Thecuriousmanspodcast

Who was Hazel? Why was her brutal murder buried in history — and how did it inspire one of the most iconic TV shows of all time?

In this episode, author Jerry Drake joins us to discuss his riveting new book Hazel Was a Good Girl, which reopens a nearly century-old cold case that eerily parallels the plot of Twin Peaks. Part investigation, part historical exposé, and part cultural reflection, the book seeks to restore the truth and dignity to a young woman whose life and death shaped a strange corner of American mythology.

Beloved children's author Kate DiCamillo joins us to discuss her enchanting new novel Ferris, a heartfelt story about family, courage, and the power of imagination. In this conversation, Kate reflects on the creation of Ferris Wilkey—a curious, kind-hearted girl navigating mystery, love, and change in her offbeat household.

We explore how Kate finds magic in the mundane, what it means to write truthfully, and why laughter and loss belong in the same story. Whether you're a fan of Because of Winn-Dixie or meeting Kate for the first time, this episode will remind you why her stories stay with us long after the final page.

On today's episode, we're joined by author Samantha York to talk about her haunting and lyrical debut novel, The Foreshore. Set against a shifting coastal landscape, the novel traces the emotional tides of memory, loss, and resilience through characters who are just as vulnerable and unpredictable as the sea itself.

We discuss the symbolism behind the shoreline, the role of silence and solitude, and what it means to build a life on ground that's constantly changing. It's a conversation about grief, storytelling, and the spaces between land and water—and between people.

This episode features an energizing conversation with author and leadership coach Andy Crocker about his new book The Unconditionals: Five Timeless Values to Live Without Limits and Ignite Your Superpower.

Andy shares the core values that can help anyone break through fear, overcome limitations, and unlock their inner potential. Whether you're navigating a career shift, a personal setback, or simply looking to live more intentionally, this episode is packed with insight, encouragement, and practical wisdom. Internal reflection is something that many of us do not do enough, this book shows just how important that is, as well as guide us along the way.

What happens when a group of grieving grandmothers takes on a brutal dictatorship in the name of truth and justice?

In today's episode, we speak with award-winning journalist and author Haley Cohen Gilliland about her extraordinary new book, A Flower Traveled In My Blood. Through deep research and personal storytelling, the book chronicles the decades-long fight of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo to uncover the fates of their stolen grandchildren—taken during Argentina's Dirty War and raised under false identities. This is a conversation about resilience, memory, science, justice—and the power of ordinary people to defy tyranny.

In this episode, we sit down with author and historian Forest Issac Jones to discuss his new book Good Trouble: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963–1972. This powerful work uncovers the striking parallels between two seemingly distant civil rights struggles—across the American South and the streets of Northern Ireland.

Forest walks us through the political, cultural, and spiritual ties that united these movements, from shared strategies of nonviolence to government crackdowns and the enduring power of grassroots resistance.

In this episode, we dive deep into the intellectual lives of two of Canada's most influential media theorists: Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan. Author and professor Tom Cooper joins us to explore his new book, The Lives and Thought of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan, offering unique insights into their work, relationship, and relevance in our hyperconnected world.

We unpack everything from Innis's time-biased and space-biased media framework to McLuhan's famously cryptic "the medium is the message"—and how both thinkers anticipated the digital age in uncanny ways.

Today's guest is Professor James Fishkin, a pioneering scholar in the field of deliberative democracy and the author of the timely and thought-provoking book, Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy?

In a time of extreme polarization, political disillusionment, and rising authoritarianism, Professor Fishkin offers a compelling case for how structured, inclusive public deliberation can revitalize democratic systems. From global experiments to the core mechanics of deliberative polling, this episode explores how we might move beyond shouting matches and toward shared understanding.

What happens when a philosopher tries to change the world—not through words, but by shaping a king?

In this episode, we sit down with James Romm, classical historian and author of Plato and the Tyrant, a gripping narrative about Plato's dramatic real-world attempt to bring his philosophical ideals to life in the court of the tyrant Dionysius of Syracuse. Through ambition, betrayal, and idealism, Romm explores the tensions between power and wisdom—and why even Plato wasn't immune to the seductions of political influence.

n today's episode, we're joined by Corinna Barrett Lain, a law professor and the author of Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection. With meticulous research and unflinching clarity, she exposes the hidden history of how lethal injection became the preferred method of execution in the U.S.—and how it's far more troubling, untested, and violent than the public has been led to believe.

Together, we explore the myths that mask this method as "humane," the legal loopholes that protect its secrecy, and the moral reckoning Americans must confront. This is a conversation about truth, justice, and the machinery of death.