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Lessons on love and acceptance from today's dynamic families

About the Episode

Family dynamics are shaped by identity, mental health and more. Andrew Solomon explores the lives of dozens of families — and challenges the concept of what an "ideal" family looks like.

About Andrew Solomon

Andrew Solomon is an award-winning writer, psychologist and lecturer. He is also an activist in LGBT rights, mental health, education and the arts.

His memoir The Noonday Demon: At Atlas of Depression won the 2001 National Book Award for Nonfiction and was a finalist for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize. He is also the author of the bestseller Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity, as well as the audiobook New Familiy Values, among several other books. He is currently working on a new book about depression and suicide among young people.

Solomon is a professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University and a lecturer at Yale University. He is also a former president of PEN America. He has written for The New Yorker, New York Times Magazine and many others.

He recieved his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Cambridge.

This episode includes discussion of depression and suicide, including suicide among young people. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.


This episode was produced by Rachel Faulkner White. It was edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour and Manoush Zomorodi. You can follow us on Twitter @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.

Our TED Radio Hour production staff also includes James Delahoussaye, Katie Monteleone, Andrea Gutierrez, Matthew Cloutier, Fiona Geiran, Harsha Nahata, Julia Carney, and Beth Donovan. Our intern is Susannah Broun and our fellow is Malvika Dang.

This episode was engineered by Carleigh Strange.


Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour. She is a journalist, podcaster and media entrepreneur, and her work reflects her passion for investigating how technology and business are transforming humanity.
Rachel Faulkner White
Rachel Faulkner is a producer and editor for TED Radio Hour.
Sanaz Meshkinpour
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