Think from KERA

Books for young readers are supposed to be about teen vampires and first loves, right? In these challenging and confusing times, the answer might be: no. Teens need more. Journalist and author Karen Blumenthal joins host Krys Boyd to talk about writing a comprehensive look at reproductive rights for ages 12 and up. Her new book is called “Jane Against the World: Roe v Wade and the Fight For Reproductive Rights.”

On Super Tuesday, voters in 14 states cast their votes. Whether or not we will know on Wednesday who those votes were cast for – and which candidate claimed the bulk of the 1,300 available delegates – remains to be seen. Host Krys Boyd talks about if the race for the Democratic nomination for president is clearer or cloudier withDavid Barker,Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University; and Niambi Carter, assistant professor of political science at Howard University.

Diane Rehm, who hosted “The Diane Rehm Show” for 37 years, has been a vocal advocate in the “right-to-die” movement, after witnessing her husband’s pain as he succumbed to a long, terminal illness. She joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the idea, which she writes about in “When My Time Comes: Conversations About Whether Those Who Are Dying Should Have the Right to Determine When Life Should End.”

Americans are hit every day with surprise medical bills – those costs you don’t anticipate and your insurance doesn’t cover. And it’s a practice that’s pitted doctors against insurance companies in a fight taking place on Capitol Hill. Rachana Pradhan, health care reporter for Kaiser Health News, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how doctors are now petitioning Congress to make sure they get paid – and about how insurance companies are defending their billing practices. Her recent story on the topic is headlined “When Your Doctor Is Also a Lobbyist: Inside The War Over Surprise Medical Bills.”

Millennials grew up in a time when the country grappled with the aftermath of 9/11 and a financial crisis second only to the Great Depression. So it’s no wonder they’re ready for change. Charlotte Alter, national correspondent for Time magazine joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the emerging national leadership of this oft-maligned generation. Her new book is “The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For: How a New Generation of Leaders Will Transform America.”

Super Tuesday is the single richest delegate day in the 2020 primary season. Fourteen states will vote, and the biggest prizes are California and Texas. In the public radio special “Countdown to Super Tuesday,” we’ll hear from journalists, experts and voters from those states, receive updates from NPR’s election team and key party strategists, and tackle the major storylines developing ahead of March 3, 2020. “Countdown to Super Tuesday” is a joint production of KERA’s “Think,” KQED’s “The California Report” and public radio’s Texas and California newsrooms.

“Silver Rights” is a post-Civil Rights concept that aimed to make capitalism work for marginalized and minority communities. And mass-produced hamburgers played a key role in that strategy. Marcia Chatelain, an associate professor of history and African American studies at Georgetown, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the relationship between McDonalds and black business owners, the subject of her book “Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America.”

For 22 hours a day, 4,400 inmates of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice sit in small cells, isolated behind doors designed to block communication. That gives Texas more prisoners in solitary confinement than all other state and federal prisons combined. Texas Observer staff writer Michael Barajas joins host Krys Boyd to talk about this controversial punishment – his story “The Prison Inside Prison” was published by The Texas Observer.

Who doesn’t love a girl’s weekend or a poker night with the guys? You might be surprised to find there’s hard science behind why we crave these interactions. Science writer Lydia Denworth joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the role close-knit communities play in our mental and physical health. Her new book is called “Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond.”

One of the most high-profile victims of the Irish Troubles was a mother of 10 named Jean McConville, who was taken from her home one night and never seen again. New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe talks to host Krys Boyd about assessing this recent dark period of Irish history through the lens of this mysterious disappearance. His book “Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland” was a national best-seller and is now out in paperback.