10/12/2024
The saying "never meet your heroes" is probably smart advice, however, I had the great privilege of talking to one of my heroes — historian Dr. Heather Cox Richardson — and I was blown away. It was one of my all time favorite conversations. I've been a huge fan of her books and her daily letters for a while, and I love history — we could have talked forever.
There's an interesting intersection where our work meets, especially around the emotional power of nostalgia. I've written about nostalgia in several places, but most recently, I did a deep dive on it in "Atlas of the Heart." My new definition of nostalgia is "the way things used to be . . . when people knew their place." There can be a wonderful and even fun side to nostalgia, but it can be weaponized in a heartbeat. And it's certainly an authoritarian dog whistle around the world when it comes to immigration.
In this two part series on American democracy, we talk about the history that led us to this moment, what's at stake, and how protecting and expanding democracy is absolutely possible if we have the political will to do it.
I learned so much talking to Heather — I can't wait for you to listen!
https://apple.co/4eDRtNm
