KERA's Think

For millions of caregivers, taking care of parents is a matter of love. But caregiving gets complicated when relationships are estranged. Katie Engelhart, contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the children who must decide whether to care for aging parents who abused them, the pressures they feel from outsiders, and how to make peace with bitter memories. Her article is “The Pain of Caring for a Parent Who Abused You.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Thomas Jefferson wrote passionately about individual freedoms, yet he enslaved hundreds. How did he square the two? Annette Gordon-Reed, Carl M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Jefferson's own words on race, what it meant to be “progressive” in pre-Revolutionary Southern America, and what his political aspirations meant for abolishing slavery altogether. Her book is “Jefferson on Race: A Reader.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 We use our faces more than any other part of our body to communicate with others and that communication has evolved a lot over the centuries. Fay Bound-Alberti founded the Centre for Technology and the Body at King's College London where she leads Interface, a project examining technologies of the face. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how facial understanding is tied to where and when people live, what happens when someone is “face blind,” and why the Mona Lisa's smile is still so beguiling. Her book is “The Face: A Cultural History.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

There is comfort in certainty, but there is resilience in embracing the uncertain. Simone Stolzoff joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why striving for certainty cuts off creative thinking, why building tolerance for uncertainty helps prepares us for life's pitfalls, and why someone who claims to know it all might actually be dangerous. His book is “How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Consumers are mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore. Heather Timmons writes about consumer rights for The Guardian. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why American shoppers are fed up with higher prices, inflation, private equity and A.I. customer service (among other things) and just navigating daily life is costing us billions of dollars a year in time and fees. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Taylor Swift's world tour was a huge hit, but will there be like it? Tom Wainwright, media editor at the Economist, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the rise of “local” entertainment, where artists want to appeal to a smaller segment of the population and not go “global,” and what that means for the United States' hold on shaping culture. His article is “Entertainment is being deglobalized.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Training to blast off in a rocket is one thing, but being the first mother in space turned out to be much harder. Anna Fisher was a NASA astronaut from 1996 to 2002, the chief of the Space Station branch of the Astronaut Office and the first mother in space. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her record as the longest serving astronaut at 36 years and 9 months, the ways her space flight became controversial and political, and about the trail she blazed for women today. She's part of the new PBS documentary “Once Upon a Time in Space.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Motherhood changes a woman's brain in many ways and now we know dad's minds are impacted, too. Darby Saxbe is a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Southern California. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the changes fathers go through when a baby is born from hormones to attention span the important role grandfathers play, and why there's a pretty good reason for a “dad bod.” Her book is “Dad Brain: The New Science of Fatherhood and How It Shapes Men's Lives.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The Department of Justice traditionally operated with a certain level of independence until President Trump took office. Devlin Barrett writes about the Justice Department and FBI for The New York Times, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss evidence that Trump is using the department to exact revenge on his enemies, new orders DOJ employees have been given, and why cases about civil rights and tax fraud are being abandoned. His book is “The Department of Revenge: How Trump Took Control of American Justice.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Consciousness is something we can't touch, see or even measure and yet each of us possesses it. Michael Pollan joins host Krys Boyd to explore what we do and don't know about the mysteries of the conscious mind, the evolution of awareness, and to ponder if A.I. could ever really know its deepest self. His book is “A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Racist and discredited ideas behind the “Great Replacement Theory” are fueling the rise of authoritarianism across the globe. Ibram X. Kendi is professor of history and the founding director of the Howard University Institute for Advanced Study, an interdisciplinary research enterprise examining global racism. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how authoritarian leaders tap into the fears of white populations to tighten their grip on power at the expense of Black and brown people worldwide. His book is “Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 George Saunders' latest novel takes readers into a journey of the soul this time quite literally. The Booker Prize-winning author talks with host Krys Boyd about the book, which takes on greed, capitalism and questions of good and evil from the perspective of a being who must transport a soul to the afterlife. It's called “Vigil.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Unraveling the history of the Jim Crow South, personal stories are interwoven with humor and heartbreak. Tayari Jones is an author and C.H. Candler Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her new novel, which follows two young Black women – both motherless and as close as sisters – navigating the era with different trajectories. The book is called “Kin.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

When you have the natural curiosity of David Sedaris, ordinary observations turn into moments of humor and humanity. The best-selling author joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his latest book of essays that lays out life in in the 21st Century, from his walking habit that garnered him a garbage truck, his souvenir from meeting the Pope, and what he thinks of life, death and even our love of dogs. His newest book is “The Land and Its People.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

