Author Amy Tan is best known for popular novels like The Joy Luck Club and its 1993 film adaptation. The book and movie explore several mother-daughter relationships — some of which were shaped by Amy’s own experiences. Amy’s latest book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, hits close to home in a different way. In it, she brings the birds in her backyard to life with humor and tragedy through observations and drawings from her nature journals. But the book isn’t just a recounting of wildlife. Amy vividly imagines the birds’ inner thoughts and comes away with piercing observations about wildlife, humanity and the relationship between them. This hour, Amy talks to us about that book and offers her insights on a wide range of topics including how birds have led her to reflect on mortality, her changing experience of racism and overcoming her fear of sharks. A note to our radio listeners: Starting the week of September 23, Disrupted moves from Wednesdays at 2:00 PM to Fridays at 9:00 AM and a rebroadcast at 8:00 PM, plus our Sunday at 2:00 PM rebroadcast.

This hour, we prepare for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic games. We'll hear from competitors, including a Connecticut native who lost part of her leg in a shark attack one year ago. She will now swim for Team USA in the Paralympics. We'll also check in on the geopolitical implications of this year's Olympics and talk to Logan "Logistx" Edra, who is competing in breaking— a style of dance rooted in hip-hop culture. It is the first time that breaking will be an Olympic sport. GUESTS: Ali Truwit: swimmer from Connecticut who will be competing in the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games Les Carpenter: Olympics writer for The Washington Post Logan Edra aka "Logistx": one of the four breakers competing for Team USA in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games

Baratunde Thurston is a bestselling author, has been nominated for an Emmy and gave a TED Talk that now has over a million views on YouTube. He's also the host of the PBS series America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston. This hour, Baratunde opens up about everything from from doubting himself while attending an elite private school to the need for a rebirth of democracy. And he explains how America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston has shaped the way he relates to people and other parts of the natural world. GUEST: Baratunde Thurston: bestselling author, activist and comedian. He's also host of the PBS television series America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston and the podcast How to Citizen with Baratunde. Special thanks to our interns Lateshia Peters and Joey Morgan.

This hour, we are exploring the central role that Native peoples have played in the development of the United States, while facing legal discrimination that goes all the way back to the country's founding documents. Professor of Law Matthew L.M. Fletcher gives us the context around the Supreme Court's recent ruling on the Indian Child Welfare Act. And Ned Blackhawk discusses his new book, The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History, which tells the history of the United States, emphasizing how Native Americans have been essential to determining that history. GUESTS: Matthew L. M. Fletcher: the Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law and Professor of American Culture at the University of Michigan and a citizen of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. He is appointed to the appellate court of several tribes Ned Blackhawk: Professor of History and American Studies at Yale. His most recent book is The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History Special thanks to our interns Carol Chen and Stacey Addo.

This hour, we explore the recent rise in anti-trans legislation. Orion Rummler of The 19th News takes us through anti-trans bills that are being passed at the state level. Karleigh Chardonnay Webb explains why attacks on trans athletes are about more than sports. And Dawn Ennis talks about finding joy during a time of discrimination. GUESTS: Orion Rummler: LGBTQ+ reporter for The 19th News Karleigh Chardonnay Webb: contributor to Outsports, peer support operator for Trans Lifeline, organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Reapers Women’s Football team member. Dawn Ennis: journalist, professor at the University of Hartford, author of "What Makes Trans Joy Such a Powerful Antidote to Transphobia."

This hour on Disrupted, we're challenging long-held assumptions about parents and caregivers. First, Angela Garbes, author of Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change, explains how care workers are undervalued. She touches on the way the early days of the pandemic spotlighted issues in caregiving and why the legacy of American colonialism in the Philippines influenced both her family history and the disproportionate number of Filipinx nurses who died from COVID. Then, UConn professor Kari Adamsons talks about her research on fathers and the problem with the way many people think about "traditional families." GUESTS: Angela Garbes: author of Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change Kari Adamsons: Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut

On this week's episode of Disrupted, Dr. Clint Smith joins us to talk about his recent book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America.

For more than 50 years, PBS’s Sesame Street has brought quality educational programming to children around the globe. And while we may take it for granted now, Sesame Street upended the conventional ideas of kids television. This week, a look inside the creation of children educational TV. Guests: Sonia Manzano: Actress, best known for work as Maria on Sesame Street. She’s also the creator of the animated kids show Alma’s Way and author of the forthcoming book,Coming Up Cuban: Rising Past Castro’s Shadow. Daniel R. Anderson: Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a former consultant for Nickelodeon and Sesame Workshop Disrupted is produced by James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier and Catie Talarski. Our interns are Michayla Savitt and Sara Gasparotto. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate.