Most people love learning regardless of whether or not school is their thing or not.
Audio books can be an excellent vehicle for processing knowledge that is less visual than video or even the written word. The American education system tends to fail students in many ways, requiring lots of self- education after school is over to learn the real truth in spite of what we were taught in history, art, science, language, literature, and math. It is especially true for marginalized groups, whose perspectives and acceptance are often denied entry.
The dynamics of who gets to teach and who gets to learn are dramatically changed by the use of Podcasts. A lot of popular shows, like Radiolab and Hardcore History, boil down to what you want your science or history class to be like. 1619 and You're Wrong About aim to correct misinformation in many accepted cultural narratives from both our near and distant pasts.
There are a lot of world-class teacher-to-student relationships that can't be replaced by podcasts. They can teach us more than a few important lessons. Some of our favorites are listed.
Unexplainable flips the premise on its head by explaining complicated ideas in a way that is easy to understand. Unexplainable has the most incomprehensible unknowns of all time. Unexplainable shows us that human knowledge has many limits and that we need to get comfortable with that. That is kind of awesome.
You're Wrong About is doing God's work by changing the record on everything we misremember or misunderstand. Each week, Sarah Marshall and Michael Hobbes debunk popular myths and misinformation about figures like Marie Antoinette and the O.J. Simpson trial. Our Best Feminist Podcasts are here.
1619 is the story of modern America and the people who built it through blood, sweat, tears, and hope. It is a version of the story that many of us never hear. 1619 is more than just a show about the history of slavery, it is the beginning of almost every aspect of American society and culture today. This isn't just a sobering lesson, it's a hard pill to swallow. By weaving the historical with the personal and the poetic, Nikole Hannah-Jones paints a captivating portrait of Black Americans lived experience, and all the simultaneous struggle, strength, oppression, ambition, pain, and humor needed to survive. 1619 is a story about race and the inequalities embedded into a system. The story is about the people we were then and are now. From our best limited-Series Podcasts to Binge.
History class paints a picture of the world that excludes half of the population. Wonder Media Network's Womanica aims to fix that by releasing 5- to 10-minute episodes on women who made history in a certain field. Each month focuses on a different area of expertise, which included activism and music in the most recent month. Our Best Feminist Podcasts are here.
There is a kind of fallacy that comes with being knowledgeable or well-educated, which is that you can start to think you know everything. Human knowledge is always flawed, a work in progress rather than an end goal. This psychology podcast dives into the ways we think and why they are often faulty or misinterpreted.
The legacy podcast is determined to reveal exactly how and why invisible forces rule our world. In every episode, host Roman Mars discovers a different facet of the hidden world of design, whether it is the user experience of an app on your phone or your entire home.
NPR's textbook example of rich, masterfully-produced documentary podcasts-making was started by Jad Abumrad in 2002. Radiolab is often referred to as their friends at This American Life, but tends toward the more science. Our Best Science Podcasts are here.
Gimlet's Every Little Thing is like the teacher who encouraged you to ask all the questions. There is no quest for understanding too small or too big for this podcast, whether it is trying to determine if a listener's very specific early childhood memory is real, or investigating why we cry.
The most fascinating and dramatic episodes of our past can be turned into multi-part epic sagas by Dan Carlin. Hardcore History has three hour-long episodes. Each deep dive can change what you thought you knew about history.
The influence of Nabokov's work can be overstated. From fashion to music to film to sexual expression itself, the novel's impact on society far exceeds literary circles, affecting the mainstream in ways you may not even be aware of. You don't need to read the cautionary tale about a predator grooming, kidnapping, and raping a child to be riveted by the show. Jamie Loftus wrestles with the significance of a society that sexualizes young girls. No matter how uncomfortable, Loftus leaves no stone unturned with her own personal experiences and analysis. The first part of the show dives into a lot of impossible yet crucial questions, but only unfurls more layers of complexity than offering easy answers. From our Best Podcasts of 2020.
Sometimes it can be pretty boring to Delve into the ins and outs of the language. We apologize to our editors. The show from host Mignon Fogarty brings a lack of judgement, accessibility, and fun to learning about the English language. It is an essential resource for writers, diving into not only the rules but the historical and cultural contexts behind them.
If you want to learn more about the niches of study that professionals choose to dedicate their lives to, check out Ologies with science correspondent and humorist Alie Ward. Each episode, Ward takes on a differentology from conventional ones like paleontology, to more niche ones like philematology. Our Best Science Podcasts are here.
The success of Planet Money lies in how it tackles complex subjects. Planet Money makes the types of things that are the heart of a thrilling narrative. The team continues to explore the financial collapse, but they have expanded their scope to include all aspects of the global economy.
The Indicator is a great gateway drug if you are less interested in money stuff. You will be surprised at how much important information you can get in 10 minutes. Our Best Daily Podcasts are here.
NPR's popular podcast hosted by social science correspondent Shankar Vedantam dives into the human mind and questions why we do what we do. You will get in your own head with the interviews that Vedantam conducts with experts on complex topics that are easy to understand. Our Best Science Podcasts are here.
Floodlines shows how America has only reached the surface of the national wound caused by Hurricane Katrina. Through interviews with survivors and reporting that addresses the media misinformation and government incompetence around the catastrophe, host Vann R. Newkirk II shows how the real storm that devastated New Orleans was the same storm that has been brewing in America for centuries. The Best New Podcasts of 2020 are here.
