When it comes to reproductive health, the bulk of the responsibility is placed on women. Krystale E. Littlejohn, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Oregon, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why cis-gendered women are expected to prevent pregnancies, and how that reality underscores the gendered role of labor in America. Her book is called “Just Get on the Pill: The Uneven Burden of Reproductive Politics.”

When children with disabilities age out of systems meant to offer social, vocational and emotional support, parents are left searching for what’s next. Cammie McGovern joins host Krys Boyd to discuss “the disability cliff” – when education ends and the hard realities of limited jobs and housing set in – and about her own experience raising a son who has autism. Her book is called “Hard Landings: Looking Into the Future for a Child With Autism.”

In 1981, the first woman Supreme Court justice was nominated. Filmmaker Michelle Ferrari joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the life and career of Sandra Day O’Connor, a nominee of President Ronald Reagan who became a critical swing vote on historic issues of race, gender and reproductive rights. The documentary “Sandra Day O’Connor: The First” airs tonight on PBS’s American Experience.

On this week’s episode: the secret lives of nature from trees to fungi.

The memorials built to honor the victims of 9/11 have revealed a country that’s more fractured than united. Andrew Levy, professor of English at Butler University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the many iterations of “Never Forget” events and monuments have created new narratives of the power and presence of America, and why those need to be reexamined. His essay in The American Scholar is “The Power of Restraint.”

What is friendship but a chronicling of two lives, sometimes best described in prose. Essayist B.D. McClay joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the many phases of a friendship, from joy to loss, using touchstones from classic stories. Her essay published in Lapham’s Quarterly is called “Summer, Glorious Summer.”

As our bodies ward off disease, our minds are also poised to fight bad ideas. Andy Norman, director of the Humanism Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways conspiracy theories can corrupt sound thinking – and how we can strengthen ourselves to fight back against bad ideas. His book is “Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think.”

Twenty years ago, the Twin Towers were attacked, and the nation is still working through the aftermath. Filmmaker Michael Kirk joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the decisions made since that day that have altered the course of American and world history, from the war in Afghanistan to the January 6th insurrection. His Frontline documentary “America After 9/11” debuts this week on PBS stations.

Being an undocumented immigrant often means living in the shadows, hidden to the rest of the world. Author Qian Julie Wang joins host Krys Boyd to tell the story of her childhood in an undocumented family, how the experience shaped her life, and how she now views the American Dream. Her book is called “Beautiful Country: A Memoir.”

What if anxiousness caused by the pandemic could actually work in our favor? Dr. Wendy Suzuki is a professor of neural science and psychology in the Center for Neural Science at New York University, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how we can master stress to put it to good use. Her book is called “Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion.”