Though Ferguson's admiration of the country's 16th president began in his youth, his desire to write Land of Lincoln, which was recently selected as required reading for Centre's incoming freshmen, came about after a trip to Richmond, Va. Ferguson says he traveled there to investigate a controversial statue of Lincoln, where a group of scholars and historians decried Lincoln as racist and dictatorial. When Ferguson found that he and other Lincoln supporters were ill-equipped to counter their accusations, he began the research for his book.

Ferguson also discusses Lincoln's Kentucky connections, including Lincoln's friend and law partner, Centre College alumnus John Todd Stuart; the death of Lincoln's grandfather in Kentucky at the hands of Native Americans; and the cabin in what is now Knob Creek, where Lincoln lived as a boy.

The author relays his experience following the Lincoln Heritage Trail, which travels through Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. At one point, Ferguson lost his way on the trail, and he recounts a surprising conversation he had with Robert Newman, who helped put the trail together. Ferguson also talks about meeting Lincoln impersonators, visiting a college business course that presented Lincoln as a model for middle managers, and more.

One to One with Bill Goodman is a KET production, produced by Goodman and Cindy Asher. Following the broadcast, One to One is available for on-demand videostream viewing at www.ket.org/onetoone and podcasting at www.ket.org/rss.