
Fresh Air
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Opening the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.

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.
Tony Bennett Retires From Performing: Listen Back To His 'Fresh Air' Interviews
by Terry Gross
Bennett continued performing even after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016. Now, at 95, he will retire, following doctor's orders. Bennett spoke with Terry Gross in 1982, 1991 and 1998.
Journalist Says Americans Are 'All Complicit' In The Situation In Afghanistan
by Dave Davies
Afghanistan deserved better, says New Yorker staff writer Steve Coll. "We're a democracy," he says. "We decided to go over there and do this — and look what we've got."
Laura Lippman's 'Dream Girl' Is The Latest Thriller To Center On Stolen Stories
by Maureen Corrigan
Theater Lovers Won't Want To Miss 'Broadway: Beyond The Golden Age'
by David Bianculli
Rick McKay's 2003 Broadway: The Golden Age was meant to have sequels, but McKay died in 2018. Now, his producers have rescued his work in progress, presenting a new chapter covering 1959 to the 1980s.
Tennis Legend Billie Jean King Puts It 'All In' Her New Autobiography
by Dave Davies
The book covers King's Grand Slam and Wimbledon championships, the "Battle of the Sexes," her activism for women's and LGBTQ rights, as well as some joyous and painful chapters in her personal life.
'Nine Perfect Strangers' Is The Latest Show From The 'Big Little Lies' Team
by David Bianculli
Writer-producer David E. Kelley and actor Nicole Kidman have joined forces again to adapt another Liane Moriarty novel for the screen. Their Hulu miniseries is unorthodox and impeccably cast.
'The State Must Provide' Is A Lesson On Inequality In Higher Ed, Past And Present
by Terry Gross
Journalist Adam Harris explains how the higher education system has been built on an uneven foundation from the start — and how slavery, segregation and racism have stymied Black education.
Songs Of Summer, From Olivia Rodrigo, Willow And Japanese Breakfast
by Ken Tucker
Critic Ken Tucker compiled his list of 2021 summer songs while traveling on vacation. His picks are "Brutal," by Olivia Rodrigo; "Transparent Soul," by Willow; and "Be Sweet," by Japanese Breakfast.
'Fresh Air' Remembers NPR Host Neal Conan
Conan, who died Aug. 10, worked at NPR for 36 years, as a reporter, executive producer of All Things Considered and host of Talk of the Nation. Originally broadcast in 2002.