Listen to Owen Bennett-Jones discuss the future of opinion polls with Mark Pack

New Books Network

About Shawn Hamilton

NBN Episodes hosted by Shawn:

African American Studies September 30, 2013

To Render Invisible

Jim Crow and Public Life in New South Jacksonville

Robert Cassanello

Hosted by Shawn Hamilton
The story of the rise of Jim Crow in Jacksonville, Florida is in many ways illustrative of the challenges facing newly emancipated African Americans throughout the South with local officials …
Public Policy June 18, 2013

Race to Incarcerate

Marc Mauer

Hosted by Shawn Hamilton
The American penitentiary model began as not merely a physical construct, but as a philosophical and religious one. Prisoners were to use their time in silence and isolation to contemplate …
Public Policy May 15, 2013

Reducing Gun Violence in America

Informing Policy with Evidence and Analysis

Daniel W. Webster and Jon S. Vernick

Hosted by Shawn Hamilton
We've all heard the saying that when arguing we should 'disagree without being disagreeable' but, when it comes to guns, we often find ourselves disagreeing without actually disagreeing. Most Americans …
African American Studies May 15, 2013

Master of the Mountain

Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves

Henry Wiencek

Hosted by Shawn Hamilton
The Louisiana Purchase was a perfect illustration of the challenges, yet seemingly boundless opportunities that slavery presented statesmen like Thomas Jefferson. Napoleon Bonaparte had been dealt a significant military defeat …
Public Policy May 2, 2013

Glock

The Rise of America’s Gun

Paul Barrett

Hosted by Shawn Hamilton
History is in many respects the story of humanity's quest for transcendence: to control life and death, time and space, loss and memory. When inventors or companies effectively tap into …
African American Studies April 25, 2013

Darkest America

Black Minstrelsy from Slavery to Hip-Hop

Yuval Taylor and Jake Austen

Hosted by Shawn Hamilton
The moral arguments in defense of slavery hinged on the claim that it was the best arrangement for all parties involved, especially the slaves. Thomas Jefferson, for example, argued that …
African American Studies April 17, 2013

Black Against Empire

The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party

Joshua Bloom and Waldo Martin

Hosted by Shawn Hamilton
German military theorist Carl Von Clausewitz observed that many of the important variables in war exist in 'clouds of great uncertainty' which create disconnects and confusion that persist even after …
African American Studies April 3, 2013

The Black Russian

Vladimir Alexandrov

Hosted by Shawn Hamilton
Vladimir Alexandrov's new book The Black Russian (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2013) tells the epic and often tragic story of Fredrick Bruce Thomas, an African American born to recently freed slaves …