Note: This episodes contains references to suicide.
When a state trooper appeared at Rachel Zimmerman's door to report that her husband had jumped to his death off a nearby bridge, she fell to her knees, unable to fully absorb the news. How could the man she married, a devoted father and robotics professor at MIT, have committed such a violent act? How would ... Show More
Mar 29
Nikita Kaur Simpson, "Tension: Mental Distress and Embodied Inequality in the Western Himalayas" (Duke UP, 2026)
In Tension: Mental Distress and Embodied Inequality in the Western Himalayas (Duke UP, 2026), Dr. Nikita Kaur Simpson examines the effects of rapid development in the Himalayas on the minds and bodies of the Gaddi people who inhabit them through attention to the multifaceted stat ... Show More
49m 41s
Mar 26
167* Addiction with Gina Turrigiano (EF, JP)
In Recall This Book's second episode (January 2019) John and Elizabeth spoke with their brilliant Brandeis colleague, the MacArthur-winning neuroscientist Gina Turrigiano, about a number of different facets of addiction. The conversation seems as timely as ever. What makes an add ... Show More
46m 53s
Mar 23
Steven Pinker, "When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows...: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life" (Scribner, 2025)
Common knowledge is necessary for coordination, for making arbitrary but complementary choices like driving on the right, using paper currency, and coalescing behind a political leader or movement. It’s also necessary for social coordination: everything from rendezvousing at a ti ... Show More
34m 30s
Feb 2025
Patricia A. Roos, "Surviving Alex: A Mother's Story of Love, Loss, and Addiction" (Rutgers UP, 2024)
In 2015, Patricia Roos’s twenty-five-year-old son Alex died of a heroin overdose. Turning her grief into action, Roos, a professor of sociology at Rutgers University, began to research the social factors and institutional failures that contributed to his death. Surviving Alex: A ... Show More
1h 13m
Nov 2024
Douglas J. Engelman, "A Boy Broken: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Mental Illness, Loss, and a Search for Meaning" (2023)
In A Boy Broken: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Mental Ilness, Loss, and a Search for Meaning (2023), Dr. Douglas J. Engelman takes us through an often painful, sometimes uplifting story, where he recalls and describes the moment his relationship with his son changed foreve ... Show More
42m 57s
Jan 2024
Tamara Greene has been in the headlines for decades. But will we ever know who killed Strawberry?
<p>In 2003, Tamara Greene, a young mother, was murdered at a stop sign while sitting in her car. One a new Daily J, WWJ's Zach Clark talks to Christy Strawser, the creator of 'Who Killed Strawberry,' and discusses her daughter's now viral claims that she was the target of an orch ... Show More
15m 18s
Jun 2025
S16EP1: Suicide or Murder? The Mysterious Death of Ellen Greenberg | Mystery and Murder: Analysis by Dr. Phil
Ellen Greenberg's death was ruled a suicide—but does the evidence tell a different story? In this episode, Dr. Phil takes a hard look at the timeline leading up to Ellen's final moments, revealing details that raise serious questions.Through expert analysis, Dr. Phil dissects the ... Show More
39m 38s
Nov 2024
TikToker April Holt’s Death Almost Went Unsolved… Until Her Mom Got Her Killer To Confess
April Lynn Holt was a mother of two, living outside of Nashville, Tennessee, working hard to create a good life for herself and her family. TikTok was a huge passion of hers, and she began making content back in the pandemic and had garnered over 200,000 followers. Her content wa ... Show More
1h 11m
Feb 2025
Murder On The Red River: Who Killed Jennifer Harris?
A decades-old mystery—who killed Jennifer Harris? More than 20 years after Jennifer Harris was murdered, her family is still searching for answers. Jennifer's sister, Alyssa Wernick, and her husband, Barry Wernick, sit down with Dr. Phil, former investigator Daryl Parker, and hos ... Show More
42m 50s