Fresh Air

Writer Candice Millard chronicles the arduous journey of two 19th century explorers through East Africa, where they battled heat, insects, and diseases that at times rendered one or the other deaf, blind or paralyzed. After discovering the sprawling lake that feeds the world's longest river, the two fell into a bitter public dispute over their discoveries. Too little credit went to the formerly-enslaved African who guided them and other explorers of the age...

1619 Project journalist Linda Villarosa says bias in the healthcare system and the "weathering" affect of living in a racist society are taking a serious toll on Black people in America. Her new book is Under the Skin.

Maureen Corrigan reviews Greenland, a debut novel by David Santos Donaldson.

Tur's parents ran a helicopter news service in LA in the '80s and '90s. While she loved the rush of flight, her family dynamic was a volatile one. We talk about her unusual childhood and her early career in journalism. Tur's memoir is Rough Draft.

On her HBO show, PAUSE with Sam Jay, SNL alum Sam Jay talks with with friends and fellow comics about topics like queer culture, relationships, and racism in America. She came out in her 20s and much of her comedy is about her relationship with her fiancé, and the life she had prior to coming out.

Justin Chang will review the new David Cronenberg thriller, Crimes of the Future.

Dawn Staley has won Olympic gold medals as a player and as a head coach...

Julie Andrews is this year's recipient of the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award. The star of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music says because of those roles, many of her fans have a certain image of her. "They think I am this very squeaky clean, upper class lady that came from such a family — and it's so far from the truth...

New York Times Congressional reporter Luke Broadwater says the effort to overturn the 2020 election results was a "sprawling and diffuse" one that involved local governments as well as White House insiders. We'll talk about the investigations by the House Select Committee and the Justice Department, and connect some of the events leading up to the attack.

Blackwell grew up in Jamaica, and, as the head of Island Records, helped launch the careers of reggae stars like Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff, as well as rock bands like U2. His memoir is The Islander.

Maureen Corrigan reviews The Facemaker, a nonfiction book by medical historian Lindsey Fitzharris about the plastic surgeon who reconstructed disfigured soldiers in WWI.

On her HBO show, PAUSE with Sam Jay, the SNL alum talks with with friends and fellow comics about topics like queer culture, relationships, and racism in America. Sam Jay came out in her 20s and much of her comedy is about her relationship with her fiancé, and the life she had prior to coming out. We talk about the show, writing "Black Jeopardy" sketches for SNL, and losing her mother when she was a teen.

John Powers reviews a new collection of work by the writer Maxine Hong Kingston.

Dawn Staley has won Olympic gold medals as a player and as a head coach. She played in the WNBA, and is now head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team. In April, she led her team to its second NCAA championship. We'll talk about how she's seen women's basketball change and grow, and about how she got her start playing basketball with the boys in the projects of North Philly...

Humorist David Sedaris talks about his new collection of personal essays, called Happy-Go-Lucky. This book has some pretty serious writing about his late father, who died a year ago at the age of 98. Throughout Sedaris' life, his father bullied him, and belittled him and his accomplishments. "My father was not a good person, but he was a great character," he says.

Ken Tucker reviews Kendrick Lamar's new album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers...