We exercise our power as citizens by asking questions. Inquiry is less valued today, however, as our society demands quick and dirty answers. We see this play out all around us: in the increased ideological segregation that divides us, the outsize role of Google, a news industry that opines rather than investigate, and the decline in value of civics education where young people are taught to question their democracy. In The Death of "Why?" Andrea Batista Schlesinger, a prominent progressive voice, offers a passionate defense of the role of questioning in fulfilling the promise of democracy. And she profiles those individuals and institutions renewing the practice of inquiry--particularly in America's youth--at a time when our society demands such activity from us all. MORE >

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August 19


My parents saw me on C-Span

C-Span came to record my book talk at Barnes and Noble last month, so I knew it was coming. But it was still exciting to flip the remote to C-Span in my parents' living room and watch them jump around at the sight of their kid on the TV set. The talk itself was good, but not as good as that feeling. As those of you who have purchased the book now, I dedicated it to my parents, who certainly have suffered the most from my love of questions. I don't think you can access the C-Span clip, but you can hear my latest interviews on The Peter B. Collins Show and Blog Business World with Wayne Hurlbert. MORE >
Andrea Batista Schlesinger began her career as a student activist on the New York City Board of Education. She is on leave as Executive Director of the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy (DMI). Founded during the civil rights movement, DMI is a non-partisan think tank providing ideas that fuel the progressive movement.
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