Episode 702: 1) DOUGLAS BRINKLEY(2006)-20th anni of Katrina, The Great Deluge 2) RAFE ESQUITH(2005)-Hobart Elementary’s young Shakespearians

Free Forum with Terrence McNally

First half: This weekend marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Here’s my 2006 conversation with Douglas Brinkley about his book The Great Deluge, in which he investigates the failures of government at every level, and traces the character flaws, inexperience, and ulterior motives that allowed the disaster to devastate the Gulf Coast. Second half: As school year begins, here’s my 2005 conversation with National Teacher of the Year, Rafe Esquith, on a PBS documentary celebrating his Hobart Shakespearians. Esquith leads fifth graders at LA’s Hobart Elementary, one of the nation's largest inner-city grade schools, through a challenging curriculum of English, math, geography, and literature. At semester’s end, students - few for whom English is their first language - perform a full-length Shakespeare play.

Brinkley, Douglas (2006) - Transcript
Esquith (2005) - Transcript