Terry Gross

Growing up, Bridgett M. Davis' mother booked and banked bets from their home in Detroit. She writes the role of "the numbers" in the black community in her memoir. Originally broadcast Feb. 4, 2019.

As her Showtime series draws to an end, Danes talks about playing CIA agent Carrie Mathison and what it was like navigating adolescence while starring in My So-Called Life.

Hotchner, who died Feb. 15, met the famed novelist in '48, and went on to adapt several of his works for TV. Hotchner's memoir, Papa Hemingway, detailed their friendship. Originally broadcast in 1999.

Hornby's 1995 novel about a record shop owner was made into a film in 2000. Now it's been adapted and updated into a new Hulu series, starring Zoë Kravitz. Originally broadcast in 1995.

Shabalala, who died Feb. 11, fronted of the South African a capella group. He spoke with Terry Gross in 1991 about collaborating with Paul Simon on Graceland and growing up on a farm.

Director James Jacoby catalogs the reach of the tech giant in his new PBS Frontline documentary, Amazon Empire. "So much power is pooled into the hands of one company and one man," he says.

"What you have is a presidential campaign that is pushing lies and distortions and conspiracy theories into the bloodstream at an unprecedented rate," says Atlantic writer McKay Coppins.

When Pollan decided to write about caffeine, he gave it up — cold turkey. "I just couldn't focus," he says. "I was irritable. I lost confidence." Caffeine reshapes the brain in surprising ways.

One of Hollywood's biggest stars of the 1950s and '60s, the Spartacus and Lust for Life actor went on to run his own production company. Douglas died Feb. 5. Originally broadcast in 1988.

Todd Phillips has been nominated for an Oscar for his film, a Batman villain origin story (of sorts) that explores mental health and the lack of social services. Originally broadcast Jan. 6, 2020.

New Yorker writer Adam Entous says the U.S. could face further retaliation from Iran for the death of Qassem Soleimani: "If you look at their history, they take a long time before they strike back."

Eilene Zimmerman didn't learn of her ex-husband's addiction to cocaine and opioids until after his death. "This had happened in front of us, and we hadn't recognized it," she says.

Working on the factory floor is hard, hot and dangerous, says Steven Bognar. He and Julia Reichert made a documentary — just nominated for an Oscar — about a GM plant reopened by a Chinese company.

The Spanish actor has been nominated for an Oscar for his role as a screenwriter and director who has stopped working because of physical and emotional pain. Originally broadcast Sept. 30, 2019.

Kim Ghattas grew up in Lebanon during the civil war and covered the Mideast for the BBC for 20 years. She says events in the region in 1979 set off waves of extremism and violence that continue today.

Law professor Richard Hasen is sounding the alarm about Russian hacks, voter suppression and other threats to the 2020 election. "There's lots of ways that things could go south," he says.

Rigby's memoir, Girl to City, tracks how a Catholic girl from Pittsburgh became part of the New York punk scene — and invented and reinvented herself as a performer, songwriter and a mother.

Lehrer, who died Jan. 23, was a nightly figure on PBS news for more than three decades, and moderated presidential debates in every election from 1988 through 2012. Originally broadcast in 1988.

In 2005, journalist Laurence Rees described the inner workings of the Nazi death camp in his book, Auschwitz: A New History, and Elie Wiesel spoke in 1988 about his experience at Auschwitz.

Jones, who died Jan. 21, co-founded the British comedy troupe in 1969, and went on to direct and co-star in the 1979 Python film Life of Brian. Originally broadcast in 1987.