Indigenous excellence: Hip hop and the legacy of Jim ThorpeTall Paul is an Anishinaabe and Oneida rapper enrolled on the Leech Lake reservation in Minnesota. His new album is called "The Story of Jim Thorpe." Charles Monroe-Kane spoke with him about Thorpe’s legacy, sports and hip-hop. Jun 19 24June 19, 2024Article at ttbook.org
Can You Change The Mind Of A White Supremacist?Charles Monroe-Kane talks with Christian Picciolini about his campaign to de-program white supremacists, including Richard Spencer, the most prominent face of American white supremacy today. Mar 12 19March 12, 2019Article at ttbook.org
Keeping Saddam Hussein Safe Until His ExecutionThe young American soldiers who protected Saddam Hussein during his trial spent hours alone with the “Butcher of Baghdad” and unexpectedly grew to like him. They were devastated by his execution and its violent aftermath. Jan 19 18January 19, 2018Article at ttbook.org
Hip-hop artist Dxtr Spits on teaching men to cryHip-hop artist Dxtr Spits realized that his mental health issues were rooted in the toxicity of masculinity, which limited how he could express his feelings. So he started the "How Men Cry" movement, which teaches men how to cry. Nov 15 24November 15, 2024Article at ttbook.org
Can robots paint a masterpiece?When painter Sougwen Chung paints something in collaboration with an AI she trained — say, a black oil-paint brush stroke — a robot mimics Chung. But at some point, the robot continues without Chung and paints something new. So how creative is AI? Dec 01 24December 01, 2024Article at ttbook.org
The Alchemy of MethWhen anthropologist Jason Pine traveled to rural Missouri, he wound up spending a lot of time observing underground meth labs. And he came to a startling conclusion: that the meth cooks of the Ozarks are today’s alchemists. Mar 23 22March 23, 2022Article at ttbook.org
Muhammad the Mortician Confronts Black-on-Black ViolenceTyrone Muhammad is tired of seeing so many young black men die from street violence. So the Newark mortician is using an in-your-face strategy to show people the effects of that violence: taking his work into the streets. Apr 14 20April 14, 2020Article at ttbook.org
Checking into the infinity hotelThe Netflix documentary “A Trip to Infinity” is a wild ride, filled with animated shorts by artists from 11 different countries illustrating the concept of infinity and where to find it. Jun 06 25June 06, 2025Article at ttbook.org
Reforming The LAPDIn 2010, then-LAPD Chief William Bratton asked civil rights attorney Connie Rice to investigate the biggest police corruption scandal in Los Angeles history, and to train 50 LAPD officers in what she calls "public trust policing." Jun 06 20June 06, 2020Article at ttbook.org
How To Listen To An EarthquakeDo you know what an earthquake sounds like? Geophysicist Ben Holtzman collects recordings from around the world — from the Fukushima disaster to the manmade earthquakes caused by fracking. We hear examples of these seismic rumbles. Oct 26 21October 26, 2021Article at ttbook.org
Common on hip hop and hope.Rapper Common is eager to talk about hope – specifically, how we can make hope in our lives. Feb 04 21February 04, 2021Article at ttbook.org
More than one way to treat a mindDaniel Bergner felt frustrated and helpless back when one of his closest family members — his brother — was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder. So Bergner decided to report out other possibilities for his brother’s healing. Aug 11 24August 11, 2024Article at ttbook.org
Adjusting our eyes to wonders of the nocturnal worldWitnessing the beauty of synchronous fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains inspired author Leigh Ann Henion to turn off her porch light and discover the vast natural world that thrives in the darkness. Dec 19 24December 19, 2024Article at ttbook.org
A 20 year American and Ghanaian FriendshipTwo friends of 20 years — Robert Hanserd and Emmanuel Kofi Bempong — show what a relationship between African Americans and Ghanaians can be. Jan 25 24January 25, 2024Article at ttbook.org
Capturing a symphony of time in a dawn chorusAcoustic ecologist and sound artist Alex Braidwood has recorded many dawn choruses, from first-light to full sunrise, in his Iowa backyard and all over the world. On his album, “Serotinous Repose,” he turns the dawn chorus into music. Feb 13 25February 13, 2025Article at ttbook.org
A craftsman alone in the Alaskan wildernessNaturalist Dick Proenneke led a legendary life alone in the Alaskan wilderness. After Proenneke's death in 2003, master craftsman Monroe Robinson painstakingly reproduced everything Dick made to preserve a piece of that life for future generations. Aug 11 23August 11, 2023Article at ttbook.org
The Poetry of RaceIn her book "Citizen: An American Lyric," poet Claudia Rankine challenges readers to explore their underlying assumptions about race. She tells Charles Monroe-Kane what compelled her to write the book, and about visiting Ferguson, Missouri. Apr 14 21April 14, 2021Article at ttbook.org
One man's journey in discovering America's Black DNARev. Alex Gee is fascinated by genealogy. So he took a DNA test and discovered one of his ancestors was a white slave owner. Then he went down to New Orleans to meet his white relatives — and that meeting sparked a slew of complicated emotions. Mar 13 21March 13, 2021Article at ttbook.org
A Diva's Oasis? Bounce MusicIn Big Freedia's memoir, she tells the story of growing up gay and gender non-conforming in one of the toughest neighborhoods in New Orleans, of surviving gun violence and Hurricane Katrina, and of finding acceptance and self-expression in Bounce Mar 10 23March 10, 2023Article at ttbook.org
What It Looks Like To Live For 600K YearsPhotographer Rachel Sussman has documented 30 of the oldest living things in the world. Beautiful and romantic, her photos document both the adaptation and fragility inherent to surviving for tens of thousands of years. Dec 31 21December 31, 2021Article at ttbook.org