Fresh Air
By
Fresh Air with Terry Gross, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs.
Episodes
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This Hollywood memoir is an expertly mixed cocktail of history and family drama
Matthew Specktor grew up the son of a famous Hollywood agent. In The Golden Hour he serves up family saga, cultural criticism, fictionalized biography, history and lament for a vanishing world.
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'Of My Own Making' recounts a painful past -- and what it takes to change
Memoirist and executive Daria Burke grew up in 1980s Detroit amid addiction and instability. She spent years trying to outrun that past by building a carefully curated, outwardly successful life.
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'The Shrouds' introduces a new stage of grief: Watching your loved one decompose
David Cronenberg's thriller centers on an unusual technology that allows people to watch their loved ones decompose in real time. The Shrouds is both deeply morbid and disarmingly funny.
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2 recent releases celebrate the music and legacy of bass-baritone Paul Robeson
On Robeson, opera singer Davóne Tines pays tribute to the musician often remembered for singing "Ol' Man River." Tines' album pairs well with the 14-CD album Paul Robeson: Voice of Freedom.
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Merle Haggard reflects on hopping freight trains and becoming a musician
Haggard, who died in 2016, spoke to Fresh Air in 1995 about his love of trains. When he became a star, he acquired his own observation car. Now that coach is part of the Virginia Scenic Railway.
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Millions of American kids have an ADHD diagnosis. Are they being treated effectively?
ADHD has been considered a medical disorder, treatable with drugs like Ritalin, but New York Times Magazine writer Paul Tough says recent studies question that assumption and treatment options.
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Steve Lehman pays riveting tribute to his mentor on 'The Music of Anthony Braxton'
NEA Jazz Master Braxton turns 80 this year. Lehman, one of his proteges, has created a tribute that highlights the composer's early work and shows the roads to and from his music.
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Ryan Coogler says 'Sinners' inspiration felt 'like a bolt of lightning'
The Oscar-nominated filmmaker directed both Black Panther films and Creed. Coogler's latest movie is a vampire thriller about twins who open a juke joint in Jim Crow Mississippi.
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AI eavesdrops on your sleep in this nightmarish 'Dream Hotel'
Laila Lalami's dystopian novel centers on a woman who's been incarcerated because an algorithm flagged her as a crime risk. The Dream Hotel paints a grim picture about the ways our data can betray us.
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'The Rehearsal' feels more surprising than ever as it returns for Season 2
The Max show uses actors and real people to stage elaborate recreations and imaginings of events. It's like a mystery tour, because you aren't given any clues about the final destination.
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Harvard professor offers a grim assessment of American democracy under Trump
Steven Levitsky studies how healthy democracies can slip into authoritarianism. He says the Trump administration has already done grave damage: "We are no longer living in a democratic regime."
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These 2 funny books give readers a reason to smile in tough times
Dorothy Parker's posthumously published collection is Poems; Camilla Barnes' debut novel is The Usual Desire to Kill. Both affirm: sharp humor can be grounded in pain.
