Sounds About Right: Audiobooks to Help Us Understand the World

Jon Shelton is associate professor and chair of democracy and justice studies.  He is the author of The Education Myth: How Human Capital Trumped Social Democracy (Cornell University Press, 2023) and Teacher Strike! Public Education and the Making of a New American Political Order, which was the winner of the International Standing Conference of the History of Education’s First Book Award in 2018. 

Shelton has also published work in the Washington Post, Dissent, Jacobin, Democracy: A Journal of Ideas, and other publications.  He is the Vice-Chair of the city of Green Bay’s first ever Equal Rights Commission and sits on the Board of Directors for the Labor and Working-Class History Association and the Wisconsin Labor History Society.   He also serves as Vice-President for Higher Education of the American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin.

I spoke to him about his latest book The Education Myth: How Human Capital Trumped Social Democracy .
 
Some of the topics we discussed includes: 

• What is The Education Myth?
• Must we rethink about public education to restore democracy?
• What 'human capital' means, in the context that it is used in the book?
• The G.I. Bill  (formally known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944) and its reference to education.
• The problematic nature the G.I. Bill was applied in, that discriminated against African Americans.
• Ronald Reagan's approach to the education myth and how it was different to the prominent figures beforehand.
• How Bill Clinton did more fore the education myth than any other president.
• Is The Education Myth coming undone?

The Book and Audiobook: The Education Myth: How Human Capital Trumped Social Democracy is out now.






As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!

Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.

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Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: [email protected]

Paul is the Co-founder of Tamarack Institute and for 20 years was the CEO/Co-CEO. He is the founder and was the director of Vibrant Communities a national network of nearly 500 cities and communities ending poverty, deepening community, building youth futures and advancing climate transitions.

Prior to that Paul founded and served as the CEO of Community Opportunities Development Association (CODA). CODA was awarded the distinguished United Nations Best Practices (Top 40) award for their community economic development work in the Waterloo Region of Canada.  Paul’s newest venture is founding BE Community Ltd., a consulting company whose mission is to support communities to discover and realize breakthrough community change.

Paul is the author of five books including two best sellers (Deepening Community and Community Conversations). 

I spoke to him about his latest book Breakthrough Community Change:  A Guide to Creating Common Agendas That Change Everything  which will be available from April 11 2023.
 
Some of the topics we discussed includes: 

• How did this become an area of interest to Paul
• What breakthrough change is not  
• The importance of affective collaboration  and engaging citizens in things that actually effect their lives.
• How transferable are these steps for politicians to implement? or is it difficult to tackle the needs of a nation to that of a community?

You can also find out more about Paul on his website https://www.paulborn.ca




As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!

Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.

www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod

Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?

Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: [email protected]

Liz Bucar is a leading expert in religious ethics, a professor of religion at Northeastern University, and a prizewinning author. Her writing, teaching, and public lectures cover a wide range of topics—from sexual reassignment surgery to the politics of religious clothing--but generally focus on how a deeper understanding religious difference can change our sense of what is right and good.

She is the Director of Sacred Writes, a grant-funded project that provides media training for religion scholars and has written four books, including her most recent, Stealing My Religion: Not Just Any Cultural Appropriation
 
Some of the topics we discussed includes: 

• The challenges there are when trying to confirm cultural appropriation within religion and what makes a religious form of appropriation any different
• How  'spiritual, not religious' is a big problem within religious appropriation  
• Why Liz chose the three specific case studies for the book (Solidarity Hijab, Playing Pilgrim & Respite Yoga).

The Book and Audiobook: Stealing My Religion: Not Just Any Cultural Appropriation is out now.

You can also find out more about Liz on her website https://www.lizbucar.com/





As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!

Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.

www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod

Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?

Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: [email protected]

Charles Dunst is deputy director of research & analytics at The Asia Group, an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and a contributing editor of American Purpose.

He has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Foreign Policy, among other outlets. An erstwhile foreign correspondent, he has reported from Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Israel and the Palestinian territories, the United Arab Emirates, Romania, Hungary, and Andorra. He has appeared on broadcast channels including BBC News, ABC News, Bloomberg Radio, Times Radio, and TV Tokyo, and is regularly quoted in outlets like the Financial Times, Bloomberg, and POLITICO.

