Friday, January 2 – Friday, January 9

Unlike many of his super-wealthy peers, billionaire entrepreneur Nick Hanauer has no illusions about the dangers of growing income inequality. He joins us to discuss his Politico Magazine essay, “The Pitchforks Are Coming… For Us Plutocrats”.

The nation’s high school graduation rate is at its highest point ever, but there are still nearly 800,000 students who fail to graduate each year. They’re often labeled as unmotivated, lazy or criminal. But a report called “Don’t Call Them Dropouts” paints a much more complex picture. Alma J. Powell, board chair of America’s Promise Alliance, which prepared the report, explains the findings.

Clifton Taulbert achieved critical acclaim for his memoir, “Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored”, and he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his second memoir, “The Last Train North”. Taulbert tells us about his latest memoir, “The Invitation”, which chronicles the transformative journey he took when he accepted an invitation to dinner at a former plantation house in South Carolina.

It should come as no surprise that singer and guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd was inspired by the likes of B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Shepherd joins us to discuss his latest album, “Goin’ Home”, which pays homage to his blues muses and mentors.

Where’s the best place to raise your children? The Annie E. Casey Foundation has compiled some of that data in a report called “Race for Results: Building a Path to Opportunity for All Children”. Lisa Hamilton, vice president for external affairs at foundation, joins us to share the report’s findings.

Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under President George H.W. Bush, has tirelessly promoted diversity in health care and healthier lifestyles for all Americans for more than four decades. He joins us to discuss his autobiography, “Breaking Ground: My Life in Medicine”.

Yahoo! Tech columnist Dan Tynan describes the growing market for Internet set-top video streaming devices and the differences between them.

“Shining Star” is one of dozens of hits produced over four decades by Earth, Wind & Fire. It’s also an appropriate description of lead singer Philip Bailey, who tells the story of his life and career in his new memoir, “Shining Star: Braving the Elements of Earth, Wind & Fire”.