David Shenk

Host Francesca Rheannon talks with journalist David Shenk about THE GENIUS IN ALL OF US: Why Everything We’ve Been Told About Genetics, Talent, and IQ Are Wrong. It’s about what the science of epigenetics is telling us us about the potential for human achievement. And David Chura talks about his memoir of teaching incarcerated adolescents, I DON’T WISH NOBODY TO HAVE A LIFE LIKE MINE: Tales of Kids in Adult Lockup. He says the War on Crime is a war on kids.

Child prodigies like YoYo Ma, Mozart, or Tiger Woods are born, not made, right? They just got lucky in the genetic lottery, while the rest of us have to be satisfied with mediocrity or, at best, the modest achievements we can reach by dint of hard work.

Not so fast, says David Shenk in his new book, THE GENIUS IN ALL OF US. He says everything we’ve been told about genetics, talent, and IQ are wrong. He says, new science is showing that great achievement isn’t about what’s in the genes. It’s about how the environment influences genetic information — and that information can be changed by dedication, practice, and ambition.

Shenk is the bestselling author of five previous books, including The Forgetting and Data Smog, and has written for The Atlantic.com, National Geographic, Slate, Harper’s, among other venues.

Web Extra: Shenk reads a section from his book about the baseball player Ted Williams.

David Chura

David Chura spent 10 years teaching students being held in adult jails for crimes ranging from drug sales to assault. He says the War on Crime is all too often a war on kids, one that neglects the environment in which his students were raised.  The young men he taught were the victims of abuse, poverty, and neglect.  Yet, despite their histories, they are capable of compassion, enthusiasm for learning, and joy. Chura brings their stories to life in his book, I DON’T WISH NOBODY TO HAVE A LIFE LIKE MINE.

Read an excerpt

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Allan Kronzek

John Connolly

Irish mystery writer John Connolly tells us about his new spine-tingling and funny bone-tickling thriller for smart teens, THE GATES. And we air an archived interview with magician Alan Kronzek about THE SORCERER’S COMPANION, A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter.

The Gates of Hell Are About To Open, Want To Peek?

It’s that time of year again to turn away from the really scary things, like war, climate change and economic meltdowns to the lighter side of horror. Our first guest today is John Connolly. Best known for his Charlie Parker series, Connolly has also written a number of books that dip into the spookier side of fantasy fiction. One is , about a young boy who finds the characters in his books have come to life.

Connolly’s newest addition to that genre is . He jokingly calls it “a book about satanism for kids” — older kids, ages 12 and up. Grownups can enjoy it too, as I did. It reminded me of my own childhood fantasy favorites, like Edward Eager’s Half Magic, Edward Ormondroyd’s David and the Phoenix, and the Chronicles of Narnia of CS Lewis.

[sniplet amazon search]

Although THE GATES is in that vein of magical adventure, it’s more of a tongue-in-cheek romp through horror. It also has a smattering of fascinating facts about science and religion throughout.

An intrepid young boy, his spunky dachshund, and a soft-hearted demon named Nurd save the world from an invasion from Hell. It all happens when young Samuel Johnson notices some strange goings-on at a house in the neighborhood, 666 Crowley Road. It’s all the fault of the *Large Hadron Collider in Cern, Switzerland, which has opened a crack in space-time to let through a very nasty advance party sent by the Great Malevolence himself.

A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter

Performance magician Alan Kronzek really likes the Harry Potter series. He also knows a lot of magic lore, including the Philosophers Stone, shamanism, wizards, alchemists, basilisks and manticores. He talks with us about these and the connection between magic and religion and magic and science. He’s the author of the bestselling book, .

And check out our Halloween Book Picks For Kids (and Grownups!).

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