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The Return of the Oystercatcher: Saving Birds to Save the Planet by Scott Weidensaul As populations fall and once-great migration multitudes wither away, the future of birds may seem grim. But surprisingly, from gnatcatchers and waterfowl to select groups of forest songbirds, some bird populations are soaring. Habitats and species that once neared extinction are now multiplying around the world because bird conservation is making things better.Because birds are so diverse, so ubiquitous, and cover virtually every square mile of the Earth’s surface, the fight to save the birds is also one to save the world. The Return of the Oystercatcher is an inspiring story of what’s working in bird conservation―and what can work for the rest of the planet. -
Our guest is one of Russia’s top investigative journalists, working and living in exile. In his latest book, co-authored once again by his fellow investigative journalist, Irina Borogan, Our Dear Friends in Moscow follows a group of young Russians, part of an idealistic generation who came of age in Moscow at the end of the 20 th century – the communist era had just imploded and an exciting and uncertain future lay ahead of them. Initially, the group enjoyed the freedoms of the new era, but the notion that Russia was destined to join the West, and Europe, in a new partnership began to fade. The Russian economy crashed, civil war stalked Chechnya, and terrorism came to Moscow. By the time of Vladimir Putin’s second and seemingly endless term as president, the country had embraced a kind of ethno-nationalism and was heading for war at home and abroad.
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An Interview with renowned Taiwan expert and former intelligence officer J. Michael Cole. "The Taiwan Tinderbox: The Island-Nation at the Center of the New Cold War," is about how this Pacific nation has become a quagmire that risks igniting a full-scale global conflict. -
An interview with Journalist Christine Kuehn Family of Spies, the secret history of her paternal grandparents, Otto and Friedel. A prominent Berlin family, the Kuehn’s saw the rise of the Nazis as a way out of the hard times that had befallen them. When the daughter of the family met Nazi leader Joseph Goebbels. He sent the entire Kuehn family to Hawaii, to work as spies half a world away. -
Note: This is an encore edition of Reader’s Corner. The episode originally aired in June 2023.An interview with David Michaels, author of The Triumph of Doubt. In the book, Michaels details how corrupt science becomes public policy, through the aid of dark money, and where it's happening today. -
An interview with Beth Macy, author of the new book, Paper Girl. The book examines the forces eroding America’s social fabric, through the lens of changes that rocked her own beloved small Ohio hometown. -
An interview with Sasha Vasilyuk, author of the novel, Your Presence is Mandatory. Based on real events, the book follows a World War II veteran with a dangerous secret and his family, forced to confront the legacy of the man they thought they knew. -
Note: This is an encore edition of Reader’s Corner. The episode originally aired in May 2023. An interview with Martha C. Nussbaum, author of Justice for Animals. The book offers a revolutionary new theory and call to action on animal rights, ethics, and law. -
An interview with Kevin Hazzard, author of No One’s Coming. The book is a real-life thriller about the most daring rescue in air-medical history. -
An interview with Tim Wu, author of the new book, The Age of Extraction. The book explores the rise of tech platforms and details the risks and rewards of working within such systems. -
Note: This is an encore edition of Reader’s Corner. The episode originally aired in May 2023. An interview with Susan Elia MacNeal, author of the novel, Mother Daughter Traitor Spy. The book is inspired by a real-life mother and daughter to go undercover after stumbling upon a Nazi cell in Los Angeles during the early days of World War II. -
An interview with John U. Bacon, author of The Gales of November. The book gives the authoritative account of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a disaster shrouded in mystery for the last half-century. Note: This is the second of a two-part interview.
