This month, On My Mind will be sharing conversations from the Diane Rehm Book Club and Author Interview Series. Today we bring you a conversation with novelist Amy Bloom.

Diane selected Bloom’s memoir “In Love” as her March 2022 read.  It deals with an issue that is extremely important to Diane – medical aid in dying. Diane has supported the movement to expand access to this life ending option since 2014 when her husband, John Rehm, suffered a painful and prolonged death from Parkinson’s disease.

In this book, Bloom tells the story of how she helped her own husband die after a tragic diagnosis.

Amy Bloom joined Diane last year to share her experience, an experience she hopes will prompt others to think about what they want at the end of their lives.

Author interview series: Novelist Amy Bloom on the true story of helping her husband die

Diane Rehm’s weekly podcast features newsmakers, writers, artists and thinkers on the issues she cares about most: what’s going on in Washington, ideas that inform, and the latest on living well as we live longer.

News

Will Biden and Trump take the stage?

Last week President Biden said he would be willing to debate Donald Trump ahead of this year’s election in November.

This came after months of back and forth between the candidates. Biden’s answers had been coy regarding a face off, citing the “behavior” of the former president. This was likely referencing Trump’s frequent interruptions and name calling in their 2020 meetings.

Meanwhile the GOP turned this reluctance into a campaign talking point, claiming Biden was afraid to face the former president and the American people.

If their commitments to share the stage fall through, this would be the first presidential campaign since 1976 without a debate. But with so many other methods available for candidates to reach potential voters, do debates even matter anymore?

“Candidates control so much of the campaign process with their ralies, ads and conventions,” says Mitchell McKinney, dean of the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Akron and an expert on political communication. “We the votes deserve a moment when they are not in control, and debates provide that.”

McKinney joins Diane to talk about the past, present, and continued relevance of presidential debates.

Will Trump And Biden Debate This Election? Does It Matter?

Last year was the hottest on record. 2024 is predicted to be another record year. Meanwhile, we are seeing the very real effects of our changing climate in more intense forest fires, and more severe and unpredictable weather. This has pushed the idea of geoengineering -- or deliberately intervening in climate systems -- closer to reality.

Christopher Flavelle is a reporter for the New York Times. His work is part of a new series for the paper called “Buying Time,” a look at the risky ways humans are starting to manipulate nature to fight climate change. He joins Diane to talk about the perils and promise of these technologies.

Can We Engineer Our Way Out Of Catastrophic Climate Change?

Eddie S. Glaude Jr. has a message for Americans: it is time for ordinary people to take charge of our democracy.

An African American Studies professor at Princeton, Glaude argues that we have outsourced our responsibility for creating a just society to the political class for too long -- and it hasn’t worked.

Glaude explores these ideas in a new book titled “We are the Leader We Have Been Looking For.”

He says the roots of this thinking took hold around the time of the election of Barack Obama in 2008. Many Americans celebrated a post-racial era in the country, but Glaude felt uneasy. He worried Obama’s presidency limited Black political engagement as Black Americans – and others -- turned to a “prophet-like figure.”

Since then, Glaude has become increasingly convinced that political leaders are not the answer.

Glaude is the author of two previous books, “Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul” and the bestseller “Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own.” He is also a political commentator for MSNBC.

He joins Diane to talk about his new book, the 2024 election, and why he says the concept of “whiteness” is holding back all Americans from moving toward a more democratic future.

A Call To Rethink American Leadership: "We Must Stop Outsourcing Responsibility For Our Democracy"

Once a taboo topic, menopause has recently come out of the shadows.

Media headlines declare it is “having a moment,” as celebrities like Michelle Obama, Drew Barrymore and Oprah have shared their experiences with “the change.”

Even Washington is paying attention. In March, President Biden signed an executive order that funds research into women’s health – including midlife conditions like menopause.

“We cannot afford not to address the health issues of women as they age,” says Dr. Sharon Malone, a gynecologist and vocal advocate for menopause awareness.

She points out that menopausal women are the fastest growing demographic in the country, 80% of whom will experience menopause related symptoms such as hot flashes, sleeplessness, or anxiety. This is not just a matter of inconvenience, adds Dr. Malone, but left untreated, can lead to more serious conditions like cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Malone is the author of a new book titled “Grown Woman Talk.” She calls it a “‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ book for women who plan to live past 40,” referencing the popular pregnancy guide.

Dr. Malone joins Diane on this week’s episode of On My Mind to explain why the current attention to menopause is long overdue, and why understanding this phase of life is so critical to a woman’s ability to get – and stay – healthy.

A New Focus On Menopause And Women's Health After 40

Donald Trump has enjoyed strong support from white Evangelical Christians since his first run for the presidency.

But recently, he has made a specific brand of Christianity a centerpiece of his campaign. He repeatedly casts himself as a messiah figure, even comparing his legal troubles to the persecution of Christ. He regularly ends his rallies with prayer. And last week he started hocking a version of the Bible that also includes copies of the founding documents of the United States.

“Trump is now wrapping his candidacy around this idea of White Christian Nationalism,” says Robert P. Jones, president and founder of the Public Religion Research Institute, or PRRI. He is also author of two books about the relationship between race and religion in the United States, “The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy,” as well as “White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity.”

Jones joins Diane on this week’s episode of On My Mind to talk about what’s behind the attempts to build The Church of Trump, and why he sees it as a dangerous development for the country.

To find out more about Robert P. Jones and read his latest, visit his blog, “White Too Long”: https://www.whitetoolong.net/.

Author interview series: Novelist Amy Bloom on the true story of helping her husband die

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