America has long enjoyed a relatively calm home in North America, but President Trump's recent moves could upend that stability. This hour, Krys Boyd sits down with three guests to break down the state of U.S. relations with Mexico, Canada and Cuba. We'll explore why these nations have landed in Trump's crosshairs and examine what shifting diplomacy could mean for America's security in the years ahead. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Nuclear weapons have long been thought to be deterrents for global warfare– are they still? Rose Gottemoeller is William J. Perry Lecturer at the Center for International Security and Cooperation and a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. From 2016 to 2019, she served as Deputy Secretary General of NATO. She joins guest host Paige Phelps to discuss why nuclear weapons are largely ineffective in stopping sustained attacks by cheap drones and why countries who want to acquire nukes should reconsider that strategy. Her article in Foreign Affairs is “The Strange Defeat of Nuclear Deterrence.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We often look for happiness in big, emotional moments but something as simple as touching grass can spark joy. Ian Bogost joins guest host Paige Phelps to discuss the difference between satisfaction and gratification.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Grocery stores serve as hubs for many communities, and you can learn a lot about how our society functions (or doesn't) by looking closely at one. Ann Larson is a fellow with the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, and she joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the lives of grocery store workers, who are deemed essential but earn wages that don't cover basic life necessities. Her book is “Cleanup on Aisle Five: Essential Work, Poverty Wages, and the View from Behind the Supermarket Register.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Couples desperate to adopt often turn to underregulated for-profit adoption agencies. Filmmaker Gabrielle Glaser joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a system ripe for abuse, where “baby brokers” target pregnant women and play on the emotions of hopeful families. The Frontline documentary is called “Baby Brokers.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The most reluctant politician we've ever had just happens to have been our first president. H.W. Brands is Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss George Washington who saw himself as a solider and not a politician why he felt it was paramount for a president to defer to Congress, and the grievances he had against the crown before the Revolution. His book is “American Patriarch: The Life of George Washington.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Founding Fathers Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton fought for independence and they also fought each other. Jeffrey Rosen, former president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the battles Jefferson and Hamilton had over concepts of liberty and freedom, where they landed on states' rights vs. a powerful federal government, and why their arguments still frame political battles we have today. His book is “Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle over Power in America.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

America's history is a mix of pride and shame so how should we square those conflicting feelings? Yoni Appelbaum, deputy executive editor at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what it means to be a patriot when scholars argue about the American story, how we can get back to a shared understanding of who we are as a nation, and whether that's even possible. His article is “How to tell the American story.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 The Declaration of Independence might've been written by men, but history was being made by women outside Independence Hall. Denise Kiernan, author, journalist, and producer, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the publishers, spies, and other extraordinary women that powered the American Revolution, why they are almost lost to history, and we'll get the real story of the woman known as “Molly Pitcher.” Her book is "Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 George Washington may have set the standard for American presidents, but those precedents wouldn't have mattered if John Adams hadn't followed through on them. Lindsay Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the second U.S. president, how he solidified many of the functions of the chief executive we still know in the 21st Century, and why that meant he would sacrifice a second term. Her book is “Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic.”   Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

On July 4th, 2025, devastating floodwaters ripped through the Texas Hill Country, killing more than 130 people. After the Flood, a new podcast from the Texas Newsroom and PBS's Frontline, has followed survivors over the last year and tries to find out why this happened – and whether it could happen again.In this first episode, you'll hear what happened during those harrowing early morning hours of the flood. And you'll meet a father who had just sent his daughter to Camp Mystic two weeks earlier.You can find After the Flood wherever you get your podcasts. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

From our little fur babies to “Herbie” the car, we imbue the world around us with wonderous human-like qualities. Justin Gregg is senior research associate with the Dolphin Communication Project and an adjunct professor at St. Francis Xavier University, where he lectures on animal behavior and cognition. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the benefits of anthropomorphism and the detriments of its polar opposite dehumanization. Plus, we'll be introduced to a wide world where we love to see animals and objects as reflections of ourselves. His book is “Humanish: What Talking to Your Cat or Naming Your Car Reveals About the Uniquely Human Need to Humanize.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Originally, America's 250th birthday celebration was a bipartisan effort. Then President Trump took it over. Michael Scherer is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a newly rebranded celebration called America250, which has led to frustration among lawmakers over breakdowns in communication. Plus, we'll get an update on where the $150 million allocated for the event from the Big Beautiful Bill has been spent thus far. His article is “Inside America's Ugly Birthday Battle.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Hospice care is a good option for dying loved ones so why not pets? Dr. Sunita Puri is the author of “That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour.” She's also the program director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine, where she is an associate professor of clinical medicine. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss end-of-life care for beloved animals, when to know whether painful treatments are the right option and the emotional decisions pet parents must go through. Her article “When Should You Say Goodbye to a Pet?” was published in The New Yorker. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

