Feeding bookshelves, schooling Glenn Beck and fixing the world
A recap of launch week and reflections on fear, choice and balance
Friends, banthas, nerf-herders and fellow humans…it’s been quite a journey to get to the point where I can say that “How The Force Can Fix The World” is OUT on bookstore shelves and in the hands of readers (and netting 5 Stars on Amazon, just sayin’). Thank you all for being part of this adventure with me. Your support, advocacy and cheers from the sidelines have given me courage in moments of doubt and even crippling fear during this process.
How The Force Can Fix The World took me to Los Angeles, Dallas, Raleigh, Greensboro, Atlanta and to the heart of Washington, D.C. last night for a whirlwind book tour. In LA I spoke to politicos in Orange County about Star Wars’ call to hope during impossible trials of darkness…in Dallas I guested on Glenn Beck’s radio program and made the case for The Phantom Menace as a masterclass in political humility…in North Carolina we were joined my leaders from the NC Senate and House to reflect on Star Wars’ lessons on leadership and government…in Atlanta I spoke to 30+ excited geeks (mostly Star TREK fans) about the relevance of the Force….and in Washington (last night) both Fox News host Ben Domenech and progressive fmr. mayor Betsy Hodges showed up to speak to a crowd of 70 people about how Star Wars bridges vast cultural divides. It was even featured in this mornings POLITICO Playbook.
If you haven’t gotten the book, go grab a copy! If you have, could you leave a review on Amazon or GoodReads? That’s the next step for us making this thing a hit!
Here is a rundown of interviews and fun content on Star Wars politics and the book from the week.
Excerpt from a kind review in The Federalist by Pete Pischke
In a world with pandemics, violent riots, contentions at a global scale, and a personal Dunkirk in every home, there may still be hope and unity found in the least expected places. We may no longer share the basic building blocks of a healthy society, but we still share a love for the new American myths, and that might be what saves us in the end.
Author Stephen Kent testifies to such hope in his new book, “How the Force Can Fix the World: Lessons on Life, Liberty, and Happiness from a Galaxy Far, Far Away.” Kent is the creator of the popular Star Wars-meets-politics podcast, “Beltway Banthas,” which features guests from all sides of the political spectrum and is just one product of his focus on finding cultural platforms to bridge the political and cultural divisions feeding America’s cantankerous culture war. His new book follows this same ethos.
Kent asks his audience to be willing to humble themselves. Americans, in general, are much too arrogant. Noting an NPR/PBS NewsHour poll found that only 25 percent of Democrats said they were open to new information regarding the Trump impeachment; and on Joe and Hunter Biden, only 24 percent of Republicans believed further information would change their minds.
In the world of podcasting, to lead up to the book launch I taped a series of Star Wars themed morning meditations. This was a new style of Beltway Banthas where I tried to offer lessons found in the book, in the form of something you might get from The Daily Stoic podcast. A little pick-me-up with a Star Wars package to start the day strong.
Here are those episodes on FEAR….BALANCE….CHOICE
