When David Mitchell's son was diagnosed with autism at three years old, the British author and his wife Keiko Yoshida felt lost, unsure of what was happening inside their son's head. In an effort to find answers, Yoshida ordered a book from Japan written by non-verbal autistic teenager Naoki Higashida. Entitled The Reason I Jump, the book was a revelation for the couple who gained a deeper understanding into their son's behaviours.

Kim Hill reads and responds to listener feedback for 24 July 2021.

From the Arcoroc mug to the Commodore 64, from the house that Norm Kirk built to the actions of his activist grandmother Connie Summers, writer John Summers has a curiosity for the wider resonance of objects and incidents in his personal history.

The inability to visualise mental images - a condition called aphantasia - affects around 2-5 percent of the population, but very little is known about it. Aphantasia comes in different shapes and sizes - with some reporting a reduced ability to remember the past, imagine the future, or even dream

A leading jewellery artist known for his subversive punk approach to valuable materials, Karl Fritsch exhibits as much in Europe and the United States as he does New Zealand - but the pandemic has thrown a spanner in the works.

The relationship between mothers and daughters has been a central theme of much of the work by Asian-American writer Amy Tan. The best-selling author, whose books include The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife and Where The Past Begins, is the focus of a new documentary which not only examines Tan's relationship with her own mother, but also traces her path to success as she questions her identity and the source of her creativity.

Next month, a group of young activists will be in the Court of Appeal arguing that the current voting age is discriminatory under the Bill of Rights. Make It 16 members Ella Flavell and Lily Lewis join the show to discuss their campaign.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games opening ceremony took place overnight Friday, kicking off a games that has faced countless challenges amid a global pandemic.  Professor Ian Culpan, co-director of the NZ Centre for Olympic Studies, says it's astonishing the games are going ahead. He believes the decision goes against the International Olympic Committee's code of ethics, and counters the reason the games actually exist.

Bitcoin mining is a way people can acquire cryptocurrency without buying it. While the process may be lucrative, it is also hugely energy intensive. Dr Tara Shirvani is an infrastructure specialist passionate about leveraging technology and finance to drive impact in the developing world.

Saturday Morning Feedback

Doug Wilson  discussing approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the first new drug for Alzheimer's disease in 18 years and the creation of a new vaccine against malaria that is hoped to be more effective than current vaccine, Mosquirix.

Many families have a tale of an adventurous ancestor - but some are far more interesting than others. Harrison Christian's ancestor, Fletcher Christian, was a seaman in the late 1700s who rebelled against his commander Lieutenant William Bligh, and cast him adrift in the Tongan Islands. Fletcher and his followers took the ship the Bounty, and ended up hiding from the British navy on Pitcairn Island.

When Juanita Neilsen disappeared from Sydney's King Cross in July 1975 the story received intense public interest. Nearly five decades later, the mystery of Juanita's disappearance is still widely discussed among Sydneysiders, many of whom have their own theories about what happened to her. Her niece, Keiran McGee heard many of these theories growing up, so decided to investigate the case herself for the new season of the ABC Unravelled true crime podcast.

Waihoroi Shortland (Ngati Hine) has had a long and varied career. As an actor he's starred in Rain of the Children and Boy, as well as New Zealand's first ever film entirely in te reo - The Maori Merchant of Venice. He appears in Te Po  at Auckland's Bruce Mason Centre on 30 and 31 July.

Rare book dealer Rick Gekoski has been hunting for hidden literary gems for over 50 years. His latest book, Guarded by Dragons: Encounters with Rare Books and Rare People likens his trade to a mythical quest.

Cleve Cameron was a high-flying advertising creative until one day he realised he'd had enough. His passion to change behaviour remained, and he's now channeling it into trying to reduce carbon emissions through transport - specifically, bicycles. Cameron is a co-founder of Big Street Bikers - Big Street Bikers have been busy creating new electric infrastructure to make cycling easier for commuters. That's where Locky Docks come in.

More than 600 homes have been evacuated in Westport as the Buller River threatens to breach its banks. Kim Hill spoke with Buller District Council Mayor Jamie Cleine in Westport, where voluntary evacuation became a mandatory order overnight for people in low-lying parts of Westport, as heavy rain caused surface flooding and slips. About 800 people have spent the night in welfare centres evacuated from their homes in Westport.

Kim reads out listener feedback on the show.

A 10-metre high waka constructed of hundreds of shimmering crystals has been installed outside Auckland Art Gallery, made by artist Reuben Paterson.

Wellington author Sue Orr's new novel Loop Tracks tells the story of Charlie, a young woman who heads to Australia in 1978 to end her pregnancy, at a time when safe legal abortion was unavailable in New Zealand.

Seattle-based entrepreneur Dan Price hit headlines around the world in 2015 when he slashed his own salary by $1 million so he could start paying his all employees a minimum salary of $70,000. Six years on, his company's business has tripled and staff turnover has halved. However, Price says the experiment hasn’t been entirely successful.

The trial of Myanmar's deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi is currently underway, while deaths continue under the military junta, and civilians train with armed rebel groups in the mountains.  US-born historian, former diplomat, and former presidential special advisor Thant Myint-U saw it coming.

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is widely considered one of the greatest football managers of all time, having won more trophies than any other manager in the history of football. After Sir Alex suffered a near-fatal brain haemorrhage in 2018, his son Jason took on the task of directing Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In, a documentary charting the highs and lows of the 79-year-old’s incredible career.

Writer Aminatta Forna's ongoing love of exploration has been captured in her new book, The Window Seat: Notes From A Life In Motion, a collection of thought-provoking essays that traverse a range of subjects including displacement, identity, memory, and how we encroach on the non-human world.

Donald Trump’s company the Trump Organization and its longtime chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg have been hit with a slew of criminal charges including conspiracy, grand larceny, and multiple counts of tax fraud. Amherst College law professor Lawrence Douglas, whose most recent book is Will He Go? Trump and the Looming Electoral Meltdown, joins the show to discuss.