I spoke with Charles about his book titled: Defeating the Dictators: How Democracy Can Prevail in the Age of the Strongman
 
Some of the topics we discussed includes: 

• How and why has for many people in the West, an autocratic regime seems more appealing than the democratic one we currently have.
• How lacking merit and meritocracy can lead to a system that citizens feel disillusioned with.
• Where democratic governments have fallen behind when it comes to taking accountability 
• How the nature of democratic governments short-term thinking has led to the outcome of citizens not having much trust in their governments. And what democratic governments can learn from the private sector when it comes to longterm thinking.
• Why places such as Singapore and UAE have such a high approval rating and how this is largely down to these authoritarian governments delivering on their promises.
• How immigration can help democracies prevail
• The trickle down effects of how improving our own governments fends off  autocracies. 

The Book and Audiobook: Defeating the Dictators: How Democracy Can Prevail in the Age of the Strongman is out now.

You can also find out more about Charles on his website https://www.charlesdunst.com





As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!

Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.

www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod

Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?

Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: [email protected]

Amy Finkelstein is the John & Jennie S. MacDonald Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is the co-founder and co-Scientific Director of J-PAL North America, a research center at MIT that encourages and facilitates randomized evaluations of important domestic policy issues.

She is also the founding Editor of American Economic Review: Insights and the co-Director of the Health Care Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and of the Institute of Medicine, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Econometric Society.


I spoke with Amy about the book she co-authored with fellow economists Liran Einav and Ray Fisman titled: Risky Business: Why Insurance Markets Fail and What to Do About It.

Some of the topics we discussed includes: 

•  Why 'selection' is integral when it comes to insurance
• Why doesn't divorce insurance exist?
•  The 'premiums of selection' being something not often discussed in free markets
• Can governments mandate against insurance selection problems? and what can it help to rectify?
• How customers are still able to know how much of a risk they are, contrary to the insurers knowledge
• Actions insurance companies take to try and attract  the customer they want.
• The other markets that are affected by selection and potential future projects.

The Book and Audiobook: Risky Business: Why Insurance Markets Fail and What to Do About It is out now.







As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!

Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.

www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod

Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?

Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: [email protected]

​Martin Puchner, the Byron and Anita Wien Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Harvard University, is a prize-winning author, educator, public speaker, and institution builder in the arts and humanities. His writings range from philosophy and theater to world literature and culture and have been translated into many languages.

His new book, Culture: A New World History, tells a global history of culture that raises fundamental questions about how culture works, what good are the arts, and how different cultures should relate to one another.

Some of the topics we discussed includes: 

•  Queen Nefertiti, the impact of her changing her switch from polytheism and its significance.
• The Greeks, the influence of plays and theatre on their culture and their respect for the Egyptians. 
• The relatiionships between Greece & Rome, China & Japan and how neither were driven by conquest 
• Xuanzang - The King of Social Mobility.
• How cultures develop by acknowlegding their own distant past
• Materialism and science of the past.
• How much of a problem was translation in the ancient world?
• How the internet has impacted cultural sharing  and whether it is a bad or good thing

The Book and Audiobook: Culture: A New World History is out now.

You can also find out more about Martin on his website http://www.martinpuchner.com





As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!

Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.

www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod

Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?

Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: [email protected]

Jacob Harold is a social change strategist, author, and executive.

From 2012 to 2021, Harold served as President & CEO of GuideStar and co-founder of Candid. Fast Company called Candid “the definitive nonprofit transparency organization.” Each year, more than 20 million people use its data on nonprofits, grants, and social sector practice.

The NonProfit Times named Harold to its Power and Influence Top 50 list seven years in a row.

He has written extensively on climate change and philanthropic strategy and his essays have been used as course materials at Stanford, Duke, Wharton, Oxford, and Tsinghua. Harold has been quoted in media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, and Wall Street Journal. Harold serves on the boards of the U.S. Climate Action Network, Rewiring America, and the Duke University Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship and as an advisor to investors, startups, foundations, and government agencies.


I spoke with Jacob about his book: The Toolbox: Strategies for Crafting Social Impact.

