Hi Friends,

While Alyssa was starring in Chicago on Broadway, she took some time away from the podcast - but now she's back! We catch up on the election, the role of art in times of strife, self-preservation, and a whole lot more.

This year, many of us are struggling to find gratitude. Perhaps we can find it in the story of Sara Josepha Hale, the women who made it her life's mission to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. She had to face a nation in civil war, a president in crisis, the passage of time, and the apathy of power. Nevertheless, she persisted.

We too, shall persist. Our fights are not new, and they will not be won overnight. But they will be won.

In what has become a Thanksgiving tradition at Sorry Not Sorry, we are revisiting this episode with Denise Kiernan, bestselling author of "We Gather Together."

The saying goes that laughter is the best medicine. But it can be a powerful driver for social change. Our guest this week is Steve Hofstetter. Steve’s a comedian, a Nobel Prize nominee, and a philanthropist who’s been making people laugh and think for a long time.

We're continuing our week-long honoring of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by highlighting some of the episodes in our archives featuring people doing the hard work of racial justice, like Mondale Robinson. Mondale is the founder and Principal of Black Male Voter Project, an organization dedicated to overcoming systemic disenfranchisement of Black voters, and Black men in particular, in the electoral process.

In honor of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, we will be highlighting an episode from our archives each day this week with someone fighting for racial justice. To start, we're joined by Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman. Anna is a is a researcher, writer, science communicator and activist. She is the co-founder of The Sadie Collective, the only nonprofit organization addressing the lack of Black women in economics and related fields, and the editor of The Black Agenda: Bold Solutions for a Broken System, a new book of essays on policy solutions to social problems written by black activists.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An expansive set of essays highlighting the range and force of Black leadership....An inclusive, edifying, often fiery assembly of voices articulating the way forward for Black America―and America in general." ―Kirkus Reviews

"Invigorating...policymakers will want to take note." ―Publishers Weekly

"The Black Agenda mobilizes top Black experts from across the country to share transformative perspectives on how to deploy anti-racist ideas and policies into everything from climate policy to criminal justice to healthcare. This book will challenge what you think is possible by igniting long overdue conversations around how to enact lasting and meaningful change rooted in racial justice." ―Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist and Stamped From the Beginning

"This book is the first step towards defining Black expertise, assigning value to the work that we do, and taking up space in the public on our own terms. I, for one, am looking forward to being able to knock people on the head with the collection. I’m looking forward to the spaces in need of critical self-reflection that make this book a normal part of routine business and the discourse. And most of all, I am looking forward to everybody with any resource, no matter how small, reading this book too." ―Tressie McMillan Cottom, author of Thick: And other Essays

"The Black Agenda is urgent. It's urgent that white people recognize that centering, listening to, and being led by the voices in this book are the start to investing in societal solutions. I wish that moral arguments of equity were enough but know they're not. These chapters are a strong mix of diagnosis and prescription, with an appropriate layer of moral calling to help us learn, reflect, and be motivated toward specific action." ―Chelsea Clinton, New York Times bestselling author of She Persisted

"This book is overdue and imperative. We can't get clear national momentum without a core focus on the Black agenda. I am thrilled for the conversation and action this will inspire." ―Wes Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Wes Moore

"The Black Agenda brings together a group of brilliant thinkers offering bold solutions to combat many of the social problems facing Black people in the United States. This powerful collection is a must-read for anyone interested in turning anti-racist ideas into action." ―Keisha N. Blain, Co-Editor of #1 New York Times bestseller Four Hundred Souls

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We live in a culture which stresses self-sacrifice and perceived security and stability over the potential happiness and self-discovery which can come with quitting work and moving on to something new.  Our guest this week is living proof of how fruitful quitting can be. Keith Boykin  is a TV and film producer, a national political commentator, a New York Times bestselling author, and a former White House aide to President Bill Clinton. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Boykin has taught at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University, City College of New York, and American University in Washington, DC. He is a cofounder and the first board president of the National Black Justice Coalition and a Lambda Literary Award–winning author of five books.  His new Scribd original “Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom” is now available.

