Think from KERA

What if gender equality was just a math problem we haven’t yet solved? Eugenia Cheng is Scientist in Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a math professor at the University of Sheffield, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about taking mathematical concepts and applying them to an issue we’ve wrestled with throughout human history. Her new book is called “X+Y: A Mathematician’s Manifesto for Rethinking Gender.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death sent shockwaves through America’s legal and political landscapes – and triggered an outpouring of grief among Americans inspired by the trails she blazed for women. Linda Hirshman joins host Krys Boyd to talk about Ginsburg’s legacy – and about what an opening on the court could mean for the presidential election. Hirshman is the author of “Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World.”

In the last few years, many Americans have had to square the idea of the American Dream with the realities they face that seem to offer little hope. Mychal Denzel Smith is a fellow at Type Media Center, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his thoughts on how he wrestles to understand the current moment studied against the long lens of American history. His new book of essays is “Stakes Is High: Life After the American Dream.”

The U.S. military once had an idea to strap bombs to bats. Meanwhile, the intelligence services thought of digging a spy tunnel under the Soviet embassy. Vince Houghton, historian and curator of the International Spy Museum, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about these and other wacky ideas that ultimately never came to fruition. His book is called “Nuking the Moon: And Other Intelligence Schemes And Military Plots Left On The Drawing Board” (Penguin).

When a child is rushed to the emergency room, doctors are on alert: not only to triage the crisis but to look for signs of abuse. Stephanie Clifford joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how child abuse cases often hinge on a doctor’s assessment of the situation. Her story “When the Misdiagnosis is Child Abuse” was published by The Marshall Project.

Latinos are not a monolithic group – despite societal and governmental attempts to categorize them as such. Laura E. Gómez is professor of Law, Sociology, and Chicana/Chicano Studies at UCLA and the co-founder and faculty director of the Critical Race Studies Program there. She joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the dynamic Latino experience and the growing influence Latinos have on American life and politics. Her book is “Inventing Latinos: A New Story of American Racism.”

Studies show most parents can’t muster the courage to talk to their children about racism. And in this case, the thought doesn’t count. Fordham University psychology professor Tiffany Yip joins host Krys Boyd to talk about what an anti-racist conversation with children should sound like and why it’s not happening as often as it should.

Dementia erases the very things that make people who they are – and it often leaves their loved ones unsure of how to interact with the person who remains. Lynn Casteel Harper is a chaplain and minister for older adults at The Riverside Church in New York City, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about honoring the human when caring for someone with cognitive disease. Her new book is called “On Vanishing: Mortality, Dementia, and What It Means to Disappear.”

The paper that a $100 bill is printed on is only worth something because we all agree that it is. Jacob Goldstein, co-host of NPR’s “Planet Money,” joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how our world goes ‘round in large part because we’ve all swallowed hard and agreed to not ask too much about the real value of currency. His new book is called “Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing.”

High school senior year comes with rapid coming-of-age lessons and high-stakes college entrance exams, equal-opportunity stressors that affect both the rich and poor. Jeff Hobbs joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the Los Angeles boys he followed for 12 months to tell their stories of working toward their higher-education goals amid atmospheres of racism and privilege. His book is “Show Them You’re Good: A Portrait of Boys in the City of Angels the Year Before College.”