Back from Travels, New Friends, New Book

Posted May 5, 2017, by Mary Grabar

Mike and Gwyneth with the Dissident Prof, Grove City CollegeIt took me about 24 hours to feel like I was no longer driving after two days on the road on Monday and Tuesday, back from my travels to Pennsylvania and Georgia. I'm back at the AHI and back at writing. What a great experience at the Center for Vision and Values at Grove City College, with two days of discussion (April 20 and 21) about "the god that failed," in marking the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. There were writers, talk show hosts, dissidents who had been jailed, and Grove City College faculty members, plus the Dissident Prof making presentations. Mine was on "Poetry for the Proletariat: Langston Hughes vs. George Schuyler." You can watch the video here.

I saw old friends and made new ones. Excellent presentations by old friends Paul Kengor, Ron Radosh, and Lee Edwards, as well as by new friends and others. All sessions are on video and can be seen here. Paul Kengor's discussion of his newest book, A Pope and a President: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, and the Extraordinary Untold Story of the 20th Century, was riveting. I am looking forward to reading my signed copy of it.

Immersed in Red: I was also delighted to meet Mike and Gwyneth Shotwell from the Atlanta area and spend time with them. Mike discussed his book, Immersed in Red: My Formative Years in a Marxist Household. I recommend it highly, especially for high school and college students who generally see communism as a figment of the McCarthy-ite imagination. Yes, Virginia, communists are real, and Mike discusses what it was like to grow up in a family with Communist parents, and how he learned what a dangerous ruse it was.

Immersed In Red, a true storyA Good Primer: The book is also a good primer about the major players and developments in the communist movement in the United States. Especially eerie are the connections he makes between what is going on today and what he observed while growing up surrounded by hardcore communists.

Graduation season is upon us. Buy the book here or on the purchase page at MikeShotwell.com

Vision and Values Annual Conference: I recommend the annual conference for all who can make it to the beautiful Grove City College campus. The event was a truly educational experience that was accessible to the public. And what a charming place Grove City College is. It's like being on a campus where all students are like undergraduate student fellows at the Alexander Hamilton Institute--all polite, poised, respectful, and intellectually curious!

Georgia Tea Party: And did I mention my talk about higher education at the Georgia Tea Party? Great audience there.

Radio Show: It was also SO much fun to do the radio program on Saturday with Gregory Howard and Richard Arena at WJBB radio in Winder, Georgia.