If you've followed Alyssa or her career since the 1980s, you know that the only reason she cares that she has a platform is that it allows her to work to make the world a better place. And that's why I'm so excited about this episode. We've invited four of your (and our) favorite influencers from TikTok, who are using THEIR platforms, in exciting new ways. In this episode, you'll hear familiar voices talking about how and why they use those voices for change in 2023 and beyond, including Ashlelnok, Aunt Karen, Ms. Frazzled, and Jeffrey Marsh!

Our annual end-of-year tradition: recapping some of the moments that defined 2022 for Sorry Not Sorry.  Did we miss some of yours?  Let us know by leaving us a voicemail!

Our guest this week is Jessica Grose, an opinion writer at The New York Times who writes a popular newsletter on parenting. Jess was the founding editor of Lenny, the email newsletter and website. She also writes about women’s health, culture, politics and grizzly bears. Her new book "Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood" is now available.

One of the issues that is so close to our heart is how art influences culture. We often say that nothing can change the world the way art can—it brings us together across so many of our divides to discuss important issues. And boy, does our guest this week have a story about a group of artists who lived authentically and pushed against social boundaries. Nino Strachey. Nino is a writer, historian and public speaker who worked as Head of Research for the National Trust. Since starting her career with the Landmark Trust, she has worked for English Heritage and the National Trust, curating the homes of scientists, politicians and writers. Her new book "Young Bloomsbury: Young Bloomsbury: The Generation That Redefined Love, Freedom, and Self-Expression in 1920s England," is now available to order.

The Supreme Court recently began a new term, the first with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. There are a number of important cases on the docket. We’ve invited Meagan Hatcher-Mayes, Director of Democracy at Indivisible, and part of the Unrig the Courts Coalition onto the podcast to discuss what to expect and efforts to reform the court.

We’ve heard it before: the consequences of our elections have never been more important. We’ve just seen that in the midterms, and it’s already time to saddle up for the 2024 general. The Big Lie is an existential threat to our democracy, and as these elections have shown, that threat continues. This week, we’ve invited election experts Major Garrett, is CBS Chief Washington Correspondent, and David Becker, founder of The Center for Election Innovation and Research, on the show to discuss their new book The Big Truth: Upholding Democracy in the Age of The Big Lie, which is now available.

It’s Thanksgiving week, and we have an episode for you that will change the way you see the holiday. Our guest today is Denise Kiernan. Denise is an author, journalist and producer. Her books, The Last Castle, and The Girls of Atomic City were national bestsellers. She joins us to discuss her book We Gather Together: A Nation Divided, A President in Turmoil, and a Historic Campaign to Embrace Gratitude and Grace.

There is perhaps no industry which intersects more completely with immigration, labor, and health and safety than meat packing. In her new book “The Life and Death of the American Worker” Alice Driver takes the industry head on through the stories of Tyson Food employees in Arkansas, and she’s joined us to discuss.

David Corn is a veteran Washington journalist and political commentator. He is the Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones magazine and an analyst for MSNBC. He is also the author or coauthor of four New York Times bestsellers, including the #1 bestseller Russian Roulette, Showdown, and Hubris; and the author of the novel Deep Background. His new book, American Psychosis: A Historical Investigation of How the Republican Party Went Crazy, argues that since the 1950s the GOP has encouraged and exploited extremism to gain power.

If you’ve listened to this podcast, or really anything Alyssa's done or said in her adult life, you know that fighting against the oppression of women is her life’s work. Recently, in Iran, we’ve seen this oppression boil over into huge anti-government protests in that country and around the world after Mahsa Amini died in the custody of that country’s incredibly immoral “morality police.” To help us understand the importance and current state of those protests, We’ve invited actor and comedian Nazanin Nour on the show. Nazanin has appeared in television shows like Madam Secretary and Criminal Minds and as a judge on Persia’s got talent.

The 2022 Midterms are on November 8th. In this episode, Alyssa and Ben Jackson discuss what to expect, how to get involved, and how to make sure your vote is counted.  There's so much at stake--make sure you're prepared!

