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A redistricting crisis is now upon us. The new book, One Person, One Vote: A Surprising History of Gerrymandering in America, tells the history of how we got to this moment - from the Founding Fathers to today’s high-tech manipulation of election districts - and shows how to protect our most sacred, hard-fought principle of one person, one vote. Author and Professor Nick Seabrook joins us.

In the play, “Hymn,” now running at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts, two men meet at a funeral. One knew the deceased; one did not. They form a deep bond, but cracks appear as they begin to realize that true courage comes in different forms. The new play, filled with music, asks what it takes to be a good father, brother, or son.“Hymn” by playwright Lolita Chakrabarti features performers "ranney" and Kevin Craig West and runs through August 28 at Shakespeare & Company’s Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre. We welcome the production’s director – Regge Life.

This week's Book Picks come from Pamela Pescosolido of The Bookloft in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

David McCullough, the Pulitzer Prize winning author whose lovingly crafted narratives on subjects ranging from the Brooklyn Bridge to presidents John Adams and Harry Truman made him among the most popular and influential historians of his time, has died. He was 89. McCullough died Sunday at his Massachusetts home. He had been in failing health and died less than two months after his beloved wife, Rosalee.McCullough dedicated himself to sharing his own passion for history with the general public. He saw himself as an everyman, blessed with lifelong curiosity, and the chance to take on the subjects he cared about most. His fascination with architecture and construction inspired his early works on the Panama Canal and the Brooklyn Bridge. While his admiration for leaders whom he believed were good men, drew him to John Adams and Harry Truman in the 70s and 80s. He indulged his affection for Paris with the 2011 release of "The Greater Journey" and for aviation with the bestseller on The Wright brothers that came out in 2015. David McCullough was a frequent guest on this program, as well as The Book Show. I spoke with him in 2017 about a project he worked on examining the American spirit through speeches he'd written and delivered throughout his illustrious career.

There’s a common story we tell about America: that our fundamental values as a country were stated in the Declaration of Independence, fought for in the Revolution, and made law in the Constitution. But, with the country increasingly divided, this story isn’t working for us anymore—what’s more, it’s not even true.As Kermit Roosevelt argues in reinterpretation of the American story, our fundamental values, particularly equality, are not part of the vision of the Founders. Instead, they were stated in Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and were the hope of Reconstruction, when it was possible to envision the emergence of the nation committed to liberty and equality.

A new exhibition of art installations by Catskill-based artist Marc Swanson is now at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. The exhibition -- titled “Marc Swanson: A Memorial to Ice at the Dead Deer Disco” -- is the second part of a two-part exhibition of his work that is also on display at MASS MoCA. The exhibition is inspired by the work of Thomas Cole and his warnings about environmental damage.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond.Today's panelists are WAMC’s Alan Chartock, Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association Judy Patrick, Chairman of Capital District Latinos Dan Irizarry, and political consultant and lobbyist Libby Post.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are WAMC’s Alan Chartock, investigative journalist Rosemary Armao, Tetherless World Chair of Computer, Web and Cognitive Sciences and Founding Director of RPI’s Institute for Data, Artificial Intelligence and Computing Jim Hendler, and former Associate Editor of the Times Union Mike Spain.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are WAMC’s Alan Chartock, research professor and Stuart Rice Honorary Chair at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) and Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University Fran Berman, Cohoes City Director of Operations Theresa Bourgeois, Siena College Professor of Comparative Politics Vera Eccarius-Kelly, Former EPA Regional Administrator, Visiting Professor at Bennington College, and President of Beyond Plastics Judith Enck.

Australian pop star and actor Olivia Newton John died yesterday; she was 73. Best known for her iconic performance opposite John Travolta as Sandy in the 1978 movie musical “Grease,” she was already a popular easy-listening singer with several hit songs when she was cast it the film. In 1981, her poppy dance hit "Physical," became her biggest hit and spent 10 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. After learning she had breast cancer in 1992, Newton-John became an advocate for research into the disease. We spoke with her in 2011 when a northeast tour brought her to The Palace Theatre in Albany, New York.