Sexual Awakening and Career Opportunism
Critic-at-large Laurie Stone reviews a new biography called The Dr. Ruth Phenomenon, about the popular sex therapist Ruth Westheimer. Westheimer is a Holocaust survivor and was wounded while fighting for Israeli independence. Stone says Westheimer's history of struggle and survival informs her sometimes fragmented career choices and sanitized public persona; while an imperfect spokesperson for the sexual revolution, Dr. Ruth deserves the fame she enjoys.
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Other segments from the episode on July 24, 1987
Desegregating Jazz
British music critic and producer Leonard Feather worked with fellow producer John Hammond to desegregate jazz in the United States, as well as to promote women jazz musicians. In his new book, The Jazz Years, he considers how racism, radio stations and record labels affected the popularity of different styles like big band and bebop.
Songs that Launched a Guitarist's Career
Marty Grosz returns to Fresh Air to perform two songs he learned while starting out in Chicago and New York.
In Search of "The End of Baseball"
Writer John Krich is working on a book about baseball in Latin America. He is particularly interested in the sport's cultural role in countries dealing with armed conflicts and political upheavals.
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