Alfred McCoy explains to Jim Fleming how the CIA made deals with warlords in Asia to help drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan during the Cold War.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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Neil Gaiman is famous for his mythic fiction - from old gods haunting American back roads to children raised by ghosts. He talks about how our lives are shaped and scarred by childhood experiences.
Shortly before he was three, Ron Suskind's son was diagnosed with a rare form of autism that left him withdrawn and silent. Years later, the family used Disney films to draw him out. Ron Suskind writes about it in his book, Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism.
Jim Fleming talks with Anna Quindlen about writing newspaper columns and writing novels. Quindlen believes both forms deserve respect.
In 1969, Frederic Whitehurst was a military intelligence officer burning documents in Vietnam. Then he stumbled on the remarkable diary of North Vietnamese Dr. Dang Thuy Tram. Defying orders, he saved her diary, which later became one of the bestselling books in Vietnamese history.
Alan Hirsch is a neurologist and psychiatrist in Chicago. He's matched up personality profiles with people's junk food choices.
Constitution quoting religious fanatics with guns taking over government land might seem as extreme as you could take your beliefs in god and country. But you can take it further. Christian Picciolini is the former leader of the US’s first neo-Nazi skinhead organization. He too was acting out of patriotism. He was also acting out of hate and white supremacy. The title of his 2015 memoir, “Romantic Violence” says it all. But Christian quit being a neo-Nazi skinhead. And in 2010, he co-founded a nonprofit peace advocacy groups called Life After Hate that helps youth leave extremist groups. Charles Monroe-Kane sat down with Christian for a frank discussion on racism.
Steve Paulson talks with philosopher Alva Noe, author of "Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness."
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