I remember when I was a kid that we'd sometime encounter people who just seemed to go off for no reason, and my mama would lean in an tell us, "That one woke up with hell in 'em this morning!"

These many years later, I think of what she said because it seems a whole lot of people are waking up that way. The social graces we once took for granted in terms of how we treat other have fallen away and been replaced with an anger and argumentativeness that's always on. How'd this happen and what, if anything, can we do about it?

Well, that's what we're getting after today in my conversation with Jeannette, who spent a decade as an investigative reporter, then another as staff writer for a city magazine, winning multiple national awards. She is now a staff writer for The Common Reader, a journal of the essay, and her work has twice been cited in

Jeannette spent a decade as an investigative reporter, then another as staff writer for a city magazine, winning multiple national awards. She is now a staff writer for The Common Reader, a journal of the essay, and her work has twice been cited in Best American Essays. She majored in philosophy and has a doctorate in American studies. She majored in philosophy and has a doctorate in American studies.