Interviews

Awakening the Spirit of America with Paul Sparrow

If you are interested in the 1930s and 1940s, or have wondered how the rapid growth of authoritarianism in today’s political climate mirrors that of WWII, this is an episode for you. Sharon McMahon is joined by author Paul Sparrow to discuss his new book, Awakening the Spirit of America. It’s a story of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, his surprising opponent, Charles Lindbergh, and their war of words. Learn how far back the “America First” slogan goes, and how persuasive language changed the course of history.

Special thanks to our guest, Paul Sparrow, for joining us today.

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Host: Sharon McMahon
Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon
Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder
Production Coordinator: Andrea Champoux

Host: Sharon McMahon
Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon
Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder
Production Coordinator: Andrea Champoux

Guests

Paul Sparrow

Paul M. Sparrow is a writer, historical consultant, and the former Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Before moving to the FDR Library he was the Deputy Director and Senior Vice President at the Newseum in Washington, DC. He is also an Emmy Award-winning documentary and television producer for Discovery, TLC, Fox, and PBS. He began his broadcasting career at KPIX, the CBS affiliate in San Francisco. A graduate of UC Santa Cruz, Sparrow also has an MFA from the Center for Contemporary Music at Mills College.