From December 23rd to January 1st, we will be showcasing our most notable conversations of the year. Today's show: Colson Whitehead’s latest novel is based on a real juvenile detention reformatory in 1960s Florida. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his story of two boys, bound by the trauma around them as they swing between hope and cynicism. Earlier this year, “The Nickel Boys” earned Whitehead his second Pulitzer Prize.

From December 23rd to January 1st, we will be showcasing our most notable conversations of the year. Today's show: Inside our individual worlds we’re asking, “when will this all end?” The answer, at least when it comes to the actual universe, is give or take a couple billion years. North Carolina State University theoretical astrophysicist Katie Mack joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the math, science and mystery that allows space to predict our demise back here on Earth. Her book is “The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking).”

From December 23rd to January 1st, we will be showcasing our most notable conversations of the year. Today's show: Susan Choi’s “Trust Exercise: A Novel” was a runaway hit last year, delighting readers and critics all the way to a National Book Award. She joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her story of how power shifts back and forth between students and teachers at a performing arts high school. The book is also known for a rather big twist – no spoilers here!

From December 23rd to January 1st, we will be showcasing our most notable conversations of the year. Today’s show: Breathing is a fundamental part of life – and yet we’re still figuring out how to get better at it. Science writer James Nestor joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how clues can be found not in research labs, but in choir rooms, smoggy streets and even centuries-old breathing practices. His new book is called “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.”

From December 23rd to January 1st, we will be showcasing our most notable conversations of the year. Today’s show: New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for “The Looming Tower,” his nonfiction book chronicling the rise of al-qaeda. And with a new novel, he’s once again chillingly prescient. Wright joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his fiction focused on a pandemic upending the world, written months and months before our current crisis. The book is called “The End of October: A Novel.”

If you've ever wondered how Krys chooses who she talks to or what she wants to talk about, this is your chance to find out. Every weekend Krys will share highlights from the conversations she had that week and offer a behind the scenes look at the creation process of Think. On this week’s episode: a celebration of proud nerds everywhere.

On December 21st, Jupiter and Saturn will have their closest encounter in more than 400 years — the kind of moment that has inspired astronomers and novices alike for centuries. Science journalist Jo Marchant joins guest host John McCaa to talk about the impact stargazing has had on human civilizations and the importance of connecting to the wonder of the night sky. Her new book is called “The Human Cosmos: Civilization and the Stars.”

The 1918 Flu was a once-in-a-century pandemic but, experts believe, climate change has created conditions where COVID-19 might be just the first example of what’s to come. Jennifer Nuzzo, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and senior fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about when politics and science collide during a global pandemic and what an effective response should look like next time. Her essay “To Stop a Pandemic” appears in Foreign Affairs.

Alex Trebek was the best of us; he captured the erudite thinker this nation aspires to be—even as we shout answers from the couch. Claire McNear joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her exhaustive behind-the-scenes look at America’s favorite game show and the man who hosted it for decades until his death last month. Her new book is “Answers in Form of Questions: A Jeopardy! Guidebook.”

Gerald Ford preemptively pardoned Richard Nixon for all federal crimes in an effort to help the nation move on more quickly from the Watergate scandal. James Fallows, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how President-Elect Biden’s administration might think about investigating – and possibly prosecuting – President Trump and members of his administration. His article is headlined “How Biden Should Investigate Trump.”