Literary Labyrinth

09/15/21 • 94 min

It’s Constitution Week, and Akhil is “booked;” not only with events of the week, but on his book tour. Our series on scholars, schools, and scholarship resumes, then, with a comprehensive look at the entire ecosystem of books. What is the author’s process, and what happens after a book is written? How does a book, and an author, gain authority in a world of ubiquitous social media? And how does this take us to discussions of the Fifth and Sixth Amendments? We all believe we have a book in us, so this inside look speaks to all.

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The Ayes and Nays Upon Texas

Texas has brazenly - or boldly, depending on your point of view - thrown down a gauntlet on abortion with their new law purporting to ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. The Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to the law prior to its effective date, so the nation holds its breath wondering where abortion rights, long treasured by many, will head. Meanwhile, the law deputizes the citizenry and takes enforcement out of the hands of state officials. What’s going on? Is this vigilantism? Is this a rogue, unconstitutional adventure? Is Roe v. Wade dead already? Professor Amar is your guide to what is really happening.

Next Episode

Empire of History - Special Guest Gordon S. Wood

It’s fitting that our recent discussion of how authors and their books are realized is followed this week by a discussion with the finest example of a historian, Gordon Wood. We explore his new book, “Power and Liberty: Constitutionalism in the American Revolution;” locate it in the amazing arc of Gordon’s peerless career, and then conduct a lively discussion of what at first glance seems a clear disagreement between Akhil and Gordon: who was the “father of the Constitution?” The conclusion may surprise you. Finally, our historical and constitutional titans address an area of ongoing controversy surrounding the American Founding.