Two authors of new books are on the podcast this week. First Ed Luce, Washington columnist for the Financial Times, explains what has given rise to populism in the West. Then, Diane speaks with Georgetown professor John Pfordresher about his new book exploring the parallels between Charlotte Bronte’s life and that of her famous protagonist Jane Eyre.

Pfordresher wrote us a letter recently explaining how his new book came to be. He appeared on The Diane Rehm Show in 2011 for a Readers’ Review of the novel Jane Eyre. Two years later he was contacted by a literary agent who heard the show and asked if he’d write a book about Charlotte Bronte. He did – and it was published. So for our “From the Archives” this week, we take a listen back to that show.