Earlier this spring, host Lauren Korn had the pleasure of chatting with some of NPR’s most notable podcast and news magazine hosts about recently published books. She spoke with Manoush Zomorodi about her book, Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being (Flatiron Books); Scott Simon about his book Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known (W. W. Norton & Company); and Alex Mayyasi and Sarah Gonzalez about Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life (W. W. Norton & Company).
Three books, four guests, one episode celebrating the bookishness of NPR.
Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being
About the book:
In today’s world, a perfectly normal day means sitting in front of a screen for eight to ten hours. Meeting after meeting. Task after task. Email after email. If we’re not chained to our chairs, we’re attached to our devices, looking down at our phones and plugging in headphones. And then we go home, sit down on the couch, and scroll some more before going to bed and doing it all over again. Even children are not exempt: Many hours of their social and academic lives are spent on a screen.
We all know there has to be a better way—but what is it? In Body Electric, Manoush Zomorodi, host of NPR’s TED Radio Hour and the Body Electric podcast, draws on expert interviews, cutting-edge research, and real experiences from tens of thousands of everyday participants in her own citizen experiment to reveal the surprising physiological costs of our digital existences, from posture problems and dwindling eyesight to disrupted breathing and weight gain, and shares scientifically-backed, easy-to-manage tactics and solutions for better health and well-being. Along the way, she also debunks myths and misconceptions about what helps and hurts us, offers useful insights into the labs, offices, schools, and homes where small shifts are making big difference, culminating in an easy-to-apply protocol that will get us all moving.
About Manoush:
Manoush Zomorodi is an award-winning journalist and host of NPR’s TED Radio Hour. Her “Body Electric” project was one of the largest public health studies of its kind. She has received two Gracie Awards for Best Radio Host and a Webby Award for Best Podcast Host. Her first book, Bored and Brilliant, was published in 2017. Manoush lives in Brooklyn with her family, is half Swiss and half Persian, and loves walking her Havanese dog.
Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known
About the book:
Scott Simon’s household does not make much distinction between humans and other animals. Whether two-legged or four-, flesh-covered, fur-covered, feathered, or gilled—everyone is family. Today, Simon lives with the haiku-writing and absolument charmant French poodle Daisy and the daringly audacious foster cat Gato Blanco. But that’s just the start.
In Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known, Simon warmly philosophizes on the unforgettable and utterly ordinary moments between species, along with their joys, worries, love, and humor. Depicting a lifetime of remarkable, enduring relationships with pets, Simon explores the difficulty of expressing the strong ties we feel: a kinship between humans and animals that’s more familial than “owner,” and more mutual than “caregiver” or “guardian.”
Paired with the charming, whimsical illustrations of renowned New Yorker cartoonist Liana Finck, Simon reflects on how pets unlock our hearts and burrow into our lives beginning with his family’s dog guiding his first steps. From a cat who escaped the British Embassy (Simon had to promise to raise her as British) and street dogs during Sarajevo’s siege to a series of beta fish all named Salman Fishdie and an energetic, cage-escaping hamster Bagel, he reveals how our animals change not just our lives but how we see the world. Enchanting and thoughtful, Ulysses S. Cat is a profusion of exuberant memories and musings on a life spent in animal company.
About Scott:
Scott Simon hosts NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday and Up First, and is special contributor to CBS News Sunday Morning. A winner of Emmy and Peabody Awards, he is in the Radio Hall of Fame and the Illinois Lincoln Academy. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two daughters.
Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life
About the book:
Millions of listeners trust the world’s leading economics podcast to explain the mysterious inner workings of the global economy and the forces that affect nearly every decision we make. Through expert research and delightful stories the Planet Money hosts help everyone see the world like an economist.
For their first-ever book, longtime contributor Alex Mayyasi and the hosts of NPR’s Planet Money present brand new stories and insights gathered from more than a decade of reporting that reveal ways AI might help you or replace you, demystify dating markets, and show how pro sports’ “dumbest” contract holds the secret to building wealth. Taking readers on adventures to a smartphone factory in Patagonia, a raisin cartel in California, and an Indigenous reserve in Canada that might just have a solution for the housing crisis, Planet Money shows how economics shapes our world, and how we can harness key principles to make our own lives a little richer.
About Alex:
Alex Mayyasi is the host of the new podcast Gastronomics, about the business of food, and a longtime contributor to Planet Money whose writing has been published in The Atlantic, Smithsonian, and Washington Post. A former editor of Priceonomics, he launched Gastro Obscura, which won two James Beard Awards and published the New York Times best-selling book Gastro Obscura. He lives in Colorado.
About Sarah:
Sarah Gonzalez is a co-host and reporter with Planet Money, NPR’s award-winning podcast that finds creative, entertaining ways to make sense of the big, complicated forces that move our economy. Before joining the Planet Money team in 2018, Sarah was a reporter with WNYC in New York City, where she dug deep into data and documents to uncover stories of inequality.
—
The Write Question team for the this episode was Lauren Korn, host, co-producer, and editor; and Chris Moyles, sound engineer. This episode is supported by Chapter One Bookstore in Hamilton, Montana, a literary and community resource for the Bitterroot Valley—providing space to explore, discover, and share passions since 1974. More information can be found at Chapter1Bookstore.com.
The Write Question logo and brand (2022) was designed by Molly Russell. You can see more of her work at iamthemollruss.com and on Instagram @iamthemollruss.
Funding for The Write Question comes from members of Montana Public Radio; and from the Greater Montana Foundation—encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans. A hat-tip to Humanities Montana for supporting this program since 2008.
The Write Question is a production of Montana Public Radio.