While the Trump regime has ended, the hate-fueled machinery of lies and disinformation around immigrants in America has not. To look at the sources and impacts of this machine, we’ve invited Shauna Siggelkow, Director of Digital Storytelling at Define American to the show.

On this episode we’re welcoming Heather McGhee back to the show. Heather is a bestselling author, a speaker, and the Board Chair for Color of Change, the country’s largest online racial justice organization. She’s also the host of the podcast The Sum of Us, which launched in July.

Secretaries of State are the chief election administrators around the country. As the midterm elections unfold, we’re seeing just how important that role is. Our guest for this episode is Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold. She’s joining us to discuss the critical role Secretaries of State play, the state of election integrity around the nation, and her re-election campaign.

Our guest this week is Dr. Nicholas Kardaras. Nick is an Ivy League educated psychologist, one of the country’s foremost addiction and mental health experts and the bestselling author of Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction is Hijacking Our Kids – and How to Break the Trance. His new book, “DIGITAL MADNESS: How Social Media Is Driving Our Mental Health Crisis” is now available. 

When the Supreme Court took away the right to abortion it said loudly and clearly that in America, women are not entitled to equal protection under the law. But the Equal Rights Amendment has been ratified by the states and is sitting in limbo. To help us make sense of it all, We’ve invited Kate Kelly on the show. Kate is a feminist, activist, and human rights lawyer. She’s a nationally known advocate for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and host and creator of the podcast Ordinary Equality and author of a new book of the same name.

Donna Jackson Nakazawa is an award-winning journalist and internationally-recognized speaker whose work explores the intersection of neuroscience, immunology, and human emotion. Her mission is to translate emerging science in ways that help those with chronic conditions find healing. Her new book Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media is now available.

Our guest this week is Andy Borowitz. Andy is an award-winning comedian and New York Times bestselling author. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from Harvard College, where he became President of the Harvard Lampoon. In 1998, he began contributing humor to The New Yorker’s “Shouts & Murmurs” and “Talk of the Town” departments, and in 2001, he created “The Borowitz Report,” a satirical news column, which has millions of readers around the world. In 2012, The New Yorker began publishing “The Borowitz Report.” As a storyteller, he hosted “Stories at the Moth” from 1999 to 2009. As a comedian, he has played to sold-out venues around the world, including during his national tour, “Make America Not Embarrassing Again,” from 2018 to 2020. His new book Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber is now available.

Review

“How did we slide into the abyss of liking our politicians to be—or to act—dumb rather than smart? In this funny but serious book, Andy Borowitz chronicles our embrace of anti-intellectualism.” —Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Code Breaker

“This is one of these brilliant books that makes you laugh until you cry. Borowitz masterfully throws light (and shade) on the confederacy of dunces who have fumbled their way into power. His writing has never been smarter, sharper, or more necessary.” —Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of The Library Book

“A devastatingly funny takedown of a veritable Mount Rushmore of incompetents . . . In the hallowed tradition of Will Rogers, Mark Twain, H.L. Mencken, Ambrose Bierce, and other clear-eyed satirists, Borowitz skewers all manner of chronically befuddled, willfully ignorant dolts. . . . Ravaging this seemingly endless rogues’ gallery of buffoonery and corruption, Borowitz marshals mind-boggling, breathtaking evidence. . . . While there are countless laughs in the book, they have a rueful edge given that we are all affected by such widespread ignorance.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Readers may laugh, cry, or swear under their breath (sometimes all at once) with this scathing survey of the seemingly increasing ignorance of American politicians. Borowitz, a writer of page and screen and satirist for The New Yorker, humorously examines the ever-increasing, lowering-of-the-bar expectations of presidential candidates’ knowledge and beyond in this book that is perfect for fans of The Daily Show or John Lithgow’s “Dumpty” series. . . . For readers who have ever looked at the political landscape and asked how or why, this is a book that will inform and infuriate.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“Andy makes me laugh out loud, that’s a given.  In this book he has also made me think out loud.  Profiles in Ignorance is hilarious, original, scary, prescient and a wake-up call for us all. A must read.” —Susie Essman, HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm

