Thanksgiving might look a little different this year. You might be limiting the number of guests at your dinner table, gathering outdoors or zooming from afar.
Fortunately, there's another safe way to bring loved ones together: listening to Think podcasts. You can tune in with family and friends, whether virtually or in-person.
Here are four top picks to share with your loved ones, directly from Think staffers themselves:
Ireland Split In Two: A History Of The Troubles
Stephen Becker, Think's senior producer, says...
New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe’s investigation into the 1972 disappearance of a Belfast mother of 10 connects many of the dots of this far-reaching tragedy that defined two nations and seeped into a few others.
I’ll confess: The story of the Irish Troubles has fascinated me for a long time, and yet…I had never actually activated that fascination into much in the way of study. New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe’s investigation into the 1972 disappearance of a Belfast mother of 10 connects many of the dots of this far-reaching tragedy that defined two nations and seeped into a few others.
Keefe is a masterful storyteller both on the page and at the mic, and if you’ve only read the book or only heard the Think conversation, that shouldn’t stop you from completing the experience by reading the book or listening to the show. Each is its own unique pleasure.
Susan Choi On Her Nation Book Award Winner
Ana Perez, Think's assistant producer, says...
It was an incredibly thought-provoking interview that, like the book, was something I couldn't pull myself away from.
From the minute I opened "Trust Exercise," I was hooked by Choi's writing. Filled with twists and turns, the book kept me on my toes and stuck with me well after I finished it. You could probably tell how excited I was to have her on the show.
The interview was a such a fascinating look at her as a novelist and how she related, or didn't relate, to her characters. I loved hearing about her writing process and what she tells aspiring novelists. It was an incredibly thought-provoking interview that, like the book, was something I couldn't pull myself away from.
One Woman's Quest To Tame Her Depression
Paige Phelps, Think producer, says...
If you or someone you love is hurting, this is a really good opportunity to connect and gain a better understanding about what’s going on with the mind and, even deeper, in the heart.
This interview meant a lot to me. I spent years of my own life battling severe, chronic mental illness, so I very much empathized with Paperny’s continued struggle. Beyond her raw honesty about living with treatment-resistant major depression and what that looks like on a daily basis, she also opens up about the deep emotional and physical consequences of her many previous suicide attempts.
She’s a Reuters reporter, so she covers the science of depression as any good journalist would: investigating cutting edge treatment options, explaining how new depression drugs are developed (or, more often, why they’re not) and interviewing other patients and families struggling with mental illness.
Through her very real pain, Paperny offers listeners some hope and understanding about a topic so often avoided. If you or someone you love is hurting, this is a really good opportunity to connect and gain a better understanding about what’s going on with the mind and, even deeper, in the heart. Highly recommend.
A History of Tomboys
Madison Hurd, Think intern, says...
This conversation is fascinating because it offers an updated look at what it means to be a tomboy in 2020 and explores whether there is space for that identifier in the current culture.
This was one of the first shows I worked on when I began my internship with Think, so it holds a special place in my heart. I've identified as a tomboy for a while in my childhood and have always loved tomboy characters like Jo March who choose to defy traditional gender expectations in favor of being true to themselves.
This conversation is fascinating because it offers an updated look at what it means to be a tomboy in 2020 and explores whether there is space for that identifier in the current culture.
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