We all want life to get back to normal but what will that look like? This hour, we’re exploring how three sectors of everyday life are responding to the pandemic. We’ll start with a look at how administrators are working to safely reopen schools. Then we’ll move on to how COVID-19 is affecting the entertainment industry – and how the virus is forcing us all to rethink how we travel.

You’ve probably noticed your hands a lot more these days. With the amount of handwashing you’re doing, they’re probably looking pretty dry and cracked. Are you killing off the good germs along with the bad? Dr. James Hamblin, staff writer at The Atlantic and a lecturer at Yale School of Public Health, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how our skin protects us – and how we can better protect it. His book is “Clean: The New Science of Skin.”

Americans are proud of living in the “land of the free” — and some feel that being asked to wear a mask or stay home impedes that freedom. Mark Rothstein is professor of law and medicine and director of the Institute for Bioethics, Health Policy and Law at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about what to do when public health directives during a pandemic clash with our expectation of personal liberty. His article “The Coronavirus Pandemic: Public Health and American Values” was published in The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics.

Katniss Everdeen is the protagonist in “The Hunger Games” who must save the world with her bow and arrow. Young Rue is an innocent murder victim in the story. And even if you haven’t read the books, you can probably guess which character is white and which is Black. University of Pennsylvania associate professor Ebony Elizabeth Thomas joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how the lack of diversity in children’s books reflects a lack of imagination. Her book “The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games” is newly out in paperback.

Bob Ross painted happy little clouds and happy little trees and, 25 years after his death, he still makes us happy. Michael Mooney joins host Krys Boyd to talk about TV’s “Joy of Painting” host, who encouraged us to make happy little accidents. His recent article in The Atlantic is headlined “Why Is Bob Ross Still So Popular?”

It’s been 17 years since U.S. forces invaded Iraq. Robert Draper of The New York Times joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how a combination of groupthink, faulty intelligence and a flawed decision-making process led to a war that spawned many unintended consequences. His new book is called “To Start a War: How the Bush Administration Took America Into Iraq.”

One year ago today, a man allegedly drove 10 hours, stopped at a Walmart in El Paso, and opened fire, killing 23. On the anniversary of the deadliest anti-Latino attack in American history, we’ll revisit the debate about guns in America. Jennifer Carlson, associate professor of sociology and government and public policy at the University of Arizona, joins host Krys Boyd to look at how the discussion has changed during COVID-19 and explore how the conversation will be framed during the 2020 presidential campaigns.

The promise of the middle class began in the 1920s with a promise of “a chicken in every pot.” By mid-century, the dream became much more expansive—even as it turned away a significant portion of Americans. David Stebenne, teaches political, legal and constitutional history at The Ohio State University, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the social movements and government policies that defined the mid-20th century. His new book is “Promised Land: How the Rise of the Middle Class Transformed America, 1929 – 1968.”

For most Americans, President Trump’s border wall is an abstract idea. But for people living along the border, its physical presence actually affects their lives. D.W. Gibson spent two years observing a section of the wall’s development – from prototype to construction – and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about what he learned from talking to people who live and work near it. His new book is called “14 Miles: Building the Border Wall.”

Dr. Ross Slotten experienced the AIDS crisis both as a newly-minted physician caring for patients and as a gay man watching many friends die from the virus. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his personal experience caring for people amid the epidemic. His new book is called “Plague Years: A Doctor’s Journey through the AIDS Crisis.”