Tag Archives: Jordan Ellenberg

Peter Bergen. Jordan Ellenberg. Tana French. Matilda Mann.

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Peter Bergen
Jorden Ellenberg
Tana French

Peter Bergen Trump And His Generals

Journalist, author and CNN national security analyst, Peter Bergen’s timely new book, Trump And His Generals reads like an outrageous fantasy thriller, set in Washington DC. The antics of the president and his cohorts as they proceed without customary norms to select generals for major posts in his administration could be sub-headed, “Truth Is Definitely Stranger Than Fiction!” Bergen, without unnecessary titillations, soberly lays out the course of events before Trump sets foot in the White House, until the present day. Peter’s almost deadpan narrative is occasionally interrupted by a slight chuckle when the dark humor of the story is alluded to by Life Elsewhere host, Norman B.

Jordan Ellenberg How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking

“I believe you have Dyscalculia”, mathematics Professor, Jordan Ellenberg tells Norman B, who admits to having difficulty with numbers and being daunted by interviewing the author of How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking. The professor’s book, now out in paperback is all about math, but not the math we learn in school which can seem like a dull set of rules, laid down by the ancients and not to be questioned. Instead, Jordan Ellenberg explains to us how terribly limiting this view is. “Math isn’t confined to abstract incidents that never occur in real life, but rather touches everything we do—the whole world is shot through with it, the math.” the professor says.

Tana French Dublin Murders

All seven of Tana French’s books are set in Dublin, and six of them form the loosely connected Dublin Murder Squad series.  Instead of featuring a static cast of characters solving every case, the cast is a daisy chain, with each new book narrated by a supporting character from a previous volume. 2007’s In the Woods is narrated by one detective; in The Likeness, his former partner takes over; in Faithful Place, her former boss becomes the narrator; and on it goes. That evolving cast allows French to escape from one of the great problems of the detective story: namely, how to make the detective into someone who changes and evolves over time, while also preserving the status quo enough to allow them to continue building their lives around solving mysteries. French’s detectives are undone and remade by their cases. In every novel, they are taken apart and then put back together again by mysteries that are fiendishly designed to reveal their very worst tendencies. Now, Starz has adapted her first two books, In the Woods and The Likeness, into the new TV show Dublin Murders. Tana always a welcome guest on Life Elsewhere each time she releases a new book. So, for this edition, we have gone back into our archives for a conversation with the celebrated crime novelist.

Matilda Mann Loch Ness Monster; Nothing At All

Matilda Mann

Talented London-based, Arlo Parks is a good example of a singer-songwriter we spotted long before she had risen to major acclaim. With 2020 just ahead,  Arlo is already poised to become a serious headliner. So, it’s with great delight we bring you another name we rate highly,  19-year-old Matilda Mann from West London. From the small examples of her singer-songwriting abilities, we are suggesting Matilda could be another name to watch out for. You’ll hear two cuts, Loch Ness Monster and Nothing At All, both songs have depth, yet with enough pop sensibility for us to give serious approval and ask you to make sure we hear your feedback.

 

 

Show #353

 

 

The Brain + Math + Natasha Tells All!

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Norman Doidge, M.D., is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, researcher, author, essayist, and poet, he joins Life Elsewhere to discuss his latest book The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity. “They thought that the brain was too sophisticated for its own good. That during evolution, it became so complex that it lost the ability to repair itself and to restore lost functions or to preserve itself. They were wrong. Because it turns out that its very sophistication can be the source of a unique kind of healing… The brain’s way of healing.” Says Doidge. The subject of his book could be daunting if it were not for Norman Doidge’s enthusiasm and easy to understand explanations

“I believe you have Dyscalculia”, mathematics Professor, Jordan Ellenberg tells Norman B, who admits to having difficulty with numbers and being daunted by interviewing the author of How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking. The professor’s book, now out in paperback is all about math, but not the math we learn in school which can seem like a dull set of rules, laid down by the ancients and not to be questioned. Instead, Jordan Ellenberg explains to us how terribly limiting this view is. “Math isn’t confined to abstract incidents that never occur in real life, but rather touches everything we do—the whole world is shot through with it, the math.” the professor says.

She was the last person to be hired at Andy Warhol’s Factory and she wants to talk about it. Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni wants to talk about all of her experiences including an affair with Mick Jagger when she was a seventeen-year-old school girl. Ms. Fraser-Cavassoni isn’t one to hold back, in her new book, After Andy – Adventures In Warhol Land, she tells all. It’s a glitzy, fast-paced, juicy, gossipy, name-dropping chronicle. She saw firsthand the end of an era and the establishment of a global phenomenon. From behind the scenes disagreements and the assessment of his estate, which included Interview magazine and his art inventory, to the record-breaking auction of his belongings and the publication of his diaries. Natasha examines the immediate aftermath of Warhol’s death and his ever-growing impact. In the next edition of Life Elsewhere, Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni chats with Norman B about her riveting eyewitness memoir.

Life Elsewhere is now available at NPR One & iTunes

Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
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Sex & Drugs & Rock ’n’ Roll & …er…Math!

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Sex

In the next bumper-packed edition of Life Elsewhere we’ll talk with Mandy Smith who recounts in explicit detail, her life as a Virgin Flight attendant. Mandy will tell us the good, the bad and the downright naughty tales of life in the air. Her book, Cabin Fever, The Sizzling Secrets of a Virgin Air Hostess, has just been released in paperback.

Drugs

Dr. David Casarett‘s new book, Stoned: A Doctor’s Case for Medical Marijuana, brings a welcome objectivity to contentious topic by applying a unique mix of science, humanity, and even humor to effectively dispel common myths and misconceptions about medical marijuana. Dr. Casarett joins the program and we’ll ask the important questions, including, “How stoned is too stoned?”

Rock ’n’ Roll

The Hit That Never Was this week features an English rock band who formed inSiv Jakobsen 1963 and were professionally active between 1964 and 1967. They were a popular live attraction at the time, rivaling such groups as The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds, although, despite releasing a clutch of singles and an album, their record sales never reflected this popularity. The band took their name from the singer, who was the eldest brother of another rock musician who later found fame with the Faces and the Stones. If you can’t name the band, make sure you don’t miss the next Life Elsewhere to find out who is this week’s Hit That Never Was. Also in music, Norman B will introduce you to a talented new singer-songwriter from Norway, Siv Jakobsen. “I’m entranced by Siv’s voice and her adroit use of silences or pauses in her work.” Says Mr. B. who will play two two cuts from her EP, “The Lingering”, a unique cover of Britney Spears’ Toxic and How We Used To Love, which is also released as a single with a beautiful video to promote it. “Siv has that ethereal, haunting quality that reminds me of Life Elsewhere favorite, Barzin.” Adds Norman B.

Math

“I believe you have Discalculia”, mathematics Professor, Jordan Ellenberg tells Norman B, who admits to having difficulty with numbers and being daunted by interviewing the author of How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking. The professor’s book, now out in paperback is all about math, but not the math we learn in school which can seem like a dull set of rules, laid down by the ancients and not to be questioned. Instead Jordan Ellenberg explains to us how terribly limiting this view is. “Math isn’t confined to abstract incidents that never occur in real life, but rather touches everything we do—the whole world is shot through with it, the math.” the professor says.

Life Elsewhere airs:
Sundays at 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays at 7.00pm ET at WROM Radio
Mondays at 5.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio