he termed a “bridge burning” book about money and politics. A clip from an April 7, 1987, Biden presidential campaign event was shown. These stories were interwoven with ten celebrity profiles of people who influenced the country. Video clips were shown of then-incoming Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) in 1994 and former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin testifying April 8, 2010. close
People in this video
Hosting Organization
Series
Books
- The Unwinding
Related Video
-
The Devil Knows Latin
Mr. Kopff talked about his book [The Devil Knows Latin: Why America Needs the Classical Tradition], published by…
-
Debt and Taxes
Professor Ornstein discussed the book he co-wrote with John H. Makin, [Debt and Taxes: How America Got into Its Budget Mess and…
-
African-American History as American History
Panelists talked about the role of African-American history in American history. “African American History as American History” was…
-
History of America
Howard Zinn and Walter Mosley talked about the history of America. Topics included politics, power, wealth and poverty, democracy,…