There is a lot of news about the fallibility of memory. Brian Williams is currently out of the NBC Nightly News anchor chair because of problems with some of his war stories. Coincidentally, Maria Konnikova wrote about "flashbulb memories" for the NewYorker.com, which is what Williams' problems may be attributed to.
This weekend, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals granted a request to review the case of Adnan Syed. His conviction of murdering his ex-girlfriend was the subject of the podcast Serial, but in many ways was also about memory.
In many high schools over the last few decades, students have been introduced to author Harper Lee through her debut and only novel To Kill A Mockingbird. Many people never expected a follow-up book but last week, it was announced that Go Set A Watchman will be released later this year.
GUESTS:
- Rabia Chaudry - Lawyer and National Security Fellow at the New America Foundation and she brought the case of Adnan Syed to the attention of the producers of Serial
- Maria Konnikova - Contributor to the NewYorker.com
- Russell Berman - Associate editor at The Atlantic
READING LIST:
- The Baltimore Sun: Court Reopens Appeal of Adnan Syed, Subject of "Serial" Podcast
- The New Yorker: You Have No Idea What Happened
- The Atlantic: How Harper Lee's Long-Lost Sequel Was Found
- The New York Times: After Harper Lee Novel Surfaces, Plots Arise
SONGS:
- Serial Theme, “Bad Dream” by Mark Henry Phillips
- “I Remember” by Stephen Sondheim
- “Your Favorite Book” by Recess Monkey
Colin McEnroe, Betsy Kaplan, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.