“[Borowitz] sheds light on the cultural and economic trends that gave intellectualism a bad name and identifies the political operatives . . . who facilitated the rise of ignorance. Fans of The Borowitz Report will gobble this up.” —Publishers Weekly

As the American right becomes more and more authoritarian, it is attempting to rewrite history. From its claims that the United States isn’t a democracy to its attempts to remove books from libraries and rewrite curricula, the reshaping of the past risks our future. In light of this evolving reality, bestselling author Jason Stanley joins us to discuss his new book Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future.

The cruel, bizarre, and frankly evil supreme court decision taking away a woman’s right to choose is wreaking havoc in the medical community. To help us make sense of the legal lay of the land and the ethical status of abortion, we’ve invited Katie L. Watson onto the show. Katie is an Associate Professor of Medical Education, Medical Social Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is also a lawyer who clerked in the federal courts, a bioethicist and the author of The Scarlet A: The Ethics, Law, and Politics of Ordinary Abortion.

Our guest today is Michael Pollan. Since the 2018 publication of his New York Times bestseller How to Change Your Mind, Michael’s work on psychedelics has steered the national conversation on the medical potential and stigmas surrounding some of the most powerful, naturally-derived drugs. He furthers the discussion in his new book This is Your Mind on Plants and his Netflix Series “How to Change Your Mind.”

Our guest this week is Anya Kamenetz. Anya has covered education for many years including for NPR, where she co-created the podcast Life Kit: Parenting. She speaks, writes, and thinks about learning and the future. Her new book The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now is now available.

Our guest this week is Congresswoman Veronica Escobar. Congresswoman Escobar represents the 16th Congressional District in Texas, a position she’s held since 2019. When elected, she became one of the first two Latinas from Texas to serve in Congress. On July 19th, she and other members of Congress were arrested protesting at the Supreme Court against their evil decision removing the right to abortion from millions of Americans.

Critical Race Theory is widely maligned by those on the right, but poorly understood. Our guest for this episode, Dr. Victor Ray, can help us sort out the truth from the lies. Victor is nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. As an active public scholar, his social and critical commentary has appeared in outlets such as The Washington Post, Newsweek, Harvard Business Review, and Boston Review. His new book, On Critical Race Theory: Why it Matters and Why You Should Care is now available.

This is an episode you can't afford to miss. Malcolm Nance is a globally renowned expert on terrorism, extremism, and insurgency, and a multiple New York Times bestselling author. A 34-year, Arabic-speaking veteran of the US intelligence community's Combating Terrorism program, he is considered one of the Great African-Americans in Espionage by the International Spy Museum. He is counter-terrorism analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s just published a new book titled “They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency,” and spent time in a front-line combat unit in Ukraine.

Over the years, this podcast has focused on highlighting those people who are not only experts in identifying the significant problems facing the United States and its institutions, but those who propose bold solutions to those problems. In the past weeks, those problems have expanded significantly. Once again, Joe Manchin—a single senator representing a single state—has blocked critical environmental legislation. Despite being a democrat, he’s tanked the Democratic majority in the senate, and he can do this because of the filibuster. At the same time, a rogue, extremist supreme court has undermined very basic freedoms in our nation, from the right to access abortion, go to school free from religious influence, and even receive full Miranda protections if arrested. Today, we’ll look back at two of our episodes where our guests propose ways to get past these critical problems.

First, we’ll hear from Adam Jentleson. Adam is a writer and former Deputy Chief of Staff for then Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He joined us to discuss his book Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy.

Next, we hear from Tamara Brummer, Executive Eirector for Outreach with Demand Justice, who joined us to discuss efforts to reform and expand the supreme court.

