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Fresh Air

Daily Magazine of contemporary arts and issues known for captivating interviews with guests from literature, science, music, film, and more.

Fresh Air

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9:00a - 10:00a

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Scott McCartney on Air Travelers' Turbulent Times

Air travel keeps getting more confusing, frustrating and expensive, says columnist Scott McCartney. McCartney, who's covered the industry for 12 years at The Wall Street Journal, writes the paper's "Middle Seat" column.

Two Divas, Both Alike in Mononyms

Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker reviews two albums from two one-named singers: Madonna's Hard Candy and the self-titled release from Swedish pop singer Robyn.

Suze Rotolo: Of Dylan, New York and Art

Artist Suze Rotolo — the woman walking beside Bob Dylan on the album cover for The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan — was Dylan's girlfriend in the '60s. She's written about the relationship, and about that era's New York, in a new memoir.

In 'Spies for Hire,' U.S. Security Gets Outsourced

It's become a $50 billion a year industry: Corporations like Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, and IBM are being paid to do things the CIA, the National Security Agency and the Pentagon usually do, including analysis, covert operations, electronic surveillance and reconnaissance.

Memoir Unveils Life, Love in the Middle East

In her book Unveiled, Deborah Kanafani recounts her marriage and divorce to a high-ranking Palestinian diplomat — and the cultural rift between her "American" upbringing and her married life.

Writer Kasra Naji on Ahmadinejad's 'Secret History'

Iran's president was relatively unknown on the international stage before he was elected, but he's a standard-bearer for a new generation of hardliners. In a new biography, journalist Kasra Naji explores Ahmadinejad's rise to power, his complex character and his motivations.

Veteran Peacemakers O'Malley, Maharaj on Iraq

Veteran peace negotiator Padraig O'Malley worked on the conflicts in Northern Ireland and South Africa. Mac Maharaj played a role in the latter nation's anti-apartheid movement. Both took part in recent closed-door negotiations in Finland, aimed at bringing reconciliation among rival factions in Iraq.

Nuala O'Faolain, Journalist and Author, Dead at 68

The celebrated Irish memoirist, who had been battling lung cancer, died May 9. Her 1996 memoir — about growing up poor in the Ireland of the '40s and '50s — became a best-seller. Terry Gross talked to her in 2001.

Frank Sinatra's Life and Legacy

Record producer and Sinatra historian Charles Granada discusses his book Sessions With Sinatra: Frank Sinatra And The Art of Recording and the box set — Frank Sinatra: The Best of the Columbia Years 1943-1952 — he helped to create.

Fighting to Pay the Bills in 'Redbelt'

Fresh Air film critic David Edelstein reviews Redbelt, the new martial-arts film written and directed by David Mamet. The film tells the story of a principled martial-arts master who steps into the professional fighting ring to save his business.

Emmanuel Jal: From Child Soldier to Rising Star

At 8 years old, Emmanuel Jal was carrying an AK-47 rifle as a child soldier in the Sudan People's Liberation Army. Taken from battle and adopted by a British aid worker, he is now a rising international music star. He discusses his experiences and music. Jal's new album is titled Warchild.

Growing Up In a Surfer Family, Wipeouts and All

The family of Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz — all 11 of them — lived on a 24-foot camper, traveling the continent in search of good surfing. Their story is the subject of Surfwise, a documentary directed by Doug Pray and produced by Jonathan Paskowitz.

Reporter Explores America's Unique Take on Justice

The United States is home to less than five percent of the world's population — and almost a quarter of the world's prisoners. Adam Liptak, national legal correspondent for The New York Times , says that's one of the ways America's legal system differs from those of other countries.

Ricardo Sanchez: 'Wiser' in Hindsight on Iraq, Politics

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez commanded ground troops in Iraq from 2003 to 2004; it was on his watch that the Abu Ghraib prison scandal took place. Subsequently, Sanchez has vocally criticized the conduct of the Iraq war — especially the Bush administration's "catastrophically flawed, unrealistically optimistic war plan." His new book is Wiser in Battle: A Soldier's Story.

Exhuming a Real-Life British Murder Mystery

In her new book, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: Murder and the Undoing of A Great Victorian Detective, Kate Summerscale revisits the gruesome 150-year-old murder that helped catapult British mystery fiction into being. Fresh Air book critic Maureen Corrigan offers a review.

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