Sounds About Right: Audiobooks to Help Us Understand the World Sounds About Right: Audiobooks to Help Us Understand the World

Liz Bucar is a leading expert in religious ethics, a professor of religion at Northeastern University, and a prizewinning author. Her writing, teaching, and public lectures cover a wide range of topics—from sexual reassignment surgery to the politics of religious clothing--but generally focus on how a deeper understanding religious difference can change our sense of what is right and good.

She is the Director of Sacred Writes, a grant-funded project that provides media training for religion scholars and has written four books, including her most recent, Stealing My Religion: Not Just Any Cultural Appropriation
 
Some of the topics we discussed includes: 
The challenges there are when trying to confirm cultural appropriation within religion and what makes a religious form of appropriation any differentHow  'spiritual, not religious' is a big problem within religious appropriation  Why Liz chose the three specific case studies for the book (Solidarity Hijab, Playing Pilgrim & Respite Yoga).

The Book and Audiobook: Stealing My Religion: Not Just Any Cultural Appropriation is out now.

You can also find out more about Liz on her website https://www.lizbucar.com/





As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!
Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.
www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod


Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?
Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: soundsaboutpod@gmail.com

Charles Dunst is deputy director of research & analytics at The Asia Group, an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and a contributing editor of American Purpose.

He has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Foreign Policy, among other outlets. An erstwhile foreign correspondent, he has reported from Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Israel and the Palestinian territories, the United Arab Emirates, Romania, Hungary, and Andorra. He has appeared on broadcast channels including BBC News, ABC News, Bloomberg Radio, Times Radio, and TV Tokyo, and is regularly quoted in outlets like the Financial Times, Bloomberg, and POLITICO.

I spoke with Charles about his book titled: Defeating the Dictators: How Democracy Can Prevail in the Age of the Strongman
 
Some of the topics we discussed includes: 
How and why has for many people in the West, an autocratic regime seems more appealing than the democratic one we currently have.How lacking merit and meritocracy can lead to a system that citizens feel disillusioned with.Where democratic governments have fallen behind when it comes to taking accountability How the nature of democratic governments short-term thinking has led to the outcome of citizens not having much trust in their governments. And what democratic governments can learn from the private sector when it comes to longterm thinking.Why places such as Singapore and UAE have such a high approval rating and how this is largely down to these authoritarian governments delivering on their promises.How immigration can help democracies prevailThe trickle down effects of how improving our own governments fends off  autocracies. 


The Book and Audiobook: Defeating the Dictators: How Democracy Can Prevail in the Age of the Strongman is out now.

You can also find out more about Charles on his website https://www.charlesdunst.com





As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!
Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.
www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod


Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?
Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: soundsaboutpod@gmail.com

Amy Finkelstein is the John & Jennie S. MacDonald Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is the co-founder and co-Scientific Director of J-PAL North America, a research center at MIT that encourages and facilitates randomized evaluations of important domestic policy issues.

She is also the founding Editor of American Economic Review: Insights and the co-Director of the Health Care Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and of the Institute of Medicine, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Econometric Society.


I spoke with Amy about the book she co-authored with fellow economists Liran Einav and Ray Fisman titled: Risky Business: Why Insurance Markets Fail and What to Do About It.

Some of the topics we discussed includes: 
 Why 'selection' is integral when it comes to insuranceWhy doesn't divorce insurance exist? The 'premiums of selection' being something not often discussed in free marketsCan governments mandate against insurance selection problems? and what can it help to rectify?How customers are still able to know how much of a risk they are, contrary to the insurers knowledgeActions insurance companies take to try and attract  the customer they want.The other markets that are affected by selection and potential future projects.

The Book and Audiobook: Risky Business: Why Insurance Markets Fail and What to Do About It is out now.







As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!
Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.
www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod


Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?
Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: soundsaboutpod@gmail.com

​Martin Puchner, the Byron and Anita Wien Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Harvard University, is a prize-winning author, educator, public speaker, and institution builder in the arts and humanities. His writings range from philosophy and theater to world literature and culture and have been translated into many languages.

