Juliet Schor– “Selling (to) Our Children”

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Born To Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture

In the past 50 years, the advent of television as a medium for advertising has had significant effects on the buying habits of everyone, and especially on children. MRI scans on the brain, and the development of neuro-marketing are used to determine more receptive ways to market a myriad of products to all of us. Studies that follow the behavior of children show that the more involved a child is in the consumer culture, the more likelihood that the child will be depressed, be more anxious, have frequent headaches and/or stomach aches. And, the most heavily advertised products are more likely to be addictive to the users of those products. “Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and New Consumer Culture” by Professor Juliet Schor, of Boston College, presents a detailed discussion of these changes in the commercialized market place that is brought into almost every home and school.

Juliet Schor recommends “For Her Own Good,” by Barbara Ehreneich and Diedre English.

Originally Broadcast: December 14, 2004

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Stuart Shanker – “The First Idea”

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The First Idea: How Symbols, Language and Intelligence Evolved From Our Primate Ancestors to Modern Humans

“The First Idea: How Symbols, Language and Intelligence Evolved From Our Primate Ancestors to Modern Humans,” is a book by professors Stanley Greenspan and Stuart Shanker. Their hypotheses assert that our ability to use symbols and language depends on specific types of nurturing interactions and other cultural practices passed down, learned anew and further developed by each generation, dating back to prehuman and even nonhuman primate cultures. I spoke with Professor Shanker about these and other topics.

Stuart Shanker recommends “The Trees in my Forest,” by Berndt Heinrich.

Originally Broadcast: November 23, 2004

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Matt Ridley– “Nature or Nurture?”

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Genome & Nature via Nurture: Genes, Experience and What Makes Us Human

Are we humans defined by nature or nurture? Matt Ridley, the author of “Genome,” published in 2000, has more recently written “Nature via Nurture: Genes, Experience and What Makes Us Human.” He argues that genes are enablers, rather than constrainers; thus, we are continually shaped by everyday life.

Matt Ridley recommends “Dot Con,” by John Cassidy.

Originally Broadcast: February 3, 2004

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Dr. Jerome Groopman – Facing Illness With Success

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The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness

Hope is one of the most fundamental and powerful of human emotions, and also one of the least studied and understood. “The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness,” by Dr. Jerome Groopman, a Professor of Medicine at Harvard University and a writer for the New Yorker magazine, examines the role hope plays in the practice of medicine, and the ways in which hope can release chemicals powerful enough to change the outcome of otherwise fatal diseases.

Dr. Jerome Groopman recommends “The Old School,” by Tobian Wolff.

Originally Broadcast: February 20, 2004

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Jennifer Finney Boylan – “A Man Becomes a Woman”

This episode was first broadcasted on August 5, 2003.

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She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders

“She’s Not There:A Life in Two Genders,” by Jennifer Finney Boylan, is a book about a man who became a woman.For as long as he could remember, James Boylan felt he was in the wrong body.Spending his childhood playing ‘Girl Planet’ (where the air turned anyone who breathed into a girl) and in adolescent and young adult years dressing up in women’s clothing, James was convinced that the only thing that could save him was the love of the right woman.When he fell in love and got married, he threw out the women’s clothes and pledged his life to manhood.But being a loving husband, a responsible father, a respected professor, and an acclaimed writer couldn’t stop the feeling that he was, despite physical evidence to the contrary, a woman.With the unfailing support of his family, friends and several doctors, James became Jenny.

The book Jennifer Finney Boylan recommends is “Huckleberry Finn,” by Mark Twain.

Dr. Sally Shaywitz – “How to Identify and Overcome Dyslexia”

This episode was first broadcasted on August 5, 2003.

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Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level

Approximately one child in five suffers from dyslexia, a condition that makes learning to read difficult and in some cases seemingly impossible. In this edition of Radio Curious, originally broadcast in August of 2003, we visit with Dr. Sally Shaywitz, a Professor of Pediatrics at Yale University and the co-director of the Yale justify for the Study of Learning and Attention. She discusses early diagnosis of dyslexia in young children, older children, and in adults, and what can be done to assist people who suffer from this disability. In her book, “Overcoming Dyslexia,” Dr. Shaywitz describes how current research, including new brain imaging studies, are uncovering the mechanics underlying this problem, and have led to effective treatments.

Dr. Sally Shaywitz recommends “Emperor of Ocean Park,” by Stephen Carter & “Samaritan,” by Richard Price.

Janna Malamud Smith – “Why Mothers Worry About Their Children”

A Potent Spell: Mother Love and the Power of Fear

Is the concept of “mother blame” a method to control women? Is motherhood a really a fearsome job?  Will a mother’s mistake or inattention damage a child?  Is this different from the fear that fathers have about the safety of their children?

“A Potent Spell:  Mother Love and the Power of Fear” is a recent book written by Janna Malamud Smith, a clinical psychotherapist and daughter of writer Bernard Malamud.

Smith argues that the motherhood fear of losing a child is central to motherhood, and mostly overlooked as a historical force that has induced mothers throughout time to shape their own lives to better shelter their young,  the expense of their own future.

I spoke with Dr. Janna Malamud Smith from her home in Massachusetts, and asked her to begin by discussing the different level of feat that fathers and mothers have toward their children.

The book Janna Malamud Smith recommends is “Biography of Samuel Pepys” by Clair Tomilin.
Originally Broadcast: February 18, 2003

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Thomas Hine – “Compulsive Shoppers”

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I Want That! How We All Became Shoppers: A Cultural History

“I Want That! How We All Became Shoppers: A Cultural History” is the title of a new book by Thomas Hine. In this book he discusses why we want objects and how they change us. He looks at early forms of trading, and proceeds through the history of materialism.

Thomas Hine recommends “Refinement of America,” by Richard Bushman.

Originally Broadcast: December 17, 2002

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Patricia McConnell– “Act Like a Dog, Your Dog Will Obey”

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The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs

“The Other End of the Leash—Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs”, is a recent book by Patricia McConnell, a certified applied animal behaviorist affiliated with the University of Wisconsin. In her book, she discusses how to think from a dog’s perspective, how to get your dog to come when called by acting less like a primate and more like a dog, and how dogs and humans share personality types.

Patricia McConnell recommends “The Ape and Shusi Master,” by Franz DeWaal.

Originally Broadcast: September 17, 2002

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Dr. Dana Chidekel, “You or Your Kid?”

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Parents in Charge, Setting Healthy, Loving Boundaries for You and Your Child

Children are too often seen and treated as small adults, too often dressed as adults, and too often have their lives planned out for them to be as busy as adults. Treating children as people older than they are overlooks the child’s cognitive abilities, and can lead to unsatisfying and sometimes traumatic relationships. “Parents in Charge, Setting Healthy, Loving Boundaries for You and Your Child” is a book by Dr. Dana Chidekel, a child psychologist near Los Angeles. She asserts that the developing brain of toddlers does not give them the capacity to respond to being placed on equal ground with their parents, and encourages parents to assume their rightful role of authority.

Dr. Dana Chidekel recommends “Seabiscuit,” by Laura Hillenbrand.

Originally Broadcast: March 12, 2002

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