Re-envisioning American Heroes with Candace Fleming

Air Dates: August 17-23, 2020

If you grew up in a household that prized reading, you probably recall a book from childhood that shaped your view of the world.  Candace Fleming writes those books with an unflinching honesty about the subjects she presents. 

Candace Fleming is an educator, and speaker and author, who writes both fiction and non-fiction.  She has written more than twenty books for children and young adults, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize honored “Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of the Russian Empire,” Boston Globe/Horn Book Award-winning biography, “The Lincolns,” the bestselling picture book, “Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!,” and the beloved “Boxes for Katje.”

On this episode of “Story in the Public Square,” Fleming describes the importance of including full stories about notable historical figures in American history in her books.  She says our idea of “American heroes” changes from generation to generation and she hopes to let her young readers decide what a hero is based on their full stories. 

“Story in the Public Square” broadcasts each week on public television stations across the United States. A full listing of the national television distribution is available at this link. In Rhode Island and southeastern New England, the show is broadcast on Rhode Island PBS on Sundays at 11 a.m. and is rebroadcast Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. An audio version of the program airs Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. ET, Sundays at 3:30 a.m. & 11:30 p.m. ET on SiriusXM’s popular P.O.T.U.S. (Politics of the United States), channel 124. “Story in the Public Square” is a partnership between the Pell Center and The Providence Journal. The initiative aims to study, celebrate and tell stories that matter.