Jonathan Hunger

Jonathan Hunger

From EXTRAordinary PEOPLE by Shirley Wachtel

November 3, 2025 · 36 min · Episode 42

About this episode

Jonathan Hunger discusses his journey from education to writing, inspired by Frederick Douglass.

Jonathan Hunger  is the author of  Agitate! , a revealing memoir of how he was able to overcome his fears by the example of Frederick Douglass. Jonathan is a native New Yorker who grew up primarily in New Jersey. He attended the University of Maryland for his undergraduate degree, and soon after spent a year working on construction as part of AmeriCorps with Habitat for Humanity. Following his term of service, he attended The College of New Jersey where he received his Master of Arts in Education, and spent the next ten years working in public schools in New Jersey and Maryland. After realizing that teaching was ultimately not the right fit for him, he returned to graduate school to pursue a career in international relations. Surprisingly, however, instead of finding work in international affairs, Jonathan ended up in a park ranger trainee position with the Department of the Interior at the Frederick Douglass Historic Site in Washington, DC. and it was this experience that inspired him to write his first book. Jonathan lives in the Baltimore suburbs with his family. 

People in this episode

Guest: Jonathan Hunger

Topics covered

  • memoir
  • overcoming fears
  • education
  • public service
  • international relations

Keywords

  • Agitate!
  • Frederick Douglass
  • AmeriCorps
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • park ranger

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Agitate!

Books & works: Agitate

Places: New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, DC, Baltimore

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