Fresh Air Weekend: Meryl Streep; A Novel Take On Gymnastics; Colson Whitehead

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

'It's A Playground': Meryl Streep On Acting With Abandon: In her new film, Streep plays Florence Foster Jenkins, a socialite who didn't let her less-than-great voice stop her from becoming an opera singer. Streep says she can relate to that kind of passion.

Novel Explores The Fierce And Frenzied World Of Competitive Gymnastics: Megan Abbott's new book takes readers deep into the intense, vacuum-sealed universe of young female gymnasts and their parents. Critic Maureen Corrigan says You Will Know Me is worthy of a gold medal.

Colson Whitehead's 'Underground Railroad' Is A Literal Train To Freedom: As a child, Whitehead was surprised to learn that escaped slaves did not ride an actual subway. His new novel follows Cora, a young slave who has escaped a Georgia plantation and is heading north.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

'It's A Playground': Meryl Streep On Acting With Abandon

Novel Explores The Fierce And Frenzied World Of Competitive Gymnastics

Colson Whitehead's 'Underground Railroad' Is A Literal Train To Freedom

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