The Reference Desk

On October 13, 1972, a chartered Fairchild F-227 carrying 45 people, most rugby players from Uruguay, crashed in the Andes mountains. Of the 45 people on board, 16 survived. The survivors were stranded in the mountains for 72 days, during which time they faced freezing temperatures, life-threatening injuries, an avalanche, and imminent starvation. To save their own lives, the survivors had to make an impossible decision: Should they eat the flesh of their dead friends?All books shared in this episode can be purchased at our Bookshop!Join us again next week for part 2!Sources:Miracle of the Andes: How Survivors of the Flight Disaster Struggled to Stay AliveAfter the Plane Crash—and the Cannibalism—a Life of HopeStory Of The 1972 Andes Plane Crash In 'Out Of The Silence'70 Days Battling Starvation and Freezing in the Andes: A Chronicle of Man's Unwillingness to DieAfter the AndesHaunted by cannibalism: ‘I will never forget that first incision’The Long Way HomeTHE STORY OF THE ANDES SURVIVORSSurvival: I Will Not Die on This MountainAlive Again: New Findings in the 1972 Andes Plane CrashSociety of the SnowMiracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home by Nando Parrado and Vince RauseI Had to Survive: How a Plane Crash in the Andes Inspired My Calling to Save Lives by Roberto Canessa and Pablo VierciModern Mummies: The Preservation of the Human Body in the Twentieth Century by Christine Quigley Support the show

This week, Hailee continues to be bewitched by the strange case of Patricia Hearst! Patty has been held captive by a small radical political group called the Symbionese Liberation Army for over two months when she shocks the world with an announcement: she has changed her name to Tania and is joining her "brothers and sisters in the SLA.This is our last episode of season three! Thank you so much for being a patron of our show! We absolutely will be back, and will be posting some patron exclusive content during our break.As Michale Scott would say, we will catch you on the flipity flop!Staff PicksThe Villa by Rachel HawkinsThe Last of the Moon Girls by Barbara DavisRecommendationsMediaThe Radical Story of Patty Hearst - CNNPatty Has a Gun: The Life and Crimes of Patty HearstNon-FictionAmerican Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffery ToobinRescuing Patty Hearst: Growing Up Sane in a World Gone Mad by Virginia HolmanEvery Secret Thing by Patricia Hearst with Alvin MoscowFictionTrance by Christopher SorrentinoThe Stand by Stephen KingIf you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org.SourcesPatty HearstWhose Side Was She On? 'American Heiress' Revisits Patty Hearst's KidnappingRadically differentSocial Science and Coercion as a Defense in Kidnapping Cases Patricia Hearst: Kidnap Victim to Criminal?The Rise and Fall of the Symbionese Liberation ArmyAPRIL 3, 1974Patty Hearst Trial (1976) Support the show

Patty Hearst - Early Access!In this episode, Hailee is bewitched by Patty Hearst. The nineteen year old granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst, the powerful newspaper publisher who owned a media conglomerate, was living a mostly normal life, engaged to be married, attending classes at UC Berkley. But everything changed when she was kidnapped by a radical political group who called themselves the Symbionese Liberation Army. In this episode, learn about the life of Patricia Hearst before the kidnapping, the details of that terrible night in February of 1974, and the demands the SLA gave the Hearst’s for Patricia’s release.Staff PicksThe Villa by Rachel HawkinsThe Last of the Moon Girls by Barbara DavisSourcesPatty HearstWhose Side Was She On? 'American Heiress' Revisits Patty Hearst's KidnappingRadically differentSocial Science and Coercion as a Defense in Kidnapping Cases Patricia Hearst: Kidnap Victim to Criminal?The Rise and Fall of the Symbionese Liberation ArmyAPRIL 3, 1974Patty Hearst Trial (1976) Support the show

