Sharon McMahon in Conversation with Ken Burns: The Small and the Mighty - The 92nd Street Y, New York

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Recanati-Kaplan Talks

Sharon McMahon in Conversation with Ken Burns: The Small and the Mighty

Sharon McMahon and Ken Burns
The Small and the Mighty book cover

Join award-winning host of the hit podcast Here’s Where It Gets Interesting and “America’s Government Teacher” Sharon McMahon with Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns for a conversation on the ordinary Americans who form the backbone of our society — and her new book, The Small and the Mighty.

On her popular podcast, Sharon McMahon draws on her experience as a teacher to inform millions of listeners about the ins and outs of American history, law, and government — an informative, accessible voice of reason pushing back on a culture of misinformation. In her enthralling new book, she uses the same approach to illuminate our national history through the stories of ordinary Americans who led extraordinary lives — a young boy detained at a Japanese incarceration camp, a formerly enslaved woman on a mission to reunite with her daughter, a teacher who learns to work with her enemies. Hear McMahon and Burns discuss the inspiring stories of these remarkable characters, and how central fact-based documentary storytelling is — or should be — to the way that we understand our history.

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This program is part of 92NY Recanati-Kaplan Talks.
This program is part of the Newmark Civic Life Series, known for conversations with leading experts exploring pro-democracy efforts at this critical moment in the US and around the world, supported by Craig Newmark Philanthropies
craig newmark philanthropies
The Official Airline of 92NY Recanati-Kaplan Talks
An initiative of the 92NY Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact.
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Sharon McMahon

After years of serving as a high school government and law teacher, Sharon McMahon took her passion for education to Instagram …

Ken Burns

Ken Burns has been making documentary films for almost fifty years. Since the Academy Award nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981 …

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