That Kind of Tuesday ...
Do you ever get sick of yourself? That's how I feel right now. This cold is making me nuts. The hacking is not only disgusting, it's painful. ... Enough already!
But thanks for the suggestion of Throat Coat -- one of our bloggers (P. Umunna) recommended it and one of our producers, Douglas Hopper, ran out to the grocery store near here to get me some (don't worry, he was also getting his own lunch ... I wouldn't do him like that!) and it seems to be helping. And it's yummy, too.
OK, back to work. Chad. We promised we'd try to shed some light on that situation, where rebel forces -- some of them actually relatives of incumbent President Deby -- attacked the capital city Ndjamena in an attempt to overthrow the government. We had great guests today, but we hope to do more and still hope to make contact with folks on the ground. If we do, we'll certainly bring you those voices right away. Listeners have been helping us, and we appreciate it.
And, on to books...
The American Library Association president Loriene Roy stopped in, as she does on her swings through Washington, and brought us some goodies -- the award-winning, or as she called them "honor" books, the association and other groups selected this year. I want all of them. Clip and save this list for your Christmas shopping!
We also brought you the second of our conversations about mental illness. Yesterday, we talked with author Terri Cheney about her book, Manic. Today, Terrie Williams talked about her book Black Pain. Having known Terrie for years, believe me when I say that she very convincingly wore the mask. I didn't see her a lot, by any means, but I saw her enough to know that she is a top player in New York public relations circles. So imagine my shock to discover that all that time, she was struggling with depression.
What a gift it is, in my view, for Terrie to be willing to share her story. Of the things Terrie has done, this may be her greatest achievement -- to let everyone know that one does not have to be perfect to be successful, and that success sometimes comes at a price ... but that one can decide that the price is too high.
Thank you, Terrie.
NO politics today, per NPR rule -- it's an election day. But we did want to remind everybody that the right to vote did not come for everyone in this country at the same time, and in the same way. The 15th Amendment was ratified this week, 138 years ago. Hear one of the country's most eminent civil rights leaders, Ted Shaw of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, explain how it happened. It's a more complicated story than I knew.
See you tomorrow. Keep those throat remedies coming!
4:04 PM ET | 02- 5-2008 | permalink