In Part Two of the Bly Balloon Bomb Tragedy, we learn about the manufacturing of the Japanese Balloon Bombs by young Japanese schoolgirls in terrible working conditions. We also learn about the terrible loyalty questionnaire given to incarcerated Japanese Americans, which, when answered “incorrectly” sent hundreds of families to a maximum security incarceration camp. And, we will learn about the only civilian casualties on mainland American soil during the war. Staff PicksRemarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van PeltPeace is a Chain Reaction by Tanya Lee StoneRecommendationsMoviesOn Paper WingsNon-FictionSeen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams's Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration by Elizabeth Patridge Fu-go: The Curious History of Japan's Balloon Bomb Attack on America by Ross CoenThey Called Us Enemy by George TakeiFictionWe Are Not Freeby Traci CheeBeneath the Wide Silk Sky by Emily Inouye HueyWhen the Emperor Was Divine by Julie OtsukaLove in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-HallDisplacement by Kiku HugesIf you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org. SourcesBombs Fall on Oregon: Japanese Attacks on the StateMitchell MonumentBeware Of Japanese Balloon BombsOn Paper Wings - DocumentaryFrom Engagement to PeacePearl Harbor, History.orgJapanese-American Incarceration During World War IIJapan’s World War II Balloon Bomb Attacks on North AmericaAuthor Maggie Tokuda-Hall Takes a Stand Against Censorship and the “Deeply American Tradition of Racism”Topaz History: Topaz MuseumThe “Loyalty Questionnaire” of 1943 Opened a Wound that has Yet to HealDenshoSupport the show Support the show

In this episode, Hailee is bewitched by the Bly Balloon Bomb Tragedy of WWII. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States officially entered WWII. Immediately, Americans began interrogating and then incarcerating Japanese Americans, many of them citizens, along the west coast. After America responded to the Pearl Harbor attack by bombing Tokoyo, Japan was infuriated that America remained relatively untouched by warfare. So, they tasked scientists with creating a weapon that would reach American soil. They came up with a balloon capable of using the recently discovered Jet Stream to carry bombs across the Pacific. The balloons were manufactured by children and were responsible for the only civilian casualty on United States mainland during the war. Staff PicksRemarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van PeltPeace is a Chain Reaction by Tanya Lee StoneRecommendationsMoviesOn Paper WingsNon-FictionSeen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams's Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration by Elizabeth Patridge Fu-go: The Curious History of Japan's Balloon Bomb Attack on America by Ross CoenThey Called Us Enemy by George TakeiFictionWe Are Not Freeby Traci CheeBeneath the Wide Silk Sky by Emily Inouye HueyWhen the Emperor Was Divine by Julie OtsukaLove in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-HallDisplacement by Kiku HugesIf you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org. SourcesBombs Fall on Oregon: Japanese Attacks on the StateMitchell MonumentBeware Of Japanese Balloon BombsOn Paper Wings - DocumentaryFrom Engagement to PeacePearl Harbor, History.orgJapanese-American Incarceration During World War IIJapan’s World War II Balloon Bomb Attacks on North AmericaAuthor Maggie Tokuda-Hall Takes a Stand Against Censorship and the “Deeply American Tradition of Racism”Topaz History: Topaz MuseumThe “Loyalty Questionnaire” of 1943 Opened a Wound that has Yet to Heal Support the show

Call me now for your free reading!In this episode, Katie is bewitched by Miss Cleo and the Psychic Readers Network.Late-night advertising in the 1990s and early 2000s was full of 900-number hotlines promising everything from video game tips to proof that Elvis was still alive. But the most pervasive and perhaps harmful were hotlines promising to connect you with a psychic reader.Miss Cleo became a pop culture icon in this space with her sassy tarot readings, no-nonsense advice, and signature Jamaican patois. But a string of lawsuits exposed the dark side of the "for entertainment purposes only" psychic hotline. Who should be held responsible for the harm caused by this sinister business model- the woman who inspired millions to call in or the men behind the curtain?Staff Picks:Novel Effect interactive reading appTaking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni WeschlerRecommended reading:Affinity by Sarah WatersLockwood & Co. by Jonathan StroudRosewater by Tade ThompsonSuddenly Psychic by Elizabeth HunterPsychic Blues: Confessions of a Conflicted Medium by Mark EdwardsThe Darkened Room by Alex OwenFlim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions by James RandiThe Skeptic's Guide to the Universe by Dr. Steven NovellaRecommended viewing:Call Me Miss Cleo documentary (HBO max)Sources:"In The '90s, A Black Psychic Friend Fooled White America. Then They Were Pissed" by Candice Frederick"A History of TV Psychics (and Why We Love Them So Much)" by Rae Alexandra"Miss Cleo Left a Trail of Deception in Seattle" by D. Parvaz"‘Grand Theft Auto’ Makers Sued by Psychic Readers Network Over Miss Cleo ‘Doppelganger’" by Tim Kenneally"I Was a Hotline Psychic for Miss Cleo" by Bennett Madison"Miss Cleo on her Allegedly Fake Patois and Getting Ripped Off by Her Old Bosses"  Vice"Miss Cleo Comes Out" by Greg Hernandez"Miss Cleo Still Knows" by Brandon VossFTC vs. Access Resource Services, Inc. et al"Miss Cleo, Famed '90s TV Psychic, is Getting a Documentary" by Bria McNeal"Steven Feder and Peter Stolz: Where Are PRN Co-Owners Now?" by Kumari Shreya Support the show

