Diane Rehm: On My Mind

WAMU 88.5

Diane Rehm’s weekly podcast features newsmakers, writers, artists and thinkers on the issues she cares about most: what’s going on in Washington, ideas that inform, and the latest on living well as we live longer.

7hr 8min

Thumbnail for "Best books of 2024 ... and beyond".

Diane discusses the best books of 2024 with Ann Patchett, novelist and owner of Parnassus Books, Maureen Corrigan, book critic for N-P-R's Fresh Air, and Eddie Glaude Jr., author and professor of African American studies at Princeton University.

December 19, 202454min 34sec52.39 MB

Thumbnail for "Bishop Mariann Budde on her plea to Donald Trump".

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde on her plea to Donald Trump — and why she has no plans to apologize.

January 23, 202534min 41sec33.3 MB

Thumbnail for "What's with Donald Trump and Greenland?".

Donald Trump says he wants to buy Greenland. Greenlanders say it's not for sale. The Wilson Center's Sherrie Goodman explains what's behind the president-elect's interest in the icy island.

January 16, 202532min 54sec31.6 MB

Thumbnail for "How private insurers made billions off Medicare Advantage".

The Medicare Advantage program was meant to make healthcare for seniors and the disabled more efficient, a new Wall Street Journal investigation shows private insurers bilked the system for billions.

January 9, 202542min 52sec41.16 MB

Thumbnail for "BONUS EPISODE: Remembering President Jimmy Carter".

Over the years, Diane Rehm interviewed Jimmy Carter 12 times. On this day before Carter's funeral in Washington D.C., we share with you excerpts of those conversations.

January 8, 202551min48.99 MB

Thumbnail for "Joe Biden's presidential legacy".

January 20 will mark the end of Joe Biden's presidency. Susan Page of USA Today reflects on his legacy as commander in chief.

January 2, 202537min 1sec35.54 MB

Thumbnail for "Understanding Earth as "Planet Aqua"".

Jeremy Rifkin says understanding Earth as a water planet is key to addressing climate change. He joins Diane to talk about his new book, "Planet Aqua."

December 26, 202451min 15sec49.2 MB

Thumbnail for "How much can Elon Musk cut? The promise and reality of DOGE".

Elon Musk has promised to use the new Department of Government Efficiency to slash a third of the federal budget. David Fahrenthold of The New York Times explains why DOGE's goals are likely out of reach.

December 12, 202430min 27sec29.24 MB

Thumbnail for "Trump, Social Security and the future of retirement in America".

During the campaign Donald Trump promised not to touch Social Security benefits. But his policies could lead to deep cuts. Economist Teresa Ghilarducci explains why.

December 5, 202445min 44sec43.92 MB

Thumbnail for "A conversation with folk legend Joan Baez".

For decades legendary folk singer Joan Baez wrote poems on scraps of paper, tucked away in old notebooks. Now 83, she's sharing them in her first poetry collection, "When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance." Baez joined Diane for her August 2024 book club event.

November 27, 202447min 19sec45.44 MB

Best books of 2024 ... and beyond

December 19, 202454min 34sec

Earlier this week Diane hosted a special edition of The Diane Rehm Book Club, her monthly series held on ZOOM in front of a live audience.

This month she asked some of her favorite book lovers to join her to talk about their favorite reads of year. And they did not disappoint.

Her guests were Ann Patchett, novelist and owner of Parnassus Books, Eddie Glaude Jr., professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and author of several books on race and politics, and Maureen Corrigan, book critic on NPR’s Fresh Air. She also teaches literary criticism at Georgetown University.

See below for a list of each guest’s top books of the year, along with all of the titles discussed during this conversation.

Maureen Corrigan’s top books of 2024:
“James” by Percival Everett
“Colored Television” by Danzy Senna
“Long Island” by Colm Tóibín
“Tell Me Everything” by Elizabeth Strout
“Martyr!” by Kaveh Akbar
“Creation Lake” by Rachel Kushner
“Cahokia Jazz” by Francis Spufford
“The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore
“A Wilder Shore” by Camille Peri
“The Letters of Emily Dickinson” edited by Cristanne Miller and Domhnall Mitchell

Ann Patchett’s top books of 2024:
“James” by Percival Everett
“Martyr!” by Kaveh Akbar
“Colored Television” by Danzy Senna
“Sipsworth” by Simon Van Booy
“Tell Me Everything” by Elizabeth Strout
“Mighty Red” by Louise Erdrich
“Time of the Child” by Niall Williams
“An Unfinished Love Story” by Doris Kearns Goodwin
“The Backyard Bird Chronicles” by Amy Tan
“Hotel Balzaar” by Kate DiCamillo (middle grade book)
“Water, Water: Poems” by Billy Collins

Eddie Glaude Jr.’s top books of 2024:
“Slaveroad” by John Edgar Wideman
“Recognizing the Stranger: On Palestine and Narrative” by Isabella Hammad
“We’re Alone” by Edwidge Danticat

Other titles mentioned in the discussion:
“Wide Sargasso Sea” with introduction by Edwidge Danticat
“Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver
“The Dog Who Followed the Moon: An Inspirational Story with Meditations on Life, Experience the Power of Love and Sacrifice” by James Norbury
“Afterlives” by Abdulrazak Gurnah
“Someone Knows My Name” by Lawrence Hill
“Moon Tiger” by Penelope Lively
“Sandwich” by Catherine Newman
“Windward Heights” by Maryse Condé
“There's Always This Year” by Hanif Abdurraqib
“Mothers and Sons” by Adam Haslett (publication date in January 2025)
“Memorial Day” by Geraldine Brooks (publication date in February 2025)
“33 Place Brugmann” by Alice Austen (publication date in March 2025)
“Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell
“Independent People” by Halldor Laxness
“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
“Beloved” by Toni Morrison
“Sing, Unburied, Sing” by Jesmyn Ward

To find out more about The Diane Rehm Book Club go to dianerehm.org/bookclub.