Guest Hosted by Ben Jackson

When you share your life with someone, you take on the idea of being a caretaker if something goes wrong, but only in the abstract. But when that idea becomes a reality, life changes in so many ways you may never expect. My guest this week is Abi Morgan. Abi is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter ("The Iron Lady") whose new book “This is Not a Pity Memoir” is now available.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With her trademark deadpan, trenchant wit, and a deeply soulful mindfulness, Abi Morgan takes a breathtaking hike on the cliff edge of a life upended by illness. By turns harrowing, cracking sharp and heartbreaking, it is...comforting to accompany someone with her sense of humor and the absurd on this trip- (this) book is a gift to anyone who has been similarly unmoored by fate and the furies.” -- Meryl Streep

“The kind of book you will find yourself saying urgently, over and over, to friends. “Have you read it? Have you read it?" -- Caitlin Moran

“Gripping, funny and always honest.”  -- David Nicholls

"There are no words. I was stunned, in every sense, by this heart-breaking, profound and deeply human memoir. Like CS Lewis on grief, Morgan finds truth and beauty in the darkest places. I feel changed by this book. I will never forget it." -- Meg Mason, author of Sorrow & Bliss

"From the very first line I couldn’t stop reading. Abi invites you in to what feels almost like a thriller, then quickly a heart bursting romantic comedy and a devastating drama. Even if this was fiction it would be impossible to stop thinking about this book long after reading. The fact that this is Abi’s real life experience brought forth as this astonishing piece of writing is truly breathtaking. It’s arrestingly honest, funny, profound and exquisitely written. I could not have loved it more."  -- Carey Mulligan

“A mash-up of all the things I love in a book – honesty, comedy, pathos and what- happens-next. It’s brutal – in a good way – but above all else it’s a testament to kindness, stickability and enduring love.”  -- Kit de Waal

"An extraordinary tale told extraordinarily well." -- Marina Hyde

"I wept. I dared to hope. I felt my heart crack. Exceptional." -- Sam Baker

“A profound look at the complexities of love, even at its most mundane. Equal parts savage and sublime, this obliterates notions of memory and intimacy with grace and precision….[A] raw and incandescent debut.”  -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A candid, intimate memoir of a harrowing time.” -- Kirkus Reviews

Our guest this week is Gaby Dunn. Gaby is a New York Times bestselling author, comedian, and LGBTQ advocate living in Los Angeles. They are the host and creator of the podcast Bad with Money with Gaby Dunn. Their new piece Stimulus Wreck: Rebuilding After a Financial Disaster is now available on exclusively on Scribd.

We have a mass incarceration problem in America, with entire industries created to lock people up, keep them locked up, and make it difficult or impossible for many of the people they catch in their cycle to break free. Our guest this week learned this firsthand. Keri Blakinger is a Texas-based journalist and the author of the new book Corrections in Ink, a memoir tracing her path from figure skating to heroin addiction to prison and, finally, to life as an investigative reporter covering mass incarceration for The Marshall Project.

For the Labor Day holiday, we're revisiting a critical bit of ongoing organizing happening in the United States.

One of the interesting side effects of the post-Covid economy has been a surge in the power and influence employees hold. Wages in service industry jobs have risen dramatically as employers struggle to find workers. However, there have also been increasing stories of worker exploitation, leading to a surge in new unionization efforts. To discuss all of it, we’ve invited Michelle Eisen onto the show. Michelle is a Starbucks Barista and organizing member of Starbucks Workers United.

The Supreme Court has gone rogue. It's radically reduced the right to privacy, the right to bodily autonomy, the right to hold rogue police accountable, the ability of the government to protect the environment, and significantly weakened the wall between church and state--all very much against the wishes of the American people. 

Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia has a plan to make the court more representative of the people.  He joined us to discuss.

The extremist extreme court just stripped away the right to bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom from millions of Americans when it overturned Roe v. Wade. One in four women in the U.S. will have an abortion by the age of 45. But since the beginning of 2019, more than 250 bills restricting access to abortion care have been introduced in forty one states. Throughout this episode, you will hear from women who share why they decided to have an abortion - women who sent in their own stories, women who have shared publicly in the media or in front of Congress, and Alyssa tells her own abortion story, joined by Amanda Palmer, Gloria Allred and others.

This week, in light of the dangerous attacks on freedom from the American government, we'll be revisiting episodes that highlight the problems and offer solutions. 

It’s been nearly thirty years since the Congress passed meaningful gun violence prevention legislation despite overwhelming support for these measures from the American people. In those decades, more than a million people in America have died from gunshot wounds, and more than two million have been injured. After the latest high profile mass shootings in Buffalo New York and Uvalde, Texas, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a leading figure in efforts to reduce gun violence, led a bipartisan group of senators to a framework agreement on gun safety measures. He joins us today to discuss.

This week, we’re welcoming Bill McKibben back to the show. Bill is the author of more than a dozen books, including the best sellers Falter, Deep Economy, and The End of Nature, which was the first book to warn the general public about the climate crisis. His new book “The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened” is now available.  Guest hosted by Ben Jackson.

Editorial Reviews Review

“If we survive the interlocking plagues of climate change, right-wing authoritarianism, and savage inequality, future generations will utter the name of the New England moral visionary and activist McKibben with the reverence we speak of Emerson, Thoreau, and Garrison. This sparkling little diamond of a book illuminates the all-American boyhood and education of a radical Christian environmentalist in love with a broken world that, frankly speaking, may or may not exist at all a century from now. May McKibben's golden pen continue to flow swiftly and conquer―with both love and reason―the dangerous enemies of human civilization.“
―Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-8)

“Plainspoken, direct, conversational, and inspiring, Bill McKibben offers us generous insight into who he is and how he has been shaped by his middle-class upbringing in the suburbs. We see through inner and outer choices, struggles, and influences, why one of the world's most effective and humble leaders in the climate justice movement committed himself to an activist's life on behalf of a warming planet. The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon is more than a memoir, it is a bow to the power of social justice movements and a smart and savvy historical reflection on what has brought us to this crucible moment of climate collapse. Bill McKibben is an every-day hero who continues to show us not only what is possible, but necessary to our survival, the survival of our democracy, and all life in the places we call home.“
―Terry Tempest Williams, author of Erosion: Essays of Undoing

“What went wrong with America in the 1970s? In this searching book, Bill McKibben wrestles with a generation that lost its way, and why, and how to find the way back.”
―Jill Lepore, author of These Truths: A History of the United States

“Bill McKibben has written a great American memoir, using the prism of his own life to reflect on the most important dynamics in our society. Bill McKibben’s writing is poignant, engrossing and revealing. His message is a clarion call for a generation to understand what happened to their American Dream, and to fight for our common future.”
―Heather McGhee, author of The Sum of Us: How Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together

“Bill McKibben is such a heroic and consequential leader in the fight for the climate on behalf of all humankind, it's easy to lose sight of his humanity. As usual, this book is a thoughtful critique of wrong turns America has taken, but this time refreshingly and revealingly intertwined with his personal story. As a fellow former suburban boy who has also tried hard to figure out ‘what the hell happened,’ The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon was like listening to a wise old pal preach.”
―Kurt Andersen, author of Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America

“The prolific writer and activist finds some of the causes of our societal meltdown in the idyllic suburbs of his youth. . . . McKibben capably picks apart long-ago history to find present themes.”
―Kirkus Reviews

There aren’t a lot of people who have a life which resembles Alyssa Milano's. As an actor from childhood who is still working on the cusp of fifty, our guest Wil Wheaton is one of the few. He joins us today to discuss his reappearance in Star Trek, his time on The Big Bang Theory, his time as a young actor and as a less-young actor, and his bestselling new book Still Just a Geek, which is now available.

Over the past several years, corporations and entire industries have quickly made statements and some policy changes in response to social and racial justice movements. Those statement and initiatives, however, often exist as feel-good marketing initiatives or sincere efforts with unintended consequences. In her new book “Some of My Best Friends: Essays on Lip Service,” Tajja Isen explores these efforts and the realities they mask and reveal.

