Ken Follett, author, "Never" | The Interview with Hugh Hewitt  

Great interview. It's unfortunate not many viewers had comments. Follet has such a talent/skill for taking complex threads from topics as obscure and specific as the maths of medieval masonry to ones as complex and dynamic as 21st century geopolitics, and by weaving them into a compelling narrative, makes them so much more accessible and comprehensible to the literate layperson. His point about not intending a "message" but that Westerners may have a better understanding of illegal migration from the POV of those driven to it, is astute. This speaks to something I have always believed: that fiction (and some creative nonfiction such as memoir), by it's very nature, teaches/increases empathy in the reader. To read fiction is to inhabit the POV of another person (or animal, monster, alien etc) to experience the world through their eyes, to become them for awhile. Even if you only have access to novels set in contemporary times, about people who share your gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion and socioeconomic class, the protagonist is bound to have some specific experiences that differ from yours (interesting conflict being the impetus for any story) and you are still perceiving the experiences, intimacies, journeys, triumphs, losses and often privy to the thoughts, feelings and reflections of another being. I wonder if there is any correlation between those who read alot of fiction and how they measure on traits like empathy, emotional intelligence and openess to ideas.

Hugh is yesterday’s news in the age of MAGA.