India has claimed the world's largest population since 2023 but that is going to change fast. Tom Sasse, South Asia Bureau Chief for The Economist, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why a decline in birth rates will hinder future growth, why India might not be able to achieve the wealth of other industrialized countries, and why attracting new immigrants might be the solution. His article is “India's population will soon be falling probably quite fast.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

How do you write satire about an administration that is already over the top? Award-winning author Ben Fountain joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his wild new novel in which a pro-wrestler holds almost magical powers that captivate crowds. And that puts him at odds with a very narcissistic, bombastic president. We'll hear how the current political moment is both sad and funny Fountain's book is “Rasputin Swims the Potomac.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 After the promises of Reconstruction began to wither, Black Americans searched for freedom in radically different locales. Caleb Gayle is a journalist, author and professor at Northeastern University, and he is also a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine. He joins guest host John McCaa to tell the story of Edward McCabe, who made it his life's work to set up a Black state in Oklahoma. His book is “Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State.” This episode airs December 10th, 2026. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has again blocked promotions for Black servicemen a pattern within the administration. Clint Smith, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his interviews with dozens of enlisted and civilian Black servicemembers who feel the accomplishments of Black servicemembers are being erased by the military and what that means for the how we tell the story of Black service in America. His article is “The Betrayal of Black Patriots.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Dating should be fun, but single, straight people are finding it a drudgery or even worse cringe. Magdalene J. Taylor, senior editor at Playboy, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss “heteropessimism” where straight people don't have positive feelings about playing the field why men label women as self-absorbed and women call men “toxic,” and why we need to turn these ideas on their heads. Her essay “There's Nothing Wrong With Wanting Men” was published in The New York Times. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The common evolutionary question centers around nature vs. nurture, but maybe we should be asking if we are designed to cooperate or compete? Jonathan R. Goodman is a social scientist based at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the University of Cambridge and is the author of “Invisible Rivals: How We Evolved to Compete in a Cooperative World.” He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Darwinian survival vs. species interdependence, what makes us either selfless or selfish and how humans respond in real-world situations that test these theories. His article in Aeon is “How selfish are we?” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Imagine what you can learn about a city by picking up the garbage of the people who live there. Simon Paré-Poupart, a sociologist and garbageman in Montreal, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his life on the back of a garbage truck, why he prefers the term G-men to garbagemen, and the people who are called to do this dirty job well and with pride. His book is “Trash!: A Garbageman's Story,” and his companion piece in Harper's is “The Conscience of the City.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In many Black households of yesteryear, portraits of Martin Luther King, Jr. hung alongside pictures of John F. Kennedy and Jesus. Sharron Wilkins Conrad, fellow at Southern Methodist University's Center for Presidential History, joins guest host John McCaa to discuss how Black families viewed martyred leaders who advocated for change and how that respect didn't extent to President Johnson, who was tasked with actually passing Civil Rights legislation. Her book is “The Trinity: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Civil Rights in African American Memory.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Soccer has a massive following around the world. So why do teams lose money? Stefan Szymanski is professor of sport management at the University of Michigan and a leading sports economist. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why, with all the money and sponsorships and hype around professional soccer teams, they operate on thin margin and how “moneyball” style analytics could change the game. His book, written with co-author Simon Kuper, is “Soccernomics (2026 World Cup Edition): Why European Men and American Women Usually Winand American Men Don't (Yet).”   Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The new American pope has been a very vocal critic of American foreign and domestic policy. Victor Gaetan, senior international correspondent for National Catholic Register, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Pope Leo's policies which have been met with ire by President Trump why he is orienting the church away from Europe and the West to be more global, and what Catholics think of him so far. His article “The Not-So-Quiet American” was published in Foreign Affairs. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Microbes have lived on this planet since long before humans, and they'll be here long after we're gone. Shayla Love is a journalist who writes about science, health and the mind. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss these masters of evolution that can mutate in a single generation, why climate change is making harmful microbes adapt even faster, and the good news about how these organisms are good for our body and our planet. Her article “Breeding Ground” was published by The New Yorker. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The damage caused by alcohol costs Americans billions of dollars, and it largely goes unnoticed. Isabella Cueto, chronic disease reporter for Stat, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the harms of alcohol from elevated cancer risk to liver damage to its impact on violent crime and why public health officials don't seem to have a cohesive strategy to combat its very real consequences. Her series, written with Lev Facher, is “The Deadliest Drug.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

