Think from KERA

For a nation that preaches the importance of families, we haven’t done a

very good job of caring for them. Alissa Quart, executive editor of the

Economic Hardship Reporting Project, joins us to talk about why

increases in the costs of health care, childcare and education are

making it increasingly difficult for middle-class families to survive.

Her new book is called “Squeezed: Why Our Families Can’t Afford America” (Scribner).

Hormones contribute a lot to our lives – from controlling our metabolisms and emotions to guiding the survival of the species. And yet scientists are still learning about these curious chemicals. Dr. Randi Hutter Epstein joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about the vital role these curious chemicals play in our existence. Her new book is called“Aroused: The History of Hormones and How They Control Just About Everything” (W.W. Norton and Co).

When athletes break a world record, it’s usually by a fraction of a second or a quarter of an inch. So how much further can we push ourselves? USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about how scientists and coaches are working to squeeze every last bit out of our potential. Her story “Building a Better Athlete” appears in the July issue of National Geographic magazine.

Journalist Souad Mekhennet has interviewed some of the top operatives in

Al-Qaida, the Taliban and ISIS.  A Muslim woman who was born and raised

in Germany, Mekhennet sees her reporting as a way to bridge cultures

that often misunderstand each other. She joins guest host Courtney

Collins to talk about what fuels Islamic extremists, which she writes

about in her memoir “I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad”(St. Martin’s Press).

From dolls and race cars to blocks and water guns, kids today play with a lot of the same toys their parents did. Design critic Alexandra Lange joins guest host of Courtney Collins to talk about what parents should

be thinking about when considering which playthings are right for their children. She writes about the topic in “The Design of Childhood: How the Material World Shapes Independent Kids” (Bloomsbury Publishing).

For many American workers, the plan for retirement is to save as much as

possible and hope you don’t outlive it. Brookings Institution economist

Martin Neil Baily joins guest host Courtney Collins to talk about how

to better navigate advisory fees, reverse mortgages, long-term care

insurance and other tools available to retirees. He’s the author of a

new report called “The Retirement Revolution: Regulatory Reform to Enable Behavioral Change” (St. Martin’s Press).

As we’ve evolved as a species, so has our sense of humor. Ken Jennings

joins guest host Courtney Collins to trace how we’ve developed into a

culture that prizes humor over more traditionally appreciated traits

like strength and wisdom. His new book is called “Planet Funny: How Comedy Took Over Our Culture” (Scribner).

As a girl growing up in the 1970s and ‘80s, Carina Chocano was bombarded with sexed-up Barbies, princesses in need of saving and an endless string of housewives on television. She joins us to talk about how girls absorb images from popular culture into their own identities, which she writes about in “You Play the Girl: On Playboy Bunnies, Stepford Wives, Train Wrecks, & Other Mixed Messages”(Mariner Books).

About 3 million drones were sold worldwide in 2017. And they’re used by

everyone from amateur photographers to marine biologists to military

strategists. Alex Fitzpatrick of Time magazine joins us to talk about

the many ways that these machines have infiltrated our lives. He oversaw

the magazine’s recent special report “The Drone Age.”

David Sedaris’ best-selling books have allowed him a comfortable life,

including a beach house on the North Carolina coast. And it’s at that

house that he did much of the reflection that goes into his new book, “Calypso.”

He joins us to talk about his latest story collection, which delves

deeply into middle age and mortality while maintaining his trademark

wit.