It's difficult to think about happiness in terms of things that will make us happy. Achieving that state of mind takes daily work, and no thing can make you happy except yourself. Dr. Laurie Santos, who studied the science of happiness at Yale and has a doctorate in psychology, makes clear in her podcast tackling the wide range of questions about how to live a life with more joy in spite of it. Dr.Santos takes his topics to panels of experts and researchers in psychology, behavioral science, and more. From our Best Self-Improvement Podcasts.
Nice White Parents is a five-part limited series from the team that redefined podcasting. Nice White Parents puts a different criminal on trial than complex true-crime cases because white liberalism has helped perpetuate the segregation of public schools in America for decades under the guise of progressive ideals. The School for International Studies was a New York City public school that was predominantly serving students of color. It became a battleground of racial tensions and inequalities after a flood of white parents who couldn't get their kids into preferred white schools decided to enroll them there. It is a story from a personal place for Joffe-Walt. She began reporting on it after shopping around for schools as a new parent, only to discover she was part of a larger history of white parents who have shaped our public school education system into what it is today. From our full review.
If you skipped philosophy in college, you can get a bad rap for being snobbish. Stephen West makes a book for people who want to understand the nuanced ideas of our great thinkers without all the BS. You will gain a working knowledge of everything from media theory studies to multiple theories of justice if you consume it in chronological order.
Making Gay History looks to change that, telling the stories of the people who fought for decades for LGBTQ civil rights. Many of them have gone uncelebrated. From our Best History show.
The American experiment is one of the biggest sources of mis education in our country. In this WNYC Studios and Atlantic collaboration, host Julia Longoria applies the ideals of America's past that were held to be self-evident, then measures them up against our current reality. The experiment can find lessons in trash reality TV shows such as 90 Day Fiancé.
Liv Albert is an author who studied classical civilizations and English literature at a university and she does an amazing job of rendering the ancient texts both accessible and exciting. The gods, heroes, and creatures of Greek myth are analyzed through a variety of modern lens, from feminism to queerness and even neurodivergence. There is a range of formats, from solo episodes with multi-part-series deep dives to more broad conversations with other mythology experts. You have heard of these myths before, but you have never heard them like this. Our Best Podcasts for Writers are here.
The one who could spark your interest in art history is the one who is a student of art history. She brings the strangest and most fascinating stories behind the art to life with a distinct theme for every season. The vibe of the past several years is right for Season 9, which is all about cursed art.
Blowback is an unapologetically left-wing show. Like the left-wing. If that is not cool with you, then it is not the podcast for you. The story of the Iraq War is told from a point of view that is left-wing. The disastrous war in Iraq was laundered through a right-wing government and it was some time before anyone admitted it. Blowback shows how terrible the Iraq War was, how it still shapes America today, and how few consequences will befall the people who sold it to the public. From our Best History show.
Some people don't like language learning apps. Coffee Break from Radio Lingua Network is a great example of how casual it is. Season 1 of the lesson plans is for true beginners. In its travel log episodes, the podcast really sings, applying those lessons to a grasp of the language. There are also versions in French, Italian, German, Chinese, and Swedish.
Like the r/TodayILearned subreddit, it's in a podcast form. Every weekday, you can learn something new from the hosts. They offer summaries of interesting, research-backed news and facts from the science, psychology, and technology fields. Our Best Daily Podcasts are here.
Many of us missed the reading when we were in school, only to regret it later on. That's why there are original audiobooks on the list, some even voiced by A-list actors. It offers many of the classics for free, like the memoir Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Sitting with the Classics is a separate podcast for unpacking literature. The full collection can be found here.
If you're hearing a lot of noise in your feed, it's related to 5G, the war on plastic straws, or anti-vaxxers. One of the best science podcasts in the game was snapped up by Gimlet Media from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2015, and it was hosted by Wendy Zuckerman. They have done a lot of episodes about the coronaviruses, debunking rumors and misinformation. If you need a small hit of science in your day, there is a shorter version called Shots of Science vs. Our Best Science Podcasts are here.
When you reach adulthood, you realize how absurd it is that school never gave us the financial education that is more important to everyday life than anything we learned in math class. CNN's Diversifying podcast seeks to change that by not only teaching listeners about how to tackle today's biggest money hurdles, but also the emotional side of reclaiming their financial independence. Delyanne Barros is a Brazilian immigrant who grew up with an immense pressure to succeed at the American dream. After accruing six figures in student loan debts, she realized she was miserable and decided to make her own path.
The financial system is stacked against people of color and women. Barros found her true calling and success when she quit her corporate job and devoted her life to helping other people navigate the oppression in America's financial institutions. She makes these hard lessons accessible and engaging with the help of some excellent guests.
I don't know about you, but right now I'm interested in stories about the rich getting eaten. Dana Schwartz's Noble Blood tells a true story of murder, betrayal, and blood from noble classes from all around the world and across history. It is not always the rich who end up bloodied, since they are often the ones with the power to act brutally. Each 30-minute tale is guaranteed to take you outside the autocracy of today. Distract yourself with our best Podcasts.
Literature tends to keep a lot of people of color from reading. Those who have been kept out are finding more and more ways to break through the walls of snobbery. The Mary Sue assistant editor, Princess Weekes, is the host of the It's Lit! podcast. It offers refreshing takes and more realistic perspectives to literary discourse. The guests and conversations cover a lot of the same topics as the traditional literary circles, such as whether the classics fail us or why diverse young adult fiction is so important. Our Best Podcasts for Writers are here.
UPDATE: Apr. 29, 2022, 11:45 a.m. EDT This story was originally published in Feb. 2021 and updated in April 2022.
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