Where Can I Read The Takeaway Free Online?

I grew into a real fan of public radio through listening to 'The Takeaway', and the hosts are the clearest ‘characters’ the show ever had. At its launch the program paired John Hockenberry with Adaora Udoji, and over the years Celeste Headlee, Tanzina Vega and Melissa Harris-Perry each took on prominent hosting roles. Those shifts weren’t just lineup changes — they shaped the show’s tone, from wry and inquisitive to more conversational and politically engaged. John Hockenberry’s delivery and reputation made him memorable in a big, sometimes uncomfortable way, while Adaora Udoji brought a poised, inquisitive energy that stuck with regular listeners. Celeste Headlee felt like a steady, craft-focused presence, and Tanzina Vega’s journalistic background gave the show sharper news instincts. Melissa Harris-Perry later steered it with a more explicitly viewpoint-driven, editorial edge. These are broad strokes, but they capture why longtime listeners talked about the hosts as if they were characters in an ongoing story. So are they memorable? Yes — not because the show invented archetypes, but because each host stamped the program with a distinct voice and editorial personality. For me, those voices are what I recall first when I think of 'The Takeaway', even more than particular segments or interviews.

I’ve been devouring cozy slow-burn romances lately, and if you loved 'The Takeaway' for its quiet, oddball heroine and gentle sports-romance vibe, a few books jumped straight to mind. Hazel-and-Hatch energy—soft, caretaking hero, food-and-dog moments, and a friendship-that-becomes-more—are exactly what Jamie Bennett leans into elsewhere; her companion titles like 'Defending the Rush' scratch the same itch with warm pacing and small-town sports feel. Beyond Bennett, I always steer readers who want longevity of feeling toward Mariana Zapata: 'Kulti' and 'The Wall of Winnipeg and Me' are famously patient slow-burns where the emotional payoff matters more than fireworks. If you like your romance to simmer and then reward you with real character growth, those two will sit nicely beside 'The Takeaway' on your shelf. If you want a spicier, more contemporary-sports tangent while keeping that athlete-and-heart core, 'Power Play' by Chelsea Curto is a bigger-steam, more plot-forward option that still centers a pro athlete and an unexpectedly deep connection. It reads like comfort food with some pepper.

Wow, 'Soulcraft' pulled me into a different way of thinking about what a human life is actually for — not just career and comfort, but cultivation of the inner landscape. Bill Plotkin’s main thesis, as I felt it, is that modern culture shortchanges the soul: we’re raised for jobs and social roles, not for depth. He argues we need intentional rites of passage, sustained initiation, and a nature-connected apprenticeship to move from superficial adulthood into a mature, soulful life. This isn’t fluffy self-help; it’s a blend of Jungian psychology, deep ecology, and practical ritual work. What stuck with me were the concrete elements he offers: guided wilderness retreats, archetypal mapping (what he calls soul qualities and masks), shadow integration, and mentoring through visionary rites. I tried a few of his journaling prompts and solitude practices and noticed I think differently about my daily choices — more toward what feels soulful than what merely looks successful. He also critiques consumerism and encourages us to listen to nonhuman voices: seasons, animals, landscape. If you like 'The Hero with a Thousand Faces' vibes mixed with nature therapy and a Jungian toolkit, ‘Soulcraft’ reads like a manual for soul initiation. My takeaway is simple but stubborn: if you want a life that matters to you inwardly, build rituals, get outside, find mentors, and treat your interior world like a place that needs tending, not just fixing. It’s challenged me to slow down and make space for deeper work, and I keep returning to certain practices when life gets noisy.

I felt a real pang when I learned how 'The Takeaway' wrapped up — it didn't end with a cheerful sign-off so much as a final broadcast after the program was canceled, with the last show airing on June 2, 2023. The production team and listeners got a one-off farewell piece reflecting on the program's run and its people, and that finality has been preserved in the show's archive. What makes that ending matter to me is the way a daily news program closes: it isn't just a missing hour on the dial, it's a gap in the national conversation. 'The Takeaway' had grown into a particular rhythm of interviews, perspective-driven stories, and staff voices that connected cities and local stations across the country. Losing that rhythm means fewer regular spaces for in-depth, conversational reporting that mixed national policy with personal stories. The archive keeps the episodes, but the living, producing community — the editorial choices, the everyday curiosity, the people who pushed for certain stories — stopped evolving in that slot, and that shift matters for how diverse public radio sounds going forward.