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Surviving a Revolution

Author Nien Cheng was a wealthy gentlewoman during China's Cultural Revolution. While book critic John Leonard doesn't find Cheng particularly likable, he believes her writing provides a unique and valuable perspective on that history.

03:47
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Other segments from the episode on June 9, 1987

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, June 9, 1987: Interview with Richard Gilman; Commentary on the Orioles; Interview with Robert Townsend; Review of Nien Cheng's book "Life and Death in Shanghai."
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27:51

A Convert Loses Faith

Theater critic Richard Gilman was born into a Jewish family, later joined the Catholic Church, and now identifies as an atheist. In his new memoir, he describes how restrictive teachings on sexuality drove him away form organized religion.

Interview
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06:32

Integrating the Pop Charts

Rock historian Ed Ward considers the impact the Orioles, one of the first black doo wop groups to achieve mainstream popularity.

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10:01

Resisting Hollwood's Demand to "Be Blacker"

Film actor, writer, and director Robert Townsend satirizes his experiences as an African American in Hollywood in the new film, Hollywood Shuffle. He says that television commercials have given him more opportunities than movies to play diverse roles.

Interview

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27:25

On "Life and Death in Shanghai"

Nien Cheng and her husband were educated abroad and lived a comfortable, bourgeois life before China's Cultural Revolution. Though Cheng faced persecution, interrogation, and imprisonment, she was mostly able to maintain her lifestyle--and her loyalty to her country. She now lives in Washington, D.C.

Interview

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Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

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