Thecuriousmanspodcast

In this episode Matt Crawford speaks with author Meriel Schindler about her book The Lost Cafe Schindler. A family memoir that reads like a detective novel, Schindler takes us along for the ride as she tries to uncover the truth of her family's past. A history that traces back before WWI, set in Innsbruck with the Austrian Alps as a backdrop and featuring the eponymous Cafe Schindler, this is a story that will engulf you. Tracing her family's history and building up toward what they would endure and overcome during Nazi occupation, Schindler introduces and welcomes us into her family. A story that will stay with you forever, I hope you all will read, enjoy and share it with someone.

In this episode Matt Crawford speaks with author Cheryl Diamond about her book Nowhere Girl. Born on the run and being chased by the authorities, Diamond will have lived in more than a dozen countries, on five continents and under six assumed identities by the age of nine. This is a book that will leave you breathless and flipping pages. Through all this intrigue and adventure though, is a heartbreaking story of loss but also of hope. And while we all may not have lived as exciting and traumatic a life as Diamond she writes in a way that will connect with us all. A powerful and inspirational read.

Matt Crawford speaks with author Judith Pearson about her rereleased book Belly of the Beast. Pearson recounts the harrowing tale of Naval Corpsman Estel Myers as a POW aboard the Japanese prison ship Oryoku Maru. Held for nearly three years in horrid conditions that included, suffocation, malnutrition, torture, disease and mental hardships that took the life or more than three quarters of his fellow prisoners, this is an example of true courage and compassion. This is a book that transcends your imagination and Pearson puts you in the hold with those brave men. I hope all will read this book!

Author William Hazelgrove about his book Morristown: The Darkest Winter of the Revolutionary War and the Plot to Kidnap George Washington. Valley Forge is often looked at as the worst winter of the Revolutionary War and while many did die, it was not because of the weather. Morristown details the harshest winter on record and the conditions our troops had to withstand. All while Britain plotted to kidnap Washington and end the war. A great winter read that is sure to warm you up.

In this interview Matt Crawford speaks with author Henry Gee about his book, A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth. As a paleontologist, evolutionary biologist and editor at Nature Henry Gee is in the unique position to describe those moments throughout this planets history that were most pivotal. Gee explains how we went from single celled organisms to what we are today in a lighthearted and hysterical fashion that will actually make you learn, while laughing out loud. This is the perfect book for anyone who is intimated by or thinks science is boring. I assure you this book will change your mind.

In this interview Matt Crawford talks with Speaker, Activist and author Julie Lindahl about her activism work and her most recent book The Pendulum. In her book The Pendulum Julie tracks down her family's secret past through multiple countries and across many years of research. What follows is a painfully honest writing of what she uncovered and how she has coped with it. A beautiful and touching read about healing and forgiveness that I think we all need to read right now.

In this episode I speak with author Jeffrey Lewis about his book Land of Cockaigne. A novel that reimagines paradise on earth as a village in Maine for at risk youth, Lewis wraps socioeconomic and racial issues in a blanket of grief in an honest depiction of our current racial climate. A beautifully raw view of our contemporary society it is also an open ended question that lets us reach our own assumptions and conclusions. A truly thought provoking and rapturous read.

In this interview Matt Crawford speaks with author Dr. Kathryn Schmitz about her book, Moving Through Cancer. Most people given a cancer diagnosis are told to get plenty of rest. This is probably just about the worst advice to follow, according to the Director of the Oncology, Nutrition and Exercise group at the Penn State Cancer Institute Dr. Kathyrn Schmitz. Not only does exercise help to distribute your treatment throughout your body, it also puts you in a better state of mind. With easy to follow exercises and techniques this book is sure to help those going through the fight of their life.

In this episode Matt Crawford speaks with author Mansoor Adayfi about his book, Don't Forget Us Here. Captured at age 18 by warlords in Afghanistan and sold to the U.S government for a bounty as someone else, Mansoor was held in Guantanamo Bay Cuba as detainee #441 for over 14 years and known as the worst of the worst by the U.S government. Mansoor details the treatment he and other innocent detainees received while imprisoned, held without trial and how they managed to find hope in a hopeless environment. 

In this interview Matt Crawford speaks with author Glenda Shaw about her book Better You, Better Friends. It has been proven that friendships benefit our physical and mental health, along with our happiness and even how long we live. Having friends is integral to our survival, yet fewer people have as many close friends as people did decades ago, why? Shaw provides a guide for building these relationships and shows us how to to be open and honest with ourselves in those relationships. With a memoir like feel, personal anecdotes, examples  and interviews with friends, Shaw immerses us in these situations and makes us ponder our friendships in the best of ways. In the era of social media friends this book is the salve we need.