“[A] stellar debut collection...Some of My Best Friends shows a bracing willingness to tackle sensitive issues that others often sweep under a rug.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Isen scrutinizes society’s attempts to bandage over such issues as race and gender inequality in her powerful debut. Isen’s voice is both wry and sensitive as she fearlessly lays out the limits of talk in solving inequality; fans of sharp cultural criticism, take note."
—Publishers Weekly

“Beautifully written, wildly funny, and whip smart, the essays in Some of My Best Friends are among the best I've ever read. Tajja Isen is unafraid to ask deep questions and embrace their messy answers. She's one hell of a writer.”
—Kristen Arnett, New York Times bestselling author of Mostly Dead Things and With Teeth

“Isen understands that our shared future demands we expose and call out wasted time, hollow gestures, and empty words. Some of My Best Friends is an inspiring, determined work of personal narrative and cultural criticism.”
—Saeed Jones, author of How We Fight for Our Lives

“The essays in this book dazzle stylistically, thrill intellectually and flip the finger to the many ways North America pretends to talk about racial experiences. Isen is a provocateur of the first order. Her wit and wisdom capture the current moment and soar above it.”
—Kamal Al-Solaylee, author of Return and Brown

“Sure-footed and illuminating, Some of My Best Friends brilliantly lays bare the lies that accompany some of the most insidious aspects of racism— lip service, pandering, and plausible deniability—and offers a bracing inoculation.”
—Jess Zimmerman, author of Women and Other Monsters

“Every essay in this collection reminded me of what makes Tajja Isen a must-read writer: her thoughtfulness, her incisive humor, and her deadeye aim. Some of My Best Friends is a genuine pleasure to read and the best kind of intellectual conversation.”
—Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know

“Some of My Best Friends is the rare essay collection that feels both modern and timeless. Hilarious and fresh, it's the type of analysis that feels vital and made me go, "Finally!" What a joy to read.”
—Sarah Hagi, writer at Gawker

"Often hilarious, always thought provoking."
— ELLE, Canada

We’re already into the midterm election season. California will host its primary elections on June 7th, and my guest this week is hoping to advance into the general. Kermit Jones is running for Congress in California’s 3rd Congressional District. He’s a doctor, a former White House Fellow, a former Navy Flight Surgeon, and a public policy expert.

Mothering is work. It’s creative, it’s exhausting, it can be financially crushing, and it is immeasurably rewarding. But always, it is work. Our guest this week is Angela Garbes, bestselling author of Like a Mother. Her new book, Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change is now available.

About Essential Labor

From the acclaimed author of Like a Mother comes a reflection on the state of caregiving in America, and an exploration of mothering as a means of social change.

The Covid-19 pandemic shed fresh light on a long-overlooked truth: mothering is among the only essential work humans do. In response to the increasing weight placed on mothers and caregivers—and the lack of a social safety net to support them—writer Angela Garbes found herself pondering a vital question: How, under our current circumstances that leave us lonely, exhausted, and financially strained, might we demand more from American family life?

In Essential Labor, Garbes explores assumptions about care, work, and deservedness, offering a deeply personal and rigorously reported look at what mothering is, and can be. A first-generation Filipino-American, Garbes shares the perspective of her family's complicated relationship to care work, placing mothering in a global context—the invisible economic engine that has been historically demanded of women of color.

Garbes contends that while the labor of raising children is devalued in America, the act of mothering offers the radical potential to create a more equitable society. In Essential Labor, Garbes reframes the physically and mentally draining work of meeting a child's bodily and emotional needs as opportunities to find meaning, to nurture a deeper sense of self, pleasure, and belonging. This is highly skilled labor, work that impacts society at its most foundational level.

Part galvanizing manifesto, part poignant narrative, Essential Labor is a beautifully rendered reflection on care that reminds us of the irrefutable power and beauty of mothering.

It’s almost impossible to quantify the problems with the way we approach healthcare in this country. For something which should be a human right, high-quality healthcare is often provided in unlimited amounts to the rich at the expense of the poor—especially people of color. In his new book “The Emergency: A Year of Healing and Heartbreak in a Chicago ER,” our guest Dr. Thomas Fisher examines the injustices of our system through the eyes of a physician trying to do his best for his patients in a system that seems designed to prevent him from doing so.

