Ellie Kemper, RJ Young on Gun Culture, Abbi Jacobson

Actor Ellie Kemper joins us to discuss her autobiographical book of essays, My Squirrel Days. From growing up in suburban St. Louis to moving to Los Angeles, Kemper provides us with an intimate look at how she got to where she is today.

RJ Young (at 16:54) joins us to discuss Let It Bang: A Young Black Man’s Reluctant Odyssey into Guns. Based on his own life, the book traces how Young came to be an NRA-certified pistol instructor. Initially, the most that Young knew about guns was that they could get him killed. Until, recently married to a white woman and in need of a way to relate to his gun-loving father-in-law, Young does the unimaginable: he accepts a gift of a Glock. Despite, or because of, the racial rage and fear he experiences among white gun owners, Young becomes determined to get good at handling a gun. This is the compelling story of the author’s unexpected obsession and of his deep dive into the heart of America's gun culture.

Abbi Jacobson (at 32:01) joins us to talk about her new book, I Might Regret This: Essays, Drawings, Vulnerabilities, and Other Stuff, which charts her journey on a solitary road trip. In this collection of anecdotes, observations, and reflections, readers will feel like they're in the passenger seat on her journey.