Marian Chia-Ming Liu talks about she reclaimed her Chinese middle name after waves of Asian-American violence and the journey that brought her to a new understanding of who she is.
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Why your kids are obsessed with toy videos
New York Times writer Jay Caspian Kang talks about 10-year-old Ryan Kaji and the $25 million a year toy empire he built with the help of his parents that has major brands angling for partnerships.
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For historians, the past Is written in pencil
James M. Banner, Jr. is founder of the National History Center of the American Historical Association, and he joins us to talk about why history is never really set in stone.
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The life-changing prospects of prom night
Author Navdeep Singh Dhillon discusses his YA novel set at a high school prom, where a young Sikh boy wants to radically change his identity.
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A YA Novelist Takes On Fatphobia
Author Crystal Maldonado joins us to discuss her YA novel about a young woman dealing with the typical subjects of boys and friends, but also a deepening understanding of how she’s viewed by the outside world.
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For Racial Justice, We Have To Get Past Our Shame
Shakil Choudhury is a consultant with 25 years of experience in justice, equity, diversity and inclusion training, and he joins us to talk about addressing racism with the science of psychology.
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How America mythologizes war
West Point English professor Elizabeth D. Samet talks about the picture of American exceptionalism that emerged post-World War II, the ways it has shaped domestic and foreign policy, and the myths it created.
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Meet the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Sarah Hepola discusses the organization from the inside out, from the glitz and glamour, to body image, sexualization and how the cheerleaders fit into #metoo today.
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The art of attention span
Kyle Chayka talks about nine works of art that challenge, cajole and actually still manage to hold our attention.
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What it’s like to grow up undocumented
Author Qian Julie Wang joins us to tell the story of her childhood in an undocumented family, how the experience shaped her life, and how she now views the American Dream.
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Why we find pleasure in pain
Paul Bloom joins us to discuss why we sometimes seek out pain — in everything from scary movies to marathons.
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How bad ideas spread
We’ll be joined by a journalist who writes about the changing media landscape, a linguist who explains how cults use very specific language to recruit new members, and a researcher who says bad ideas are parasites that infect our brains.
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