Jon Meacham is often described as a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian.

Yes, the phrase is complimentary and technically correct, but it actually does Meacham a disservice.

And even more important, referring to Meacham simply as a historian ignores the effort he expends to keep us informed in the present tense.

A better testimonial might be something like this:

Meacham is an observer, student, reporter, teacher and speaker who has immersed his life in the past, present and future of America.

North Idaho will benefit from Meacham’s grasp of history, even as it’s happening — along with the skill of his commentary — on Sept. 7.

The renowned author and journalist will appear as guest speaker at the Idaho Humanities Council dinner at The Coeur d’Alene Resort. Tickets are available at http://bit.ly/JonMeacham or by calling 888-345-5346.

Meacham’s appearance could not be better timed.

As the country writhes in disagreement over the Donald Trump presidency and two-thirds of the population tell pollsters they view Trump somewhere from inconsistent and downright dangerous, Meacham will arrive in an area where Trump remains extremely popular.

At the same time, the nation is confronted by controversies and difficulties both internally and overseas.

It would have been almost impossible for the Humanities Council to find a better guest for this moment.

Meacham’s intelligence and talent are unquestioned — debut writer for Newsweek at age 29, editor-in-chief at 35 — but perhaps most important, he has the perspective perhaps only available to a historian who also covers day-to-day events.

Asked about all the emotionally charged reactions to Trump’s proposed immigration bans, his constant blaming of all difficult issues on the “fake media,” and his divisive comments appearing to back white nationalists after rioting at the University of Virginia, Meacham took an audible deep breath.

He is not a political firebrand and shies away from appearing to take sides in any serious dispute, but immediately after Trump’s most incendiary remarks about the events at Charlottesville, Meacham tweeted: “Harry Truman said a president’s job is ‘look after the little fellow who has no pull.’ It’s not to look after the fellow with the swastika.”

Yet Meacham also is a relentless optimist as a result of studying history.

“It’s not like we’ve been untested,” he said. “This country has faced existential crises in the past, from the time of the American Revolution to the 1930s and on to World War II.

“In each case, someone or some other force was trying to take away what we hold dear.

“But we’ve survived in each case, so we have some sense of how what we do and what we are does work.”

Meacham currently is working on a book about James and Dolley Madison, and he quickly brought them into the 21st century — even though Madison, the fourth president of the United States, held office from 1809-1817.

“James Madison certainly came from a different time,” Meacham said. “So his writing was dry and pedantic by our standards, but one thing comes through quite clearly.

“His guiding principle was that reason had a chance to balance passion in our politics.

“That notion is particularly poignant today, but it also has been at many other points in our history. The country has not always enjoyed a smooth road, but if you look back at the people who made great decisions in difficult times, the theme is that this nation works.”

Unsurprisingly, Meacham is a huge fan of reading as a way to live an informed life, whether you might be a welder, a new mom or a member of Congress.

“Reading allows you to build up a bank of capital,” he said, “and then you draw from that capital throughout your life in so many ways — some of which no doubt are subconscious.

“So much of the very good fortune I’ve had in my life came from reading. After all, reading informs journalism and journalism has informed my commentary ... and even my teaching.”

Meacham has the ability to remain in the present while he’s enjoying conversations in 1809.

“It actually has become kind of seamless,” he said. “I can be on an airplane flying out to L.A., reading about Dolley Madison — and then the next day I’m doing a TV show with Bill Maher.

“Somehow it doesn’t seem out of place at all.”

As devoted as Meacham might be to reading and the written word in all forms, he claims to be — first and foremost — a storyteller. And he has no problem with the public getting their stories from any good source.

“I think Netflix is one of the most important cultural phenomena of our age,” he said. “Some of the programming is just simply outstanding. There are so many talented storytellers, and Netflix and whole streaming era are giving them a voice.

“I’ve heard the phrase that television could be the Charles Dickens of our time, and I tend to agree with it.”

Even though he’s clearly multi-talented, however, Meacham can’t see himself producing video content in any large scale — say, becoming the next Ken Burns.

“I’ve found that you have to know what you’re good at, and try to do that well. In my case, writing seems to give me the best chance to reach a wide audience in a thoughtful way. That’s important at a time when everything is just so quick and so disorienting.”

Meacham is content to stay in the present while letting the past shape how he sees events unfolding.

“Right near the end of his ‘History of the English-Speaking Peoples,’ (Winston) Churchill offers us a line I think is worth remembering,” Meacham said. “The future is unknowable, but the past should give us hope.”