Mega-bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis wants you to take comfort in history
"Most of the great social movements in this country's history came from people who had no vote, but they had no voice. We cannot surrender our voice."
This post got a little waylaid by what fellow Substacker and my first Finding the Throughline guest, Sari Botton, termed “acute electionitis.” I am one of the of Americans grieving what could have been today, and reeling at how many of my fellow Americans support mass deportations, dictatorships, dismantling the structures of our government, limiting women’s bodily autonomy, and rule by fear.
Part of the difficulty of this day is that we’re supposed to pretend that everything is normal, and I don’t want to contribute to that. At the same time, one of the places I’m finding comfort as I contemplate the next four years is history—and remembering that many breakthroughs we now take for granted had a long time-frame. It took 100 years for women to earn the vote in the U.S. It took 400 years for slavery in the U.S. to be abolished. In this context, four years feels less daunting. And this week’s guest is Kenneth C. Davis, New York Times bestselling author of America’s Hidden History which spent 35 consecutive weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, and gave rise to the Don’t Know Much About® series of books that, collectively, have sold over 4.7 million copies.
Kenneth’s newest book is The World in Books: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction—a curated journey through fifty-two of the most significant short nonfiction works ever penned, from ancient times to the present day.
Kenneth has a lot to share about the power of books to help us deal with hardship and the historical echoes of this election that can help put things in perspective.
Listen to Kenneth’s episodes:
Kenneth Davis. practical matters: How to make history come alive and an incredible pickup line
Kenneth C. Davis, inner stuff: A chills-inducing pep talk for reading and taking aim at American Exceptionalism
Kenneth C. Davis, what’s next: Amazing story of how trying something new can profoundly change your life.
Or, get the complete interview in one episode by becoming a paid subscriber and supporting my work and becoming the recipient of my undying gratitude:
We covered:
A quick history of the paperback–how did I not know this??
The amazing line a bookstore co-worker told him that changed his life
The family road trips to historical places he took as a kid that made history come alive for him, and how he strives to do the same thing for others in her books
Great, succinct reason why books matter
The morning routine that launches him into writing each day
A peek at what it’s like for a writer to be married to an editor
How the editing process reminds him of the myth of Sisyphus
Why his inner critic sounds a lot like Joseph Conrad and E.B. White
A chills-inducing pep talk for reading
Most of the great social movements in this country's history, from abolition to suffrage to the civil rights movement, came from the ground up, came from people who had no vote in many cases, but they had a voice. And so that's one of the messages I've always tried to give people, whether they're students or older people, that we cannot surrender our voice and certainly shouldn't surrender our vote.
The harm caused by the idea of American exceptionalism
Re-examining American’s history through a lens of equity
Comparing our current political climate to 1968 and drawing parallels
What determines whether Ken has had a good day or a bad day
Learning Italian with his wife, and the many, many doors it has opened in their lives
The well-known historical author who taught Ken that history is about humanity, and not just dates and battles
Why Italy plays such a big role in his plans for the future
The HBO series he and his wife can’t stop binge watching
Ken’s recipe for the perfect cup of coffee (Italian roast, of course)
Some frank talk about how parenting impacts your work (loved hearing this from a man!)
Specific things we mentioned:
Two Bit Culture (his first book)
Myth of Sisyphus by Camus
Sally Howe, his editor at Scribner Books
The Elements of Style, by E.B. White
Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White
In The Shadow of Liberty (another of his books)
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Hiroshima by John Hersey
Casa Italiana in NYC
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce
Bernice Abbott, American photographer
David McCollough, author of many bestselling histories
Food Rules, by Michael Pollan
“My Brilliant Friend,” the HBO show
My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante (the book)
Household Saints by Francine Prose
Reading is an antidote [to our modern stressors]. It's not an escape from reality. It's an antidote to reality. It's a balm.
Where to connect with Kenneth
Listen to past episodes:
Jeremy Dauber, practical matters: Reframing Failure as Lack of Success
Jeremy Dauber, inner stuff: Taking Aim at the myth of the difficult genius
Jeremy Dauber, what’s next: how to save the humanities (or at least try)
Vanessa Lillie, practical matters: Basically, a masterclass on how to evolve your mindset
Vanessa Lillie, inner stuff: The thrill of writing about your family and cultural history, and the total fear of writing getting it wrong
Vanessa Lillie, what’s next: So many great recommendations for books, shows, movies
A.J. Jacobs, practical matters: Is it possible to schedule when you'll get your next idea?
A.J. Jacobs, inner stuff: Replacing the pursuit of success with something more meaningful–and more doable + a great reframe for problems he learned from Quincy Jones
A.J. Jacobs, what’s next: The benefit of sharing your ideas with people while you’re still working on them + baking for democracy