Think from KERA

Vladimir Putin made waves in January with proposed updates to the country’s constitution – possibly clearing the way for him to rule indefinitely. Joshua Yaffa, Moscow correspondent for The New Yorker, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the power players who’ve succeeded in Putin’s shadow – and others who weren’t able to carve out their places. His new book is called “Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition and Compromise in Putin’s Russia.”

Have you ever felt yourself “hanging by a thread” or described something as being “cut from whole cloth?” These idioms have worked their way into our speech in part because fabric is such a part of our daily lives. Cultural historian and author Kassia St. Clair joins host Krys Boyd to talk about what we can learn about cultures from something as simple as cloth, which she writes about in “The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History.”

The Middle East is in a precarious state after the U.S. assassination of Iran’s Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and Iran’s follow-up strikes on a military base housing U.S. troops in Iraq. Douglas A. Silliman was the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq from 2016-19 and to Kuwait before that. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about U.S. strategy in the region – and about what it will take to improve relations with Iran.

We tell boys, “no means no. “But to foster safer, healthier lessons about sex and sexuality, it’s time to expand beyond that. Peggy Orenstein joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the ways boys and young men struggle with mixed messages about sex – and about how they, like girls, need help building relationships that move beyond the physical. Her new book is called “Boys and Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity.”

Jessie and John Frémont, were, arguably, the first real power couple in the United States. In fact, an 1850s magazine claimed they were as important as Jesus Christ. Steve Inskeep, co-host of NPR’s Morning Edition and Up First, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the most famous trailblazing political couple you’ve likely never heard of. His new book is called “Imperfect Union: How Jessie and John Fremont Mapped the West, Invented Celebrity, and Helped Cause the Civil War.”

High school history books across country largely cover the same major stories. It’s the ways in which those stories are contextualized that make these books differ. Dana Goldstein, a national correspondent for The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how a comparison of history textbooks from two states highlights how each state frames history to fit its political climate. Her article “Two States. Eight Textbooks. Two American Stories” appeared recently in The Times.

More people have been to the moon than to the Mariana Trech, the lowest point in the ocean. For mining operations around the globe, that means it’s an unexplored area ripe for extraction. Journalist Wil S. Hylton joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the dangerous and unregulated push to pull resources from the depths of the Earth. His article “20,000 Feet Under the Sea” appears in The Atlantic.

Astrology is *en vogue *right now. Trading Instagram posts about the characteristics of a Virgo or a Taurus is today’s personality pop quiz. So is it all just fun pseudoscience or is there actually something to it? Data scientist Alexander Boxer joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about the ancient applied mathematics of astrology conceived by some of history’s most brilliant minds. His new book is called “A Scheme Of Heaven: The History Of Astrology And The Search For Our Destiny In Data.”

In today’s fractious environment, it’s nice to remember there is empathy, kindness and hope to be found — even when that is forged in a fight to save a beloved community. Scott Simon, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition, joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about his new YA novel about accepting others when, sometimes, their gifts are hidden. The book is called “Sunnyside Plaza.”

The obituary section is not exactly top of the list for Sunday morning reading. But Mo Rocca, correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning, thinks it should be — and he argues that a handful of printed paragraphs rarely captures a life. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his work re-memorializing notable names in American history. His new book is called “Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving.”