For two-time National Book Award winner Jesymn Ward, the deep South is the only place she can call home. The author talks with host Krys Boyd about the pain and heartbreak she's felt in rural Mississippi, why the draw of family keeps hope alive, and why she writes for anyone experiencing loss or grief. Her book of essays is “On Witness and Respair.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Creativity knows no bounds but it's best captured within set limits. Author and journalist David Epstein joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why too many choices make it hard to start a project, how to avoid leaning on the status quo when we don't know where to start, and how we can unlock our unlimited potential. His book is “Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

To really understand the nuts and bolts of economics, look to the black market. Alvin E. Roth is Craig and Susan McCaw Professor of Economics at Stanford University and the George Gund Professor of Economics and Business Administration Emeritus at Harvard University. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2012. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his work on organ donation which led him to study what he called “repugnant transactions” like sex and drugs and why he feels banning them completely doesn't always have the effect we think it does. His book is “Moral Economics: From Prostitution to Organ Sales, What Controversial Transactions Reveal About How Markets Work.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Iran was filled with hope during the 1979 revolution; that was soon dashed. Yeganeh Torbati is a correspondent for The New York Times covering Iran, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Iran's recent history from the promise of democracy to oppressive rule and further corruption and why the killing of leader Ali Khamenei signals more bad news for the country. Plus, we'll hear about the people still there fighting for democracy. Her book, written with Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, is “Stolen Revolution: Betrayal and Hope in Modern Iran.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

There's a movement to rebuff the gains of feminism called masculinism, and it's gaining ground. Helen Lewis, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the movement that decries empathy and female achievement in the workforce and academia as feminizing the country, why adherents point to ancient civilizations to make their arguments, and why this form of masculinity is more about aggression than protection. Her article is “The men who want women to be quiet.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The country is run by senior citizens, and their control is transforming the nation. Samuel Moyn is Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University and author of “Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth and What to Do About It.” He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the nation's elders hold vast amounts of wealth and political influence, why that isn't transferring to younger generations and how we might rebalance power among generations. His companion article “The Old Guard” was published in Harper's. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

There are lots of experts who claim to know when it's time to potty train a child, but their advice is rarely based in science. Saabira Chaudhuri joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how big diaper companies push the idea that parents should wait for certain signs to train their child to use the toilet, how this can be devastating for the environment and how this issue affects the elderly as well. Her article “The Wait-Until-Ready Approach to Potty Training Is Under Fire” was published by Bloomberg.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The Supreme Court has already ruled on monumental issues this term, and more are to come. Ian Millhiser is a senior correspondent at Vox, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss hotly anticipated decisions on birthright citizenship, transgender students in sports and gun rights and how the use of the “shadow docket” has changed the landscape of rulings. His article is “What the Supreme Court still has left to decide this term.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Gen Zer's have lived their lives online, and they're burned out. Freya India is the author of the Substack GIRLS, where she writes about the challenges girls and young women face in the modern world, and a staff writer for Jonathan Haidt's newsletter, After Babel. She joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the pressure to build personal “brands,” how even childhood has been commodified and the many ways mental health is suffering. Her book is “GIRLS®: Generation Z and the Commodification of Everything.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Kevin Warsh has been confirmed as the next Federal Reserve Chair will the central bank remain independent? Frontline correspondent and filmmaker James Jacoby joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Trump's efforts to control the Fed, his push to indict current Chair Jerome Powell, and the far-reaching consequences of these sustained attacks. The documentary is called “The President and the Fed.“  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The most reluctant politician we've ever had just happens to have been our first president. H.W. Brands is Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss George Washington who saw himself as a solider and not a politician why he felt it was paramount for a president to defer to Congress, and the grievances he had against the crown before the Revolution. His book is “American Patriarch: The Life of George Washington.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices