The American Book of Fables

The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour

Hillsdale College

Education

4.8 • 649 Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2026

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Guests: Matthew Mehan and Randy Barnett

Host Scot Bertram talks with Matthew Mehan, associate dean and associate professor at the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C., about the pedagogical power of fables and his new book, The American Book of Fables. And Randy Barnett, professor of constitutional law at the Georgetown University Law Center and director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, discusses his time as a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and his new book, Felony Review: Tales of True Crime and Corruption in Chicago.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	From the historic campus of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, where the good, the true, and the beautiful are taught, nurtured, and honored, this is the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour, bringing the activity and education of the college to listeners across the country.
0:25.5	Fables are not that simple. There's always a simple part to a fable that a child can get, but most fables open up with a world of different moral technical knowledge, like, oh, I can be much smarter about being good. And that's what a fable can do
0:39.1	is train up that good mother wit. This is your host, Scott Bertram. Welcome to the radio
0:44.5	free Hillsdale Hour, part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. That was Dr. Matt Me and from
0:51.1	Hillsdale in D.C. He's back today to talk about his new one, The American
0:55.1	Book of Babels. And then stick around later on. Randy Barnett is back. We'll talk about his
1:00.9	delightful new book, felony review, tales of true crime and corruption in Chicago. First,
1:07.6	we're joined by Dr. Matt Meen. He's Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Government at Hillsdale in D.C., also a best-selling author.
1:15.9	His previous works include Mr. Means' mildly amusing mythical mammals and the handsome little signet.
1:22.1	The new book is bigger than the others. We'll discuss it in a moment. It's called the American Book of Fables.
1:30.5	Matt, thanks so much for joining us. Thanks for having me, Scott.
1:32.9	Excited to talk to you about the American Book of Fables. I follow you on Acts, so I saw a lot of
1:37.4	the research, the travels across the country that went into the American Book of Fables.
1:41.8	You've written two previous books for younger audiences.
1:46.1	This one is different. It's for young people. It's for teenagers. It's for adults as well.
1:55.6	What made you want to create this kind of book? Something more expansive and very American at its scope.
2:02.8	I wanted to do the American Book of Fables in honor of the 250th birthday of the country,
2:08.9	and that's why it features the Declaration of Independence interwoven through 13 regions of the country,
2:14.2	that hence the travel.
2:15.6	But I also wanted not to just be a flash in the pan for a 250 which is
2:20.5	why it's a big hefty kind of hardback heirloom coffee table style it's a big fat beautiful book
2:26.2	with all these illustrations in it because i actually want people to be able to grow up with it
	...

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