GRITtv

Going Rouge: Sarah Palin, An American Nightmare collects essays from around the progressive media analyzing the mysterious appeal of Sarah Palin. Richard Kim of the joins us along with contributors Rebecca Traister of Salon, Max Blumenthal, Daily Beast contributor and author of Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party, and Shannyn Moore of Smart Radio in Alaska to talk about the books, the Right, and why Palin just won't go away.

Salvador Reza, U.S. Air Force veteran, community organizer and renowned immigrants rights activist, joins Laura for an exclusive interview on Sheriff Joe Arpaio's ongoing mistreatment of his community.

In honor of the National Book Awards, today on GRITtv we discuss other books we loved. From a biography of progressive icon Molly Ivins to Tracy Kidder's tale of a young medical student from Burundi, Jeannie Vanasco of Lapham's Quarterly, Julian Brookes of the Progressive Book Club and Sir Harold Evans, of The Week magazine and former president and publisher of Random House trade group, talk about the books that they think deserve more recognition.

Adarsha Shivakumar used his proceeds from winning a spelling bee to co-found a project growing sustainable jatropha, a plant that can be used as biofuel, in India. His work provides an ecologically friendly and economically profitable crop for farmers who would otherwise grow tobacco, a much more harmful plant. This video from Rikshaw Films shows the impact Adarsha and his project have had around the world.

Brave New Films has been a tireless advocate against escalation, with the film Rethink Afghanistan exploring the problems there and proposing peaceful and diplomatic solutions and a responsible exit strategy. With this video, they bring together U.S. military veterans to ask Obama not to send more troops to continue a war that is on its way to being America's longest in history.

According to New America Media, "federal experts estimate that at least 1.6 million juveniles leave or are put out of their homes each year. Other research has found a 40% spike in the number of homeless youth over the past year."

In honor of the release of Palin's book (and Nation editors Betsy Reed and Richard Kim's response book, Going Rouge), our Got Docs feature this week is Return to the Wild: A Modern Tale of Wolf and Man from MoFilms.

Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio was recently stripped of his federal authority to make immigration arrests after repeated complaints that he abuses power and uses racial profiling to target Latinos in his community. Salvador Reza, U.S. Air Force veteran, community organizer and renowned immigrants rights activist, joins Laura for an exclusive interview on Arpaio's ongoing abuses.

Johnny Cash isn't necessarily the first person to come to mind when one thinks about 60s protest music. Yet in his new book, A Heartbeat and a Guitar: Johnny Cash and the Making of Bitter Tears, Antonino D'Ambrosio connects Cash to the tradition of folk and political music in America, from Woody Guthrie to Pete Seeger to Bob Dylan and the 60s scene.

David Harvey, author of A Brief History of Neoliberalism, and Alexander Cockburn, author of End Times: The Death of the Fourth Estate, don't think small when it comes to change. They aren't afraid to think about significant, even radical changes to the social order we've grown so used to, whether it's requiring full employment, reimagining urban living, or repudiating credit card debt and abolishing Wall Street speculation.