In this episode, Hailee is bewitched by explores the life and impact of Fred Rogers, better known as Mister Rogers. From his early days in television to his enduring legacy, we delve into the world of this beloved figure and examine the ways in which he touched the lives of countless people.Staff PicksBurn Down, Rise Up by Vincent TuradoRecommendationsMovies and TVIt’s a Beautiful Day in the NeighborhoodWon't You Be My Neighbor?Mister Rogers NeighborhoodBooksKnitting in the NeighborhoodThe Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell KingKindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever by Gavin EdwardsMister Rogers' Gift of Music Donna CangelosiHello, Neighbor!: The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers by Matthew CordellFred's Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers by Laura RenauldA Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers by Fred RogersIf you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.orgSourcesAbout Fred RogersFred Rogers TrailFred Rogers Took a Stand Against Racial Inequality When He Invited a Black Character to Join Him in a PoolThe Mister Rogers No One SawThe King of KindnessThe Truth About Those Rumors Of Mr. Rogers’ Badass Military CareerMr. Rogers a Navy SEAL?Fred Rogers graduates from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.In the Land of Make Believe, The Real Mister RogersForever Fred (full article accessed through my local library database)Mister Rogers Pioneered Speaking to Kids About Gun ViolenceWhen Fred Met Margaret5 Lessons From Margaret McFarland, The Scientist Behind Mister RogersBefore Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood came Misterogers on CBCSupport the show Support the show

In this episode, Katie shares what America knew about the Holocaust as it was unfolding. Recently, Katie volunteered as a docent for the ALA's traveling "Americans and the Holocaust" exhibition in partnership with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The exhibition explores how much Americans knew about the Nazi persecution and murder of Jews in Europe and examines the U.S. response in a global, historical context. The exhibition also invites visitors to consider what more could have been done by Americans, a question we should continuously be asking ourselves as acts of persecution and genocide continues around the world to this day. For more information about the "Americans and the Holocaust" exhibition:Exhibit at the USHMM in Washington D.C. Guided video tour with curator Dr. Daniel GreeneAmericans and the Holocaust traveling exhibition Suggested reading: Selections to accompany the USHMM exhibit Selections to accompany the ALA traveling exhibitYA and Children's selections from the Teacher Fellows with the USHMMPBS documentary: The U.S. and the Holocaust Staff picks:One Night on the Island by Josie SilverThe Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston The Reference Desk's recommended Holocaust reads:Hitlerland by Andrew NagorskiThe Unwanted by Michael DobbsWhy? Explaining the Holocaust by Peter HayesThe Book Smugglers by David E. FishmanThe Nazi and the Barber by Edgar HilsenrathBadenheim 1939  by Aharon AppelfeldThis Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz BorowskiThe Occupation Trilogy  by Patrick Modiano All suggested readings available in our bookshop References:Materials provided by the ALAThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum  Support the show