His new book, Culture: A New World History, tells a global history of culture that raises fundamental questions about how culture works, what good are the arts, and how different cultures should relate to one another.

Some of the topics we discussed includes: 
 Queen Nefertiti, the impact of her changing her switch from polytheism and its significance.The Greeks, the influence of plays and theatre on their culture and their respect for the Egyptians. The relatiionships between Greece & Rome, China & Japan and how neither were driven by conquest Xuanzang - The King of Social Mobility.How cultures develop by acknowlegding their own distant pastMaterialism and science of the past.How much of a problem was translation in the ancient world?How the internet has impacted cultural sharing  and whether it is a bad or good thing

The Book and Audiobook: Culture: A New World History is out now.

You can also find out more about Martin on his website http://www.martinpuchner.com





As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!
Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.
www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod


Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?
Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: soundsaboutpod@gmail.com

Jacob Harold is a social change strategist, author, and executive.

From 2012 to 2021, Harold served as President & CEO of GuideStar and co-founder of Candid. Fast Company called Candid “the definitive nonprofit transparency organization.” Each year, more than 20 million people use its data on nonprofits, grants, and social sector practice.

The NonProfit Times named Harold to its Power and Influence Top 50 list seven years in a row.

He has written extensively on climate change and philanthropic strategy and his essays have been used as course materials at Stanford, Duke, Wharton, Oxford, and Tsinghua. Harold has been quoted in media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, and Wall Street Journal. Harold serves on the boards of the U.S. Climate Action Network, Rewiring America, and the Duke University Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship and as an advisor to investors, startups, foundations, and government agencies.


I spoke with Jacob about his book: The Toolbox: Strategies for Crafting Social Impact.

Some of the topics we discussed includes: 
The inspiration behind Jacob writing the book & why the Toolbox Strategy is necessary.Why multiplicity is the essence of the Toolbox StrategyWhy the linear and cyclical mindset is necessary for strategic action.How Addictive Ideologies work to absorb us off the responsibility of ourselves.The role Political Leaders play in political ideologiesThe illusion of independence  & the reason why social change is difficultStories, how we understand the world and the importance in applying storyteling to strategy.The Game Theory -  and how it can be used to get us on the right social path.


The Book and Audiobook: The Toolbox: Strategies for Crafting Social Impact is out now.

You can also find out more about Jacob on his website https://www.jacobharold.com





As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!
Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.
www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod


Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?
Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: soundsaboutpod@gmail.com



 

Dr. Emily Bashah is a licensed psychologist, author and podcast co-host with a private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona.

An expert witness in criminal, immigration, and civil courts, she has worked on high-profile cases covering issues of domestic terrorism and capital offenses, as well as first-degree murder.

I spoke with Dr. Bashah about the book she co-authored with Paul Johnson,  former Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona titled: Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You
 
Some of the topics we discussed includes: 
How her life experiences and identity of self, helped her get to the point of co-authoring the book.How Addictive Ideologies work to absorb us off the responsibility of ourselves.The role Political Leaders play in political ideologiesThe escalating war between Isreal & Palestine. Have lessons truly been learnt? The psychology of terrorism, why does it happen? and what can be done to prevent it?Some of the 7 Codes we can live by to own our agencyHow  the people she has worked with, have taught her that happiness is an inside job


The Book and Audiobook: Addictive Ideologies: Finding Meaning and Agency When Politics Fail You is out now.

You can also find out more about Dr. Bashah on her website https://www.bashahpsychological.com





As of now, my podcast is biweekly and prior to an episode I’ll let you know what book/audiobook I’ll be listening to before the next show so we can delve into it together!
Please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you’re in the loop whenever a new episode comes out.
www.instagram.com/SoundsAboutPod

www.twitter.com/SoundsAboutPod


Are you an author that will like to be  on the next episode of the podcast?
Listeners: Did I cover a book you read or listened to? Did I discuss the things which also stuck out to you? Or did I miss it out?..... get in touch, and let me know what your experience was or to give me audiobook recommendations: soundsaboutpod@gmail.com