Some of the topics we discussed includes: 

• The inspiration behind Jacob writing the book & why the Toolbox Strategy is necessary.
• Why multiplicity is the essence of the Toolbox Strategy
• Why the linear and cyclical mindset is necessary for strategic action.
• How Addictive Ideologies work to absorb us off the responsibility of ourselves.
• The role Political Leaders play in political ideologies
• The illusion of independence  & the reason why social change is difficult
• Stories, how we understand the world and the importance in applying storyteling to strategy.
• The Game Theory -  and how it can be used to get us on the right social path.

The Book and Audiobook: The Toolbox: Strategies for Crafting Social Impact is out now.

You can also find out more about Jacob on his website https://www.jacobharold.com





As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!

Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.

www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod

Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?

Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: [email protected]

Dr. Emily Bashah is a licensed psychologist, author and podcast co-host with a private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona.

An expert witness in criminal, immigration, and civil courts, she has worked on high-profile cases covering issues of domestic terrorism and capital offenses, as well as first-degree murder.

I spoke with Dr. Bashah about the book she co-authored with Paul Johnson,  former Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona titled: Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You
 
Some of the topics we discussed includes: 

• How her life experiences and identity of self, helped her get to the point of co-authoring the book.
• How Addictive Ideologies work to absorb us off the responsibility of ourselves.
• The role Political Leaders play in political ideologies
• The escalating war between Isreal & Palestine. 
• Have lessons truly been learnt? 
• The psychology of terrorism, why does it happen? and what can be done to prevent it?
• Some of the 7 Codes we can live by to own our agency
• How  the people she has worked with, have taught her that happiness is an inside job

The Book and Audiobook: Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You is out now.

You can also find out more about Dr. Bashah on her website https://www.bashahpsychological.com





As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!

Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.

www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod

Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?

Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: [email protected]

Seth Gillihan is a licensed psychologist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). He was a full-time faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania from 2008 to 2012, and taught in the Psychology Department at Haverford College from 2012-2015. He has been in private practice since 2012.

Seth completed a doctorate in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of multiple books on mindfulness and CBT, Therapy Advisor with the self-therapy app Bloom, a medical reviewer for Everyday Health, and host of the Think Act Be podcast.

I spoke with Seth about his book, Mindful Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: A Simple Path to Healing, Hope, and Peace.
 
Some of the topics we discussed includes: 

• Speaking about Mindful CBT from the perspective of a someone who has helped others, and benefiting personally from it. 
• How does the three components of 'Think, Act, Be' work together in giving us Leverage. 
• How we can find Leverage when it comes to willpower.
• Seth's own life experiences and the catalyst of what made him implement Mindful CBT in his life.
• Releasing Control 
• How Seth's patients experiences has helped him apply Mindful CBT in his own life.

The Book and Audiobook: Mindful Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: A Simple Path to Healing, Hope, and Peace is out now.

You can also find out more about Seth on his website https://sethgillihan.com





As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!

Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.

www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod

Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?

Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: [email protected]

Dr. Bruce McIvor, lawyer and historian, is a partner at First Peoples Law LLP, a law firm dedicated to defending and advancing Indigenous Peoples’ inherent and constitutionally protected title, rights and treaty rights. His work includes both litigation and negotiation on behalf of Indigenous Peoples.

Bruce is recognized nationally and internationally as a leading practitioner of Aboriginal law in Canada.

I had the pleasure of speaking with him about his book, Standoff: Why Reconciliation Fails Indigenous People and How to Fix It .
 
Some of the topics we discussed includes: 

• The process of putting the book together
• The Doctrine of Discovery and how it's at the foundation of how Indigenous People across the Americas have been displaced from their lands.
• The Duty to Consult & Accommodate Indigenous People: what is it and what are its shortcomings.
• The case of Daniels v Canada (Indian Affairs and Northern Development) and the importance of its decision (Daniels Decision).
• The complex relationship between Canadian Law and Indigenous Identity.
• What you can do if you want to be more informed on this matter

The Book and Audiobook: Standoff: Why Reconciliation Fails Indigenous People and How to Fix It is out now.

You can also find out more about Bruce on his website https://brucemcivor.com





As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!

Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.

www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod

Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?

Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: [email protected]