Radio Curious

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Ishi’s Brain: In Search of the Last ‘Wild’ Indian

In 1911, Ishi, the last Stone Age Indian, walked into the community of Oroville, CA, opening an anthropologic window into the lives of native Californians. In this edition of Radio Curious, we visit with Orin Starn, an anthropologist at Duke University in North Carolina and the author of “Ishi’s Brain: In Search of the Last ‘Wild’ Indian.”

Orin Starn recommends “When the Spirit Catches You, You Fall Down,” by Ann Fadiman.

Originally Broadcast: March 9, 2004

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My Fellow Americans, The Most Important Speeches of America’s Presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush

Michael Waldman, an expert on the Presidency, wrote or edited nearly 2000 speeches, including several of President Clinton’s State of the Union speeches. He is also the editor of “My Fellow Americans, The Most Important Speeches of America’s Presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush.”

Michael Waldman recommends “Burr,” by Gore Vidal.

Originally Broadcast: January 20, 2004

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Triangle, the Fire That Changed America

Until September 11, 2001, The Triangle Shirtwaste Fire on March 25, 1911 was the deadliest workplace disaster in the history of New York City. David Von Drehle, a political writer for the Washington Post, is the author of “Triangle, the Fire That Changed America,” a detailed examination of how one event changed the course of the 20th century politics and labor relations.

David Von Drehle recommends “Plunkitt of Tammany Hall,” by William Riordan.

Originally Broadcast: September 9, 2003

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This episode was originally broadcasted on November 21, 2003.

Building Suburbia: Green Fields and Urban Growth, 1820 to 2000

The development and the expansion of homes, where they are and why they came to be in the places they are, are issues of particular importance to Dolores Hayden, Professor of Architecture and Urbanism and American Studies at Yale University. Her book, “Building Suburbia: Green Fields and Urban Growth, 1820 to 2000,” explores the design and development of the suburbs and suburbia’s relevance in American history.

Dr. Dolores Hayden recommends “A Consumer’s Republic,” by Liz Cohen.

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This episode was first broadcasted on November 25, 2003

The Lies of George W. Bush, Mastering the Politics of Deception
According to David Corn, the author of “The Lies of George W. Bush, Mastering the Politics of Deception,” all American Presidents have lied, but George W. Bush has relentlessly abused the truth. Corn, the Washington editor of The Nation, offers a scathing indictment of Bush, as he reveals and examines the deceptions at the heart of the Bush presidency.

David Corn recommends “Roscoe,” by William Kennedy & “All the King’s Men,” by Robert Penn Warren.

Originally Broadcast: November 25, 2003

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This program was originally broadcasted: July 1, 2003 & July 8, 2003

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Harvard and the Unabomber: The Education of an American Terrorist

“Harvard and the Unabomber: The Education of an American Terrorist” is a book by Alston Chase, former Chair of the Philosophy Department at Macalester University in Minnesota. After studying the life and experiences of Theodore Kaczynski, who came to be known as the Unabomber, Chase characterizes him as product of the post World War II angst. Our discussion on Kaczynski continued through two parts.

Alston Chase recommends “Pity of War,” by Nile Furgeson.

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This program was originally broadcasted: July 1, 2003 & July 8, 2003

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Harvard and the Unabomber: The Education of an American Terrorist

“Harvard and the Unabomber: The Education of an American Terrorist” is a book by Alston Chase, former Chair of the Philosophy Department at Macalester University in Minnesota. After studying the life and experiences of Theodore Kaczynski, who came to be known as the Unabomber, Chase characterizes him as product of the post World War II angst. Our discussion on Kaczynski continued through two parts.

Alston Chase recommends “Pity of War,” by Nile Furgeson.

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This program was originally broadcast on July 15, 2003.

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Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection

In an unknown and dilapidated laboratory on the University of Wisconsin campus in the 1950s and 1960s, a brilliant, alcoholic, work-obsessed psychologist conducted research on love, a pursuit that was previously ignored and considered unworthy of scientific study. “Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection,” written by journalist Deborah Blum, is the story of how Professor Harry Harlow, one of the most important and controversial psychologists of the 20th century, altered our understanding of love.

Deborah Blum recommends “The Life of Pi,” by Yan Martel.

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This program was originally recorded on February 19, 2016.

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Who we are and where we come from is a crucial question that now we are more able to answer than ever before. The examination and analysis of our individual DNA, in addition to answering a myriad of medical and forensic secrets also reveals the mix of our individual ancestors and the paths they took. This analysis provides significant and untold information about who we are, from where we came and how we may connect with our relatives.

Dr. Alondra Nelson, the Dean of Social Science and professor of sociology and gender studies at Columbia University, in New York City, is our guest in this edition of Radio Curious.

Professor Nelson is the author of The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome. She s also the author of Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight Against Medical Discrimination, which she and I have previously discussed on Radio Curious.

To discuss The Social Life of DNA, Professor Nelson and I visited by phone from her office n New York City, on February 19, 2016. We began by noting that although all human beings are members of the human race, people are grouped by skin color and/or facial features and characterized as being of a different race.

The book she recommends is Come Out Swinging, by Lucia Trimbur.

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