PRAISE for “The Emergency: A Year of Healing and Heartbreak in a Chicago ER”

“This book reminds us how permanently interesting our bodies are, especially when they go wrong. Fisher’s account of his days is gripping. . . . His frustration, his outraged intelligence, is palpable on every page. . . . the best account I’ve read about working in a busy hospital during Covid.” —The New York Times

“A briskly paced, heartfelt, often harrowing year in the life of an ER doctor on Chicago’s historically Black South Side.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“The Emergency is graphic and gut-wrenching, as it should be. It is an undeniable call for a just health-care system, as it will be.”—Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist

“With scalpel-like precision and searing patient stories, Thomas Fisher exposes the battlefield of medicine and the scarring—and often fatal—wounds of inequality. The Emergency is a bat call. Health care doesn’t care, inequality kills, and we must do better.”—Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, author of What the Eyes Don’t See

“The Emergency is a doctor’s-eye view of the layered crises afflicting a single Chicago community and the entire nation that surrounds it. By turns brutal and beautiful, this is a tale of life, death, and the people whose efforts often determine which of those two will prevail.”—Jelani Cobb, co-editor of The Matter of Black Lives

“Tired of reading about COVID-19? Don’t make the mistake of missing the best book about it to date. The Emergency is Thomas Fisher’s memoir of the first year of the pandemic’s grip on Chicago’s South Side, where he grew up and where he battled the disease, along with every other ailment and injury that reached his emergency room. This is no past-tense memoir but a gripping account of events as they happen. It’s beautifully rendered in the present tense and leavened by a series of letters he composed to, and in honor of, his patients. But this is also a book about our country, a wrenching and tender reflection on an aphorism Fisher invokes: When America catches a cold, black America catches pneumonia. It won’t take you long to read this fast-paced account, but you won’t forget it anytime soon.”—Paul Farmer, M.D., author of Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor

“Riveting . . . [Fisher] eloquently captures the intensity of the situation . . . and shares heartrending stories of victims. . . . The result is a powerful reckoning with racial injustice and a moving portrait of everyday heroism.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Dramatic . . . well written and compassionate . . . a persuasive, sympathetic . . . insider’s report on a broken system.”—Kirkus Reviews

SEE LESS

The Supreme Court appears poised to rip bodily autonomy from millions of American women. The draft opinion written by Justice Alito relies heavily on historical rights. In this short film, Alyssa takes you through a primer of the history of abortion and the fight of pregnant people to control their own bodies and access essential reproductive healthcare despite a constant onslaught from an extreme religious right which does not represent the majority of Americans.

The traditional way of influencing a foreign nation’s policy is through diplomacy. But, as recent headlines have shown us, that’s certainly not the only way. Foreign lobbyists are working to shape our policies globally, sometimes with disastrous consequences. Casey Michel’s new book Foreign Agents: How American Lobbyists and Lawmakers Threaten Democracy Around the World examines this dark underside of international relations.

Our guest this week is Celeste Headlee. Celeste is award-winning journalist, professional speaker and best-selling author. In her 20-year career in public radio, Celeste has anchored programs including Tell Me More, Talk of the Nation, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. She is the author of a new piece available on Scribd called “You’re Cute When You’re Mad.”

The midterm elections are quickly approaching, and the stakes are so high. Our guest this week is Charles Booker, candidate for the United States Senate in Kentucky. His new book From the Hood to the Holler: A story of Separate World, Shared Dreams and the Fight for America's Future  is now available.

The internet is a cesspool of horrible people saying and doing horrible things. So much of the worst behavior is directed at women, in an effort to shame and silence us - and if you don't believe us, look at the the comments on every post our host Alyssa Milano makes or the trolling fake reviews of this podcast. So many men are abusive, hateful, and terrified of women who have the temerity to exist online. Our friend Nina Jankowicz’ new book “How to Be A Woman Online” is an essential toolkit for women to navigate the worst of it, to fight back, and to build a safer internet. She joined us this week to discuss.