History

Crisis Points (2009): Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

By: Zachary Karabell, Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, Jonathan Kirsch, Mark Mazower

Narrated by: Marla Stone

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books began in 1996 with a simple goal: to bring together the people who create books with the people who love to read them. The festival was an immediate success and has become the largest and most prestigious book festival in the country, attracting more than 130,000 book lovers each year.

Zachary Karabell is the president of RiverTwice Research, where he analyzes economic and political trends. He is the author of several books, including Parting the Desert and Peace Be Upon You. Karabell's next book, In the Red will be published in the fall.

Maxwell Taylor Kennedy is currently an associate scholar at the John Carter Brown Library, a center for advanced research in history and the humanities at Brown University. His second book is Danger's Hour: The Story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze Pilot Who Crippled Her.

Jonathan Kirsch is the author of 10 books on subjects such as religion and law, including the best seller A History of the End of the World. His most recent title is The Grand Inquisitor's Manual: A History of Terror in the Name of God.

Mark Mazower is the author of numerous books on 20th century European history. He also writes about world affairs for the Financial Times, among other publications. Mazower's most recent title, Hitler's Empire: How the Nazis Ruled Europe, is a 2008 Los Angeles Book Prize finalist in History.

Listen to Danger's Hour: The Story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze Pilot Who Crippled Her .©2009 Los Angeles Times (P)2009 Los Angeles Times