What happens when a society forgets what public health is for? In today's episode, MIT professor Thomas Levenson shares ideas from A Pox on Fools: The True Believers, Grifters, and Cynics Who Convinced Us to Reject Vaccines, a timely history of vaccine skepticism and the fears, myths, and opportunism that helped turn medical caution into a dangerous ideology. Then Anya Kamenetz shares ideas from her 2021 book The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children’s Lives, and Where We Go Now, asking what the pandemic revealed about children, schools, and the social compact we too often take for granted.

🎁 Save 20% on a Next Big Idea Club membership when you used code PODCAST at⁠ ⁠nextbigideaclub.com⁠⁠

✉️ Get big ideas in your inbox with our daily newsletter. Subscribe at⁠ ⁠bookoftheday.nextbigideaclub.com⁠⁠

Sponsored By:

Shopify — Nothing stands between your idea and a real business. So go make it one. Start your free trial at shopify.com/daily

FODZYME — Finally, you can enjoy your favorite foods without the pain. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠icaneatagain.com/daily ⁠for 30% off your first order.

Quince — Make your summer wardrobe easier. Go to quince.com/nbid for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.