This week, Katie is bewitched by the incredible rescue of 13 people from the flooded Tham Luang cave in Thailand. In part 2 of this story, efforts at Tham Luang shift from search to rescue as the Thai government explores three possible options to save the Wild Boars: dive, drill, or delay. But when conditions in the cave begin to deteriorate rapidly, their options shrink, and expert cave divers John Volanthen and Rick Stanton are tasked with planning the impossible. With the help of Australian cave-diving anesthesiologist Dr. Richard Harris and a team of divers from around the world, John and Rick lead the incredible rescue of all 13 Wild Boars. After 18 days in the dark, an international rescue effort involving over 10,000 volunteers ended in triumph. Recommended reading available in our bookshop: Aquanut: A Life Beneath the Surface by Rick StantonAgainst All Odds  by Richard Harris and Craig ChallenAll Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina SoontronvatFeral Youth by Shaun David Hutchinson et al. The Descent by Jeff LongLift Your Light a Little Higher: The Story of Stephen Bishop, Slave-Explorer by Heather HensenRecommended watching: The Trapped 13: How we Survived the Thai Cave, available on NetflixThe Rescue, available on Nat Geo/Disney+ Drain the Oceans: Thai Cave Rescue (season 2, episode 9), available on Disney+Thai Cave Rescue: Limited Series, available on NetflixThirteen Lives, available on Amazon Prime VideoLinks:Diving masks from San Marcos company helped rescue of Thai boys from caveThe Technology Behind the Thailand Cave RescueA summary of the Tham Luang RescueThe full story of Thailand’s extraordinary cave rescueThailand's Tham Luang rescue cave has reopened to tourists. Here's what it's likeThe untold story of the daring cave divers who saved the Thai soccer teamWhere Are the Thai Cave Rescue Divers Now and What Happened to Them?Wild Boar soccer team become millionaires after signing deal with Netflix for Tham Luang storyWhirlwind year for Wild BoarsSome of the boys rescued from a Thai cave are 'stateless.' What does that mean? Support the show

This week, Katie is bewitched by the incredible rescue of the Wild Boars youth soccer team from Tham Luang cave. In June 2018, twelve boys and their soccer coach headed into a local cave system to celebrate a teammate's birthday. But what was a typical afternoon for kids in this rural northern Thailand town quickly became an unthinkable emergency when an unexpected rainstorm left their only exit underwater. Within days, the entire world watched with bated breath as expert cave divers fought against a raging subterranean river in an increasingly desperate bid to find the team. Then, nine days after their disappearance, divers Rick Stanton and John Volanthen surfaced 2.5 miles from the cave entrance and found themselves face-to-face with thirteen survivors. In this first half of a two-part series, we explore the days leading up to the discovery of the Wild Boars team. In part 2, we'll cover the absolutely miraculous rescue of all thirteen boys. Staff picks: Heartstopper: a Netflix series based on the graphic novels of the same name by Alice Oseman Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell find these titles and more in our bookshop!Links: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27723015/http://www.swiss-cave-diving.org/PDF-dateien/Potts_30YearsUSACaveDiving.pdfhttps://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-accident-cave-timeline/timeline-thai-cave-rescue-that-transfixed-the-world-for-17-days-idUSKCN1TP1GBhttps://globalnews.ca/news/4322827/how-thai-soccer-team-became-trapped-in-thai-cave/#:~:text=Some%20of%20the%20boys%20had,returning%20home%20on%20June%2023.https://www.vox.com/2018/7/18/17585868/thai-cave-rescue-press-conferencehttps://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/13/uk/thai-cave-rescue-british-divers-intl/index.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/26/world/asia/thai-cave-rescue-tourism.html Support the show

In 2014, the Broaddus family of New Jersey closed on their dream home in the beautiful town of Westfield. But before even moving in, their dream home turned into a nightmare. Just three days after closing, the family received a letter in a white, card-shaped envelope addressed to “the New Owners” in thick, chunky letters. This letter is the first of several frightening letters the family would receive.  Netflix recently released a show based on this mysterious case but here is the real story of what happened at 657 Boulevard. RecommendationsMovies and TVThe Watcher (2022) - NetflixThe Watcher (2016) - LifetimeBooksThe Invited by Jennifer McMahonGood Neighbors by Sarah LanganThe Hollow Places by T. KingfisherRosemary’s Baby by Ira LevinIf you are interested in purchasing these, or any of the titles we discuss on the show, please use our affiliate link at bookshop.org! SourcesThe Watcher House SoldThe WatcherThe Watcher: Where is the Broaddus Family NowNew Jersey Westfield HomeZillow House ListingInside The Spooky ‘Watcher’ House That Terrorized A Wealthy New Jersey FamilyJohn ListCurrent owners facing problems after Netflix showJudge Throws Out Westfield Watcher LawsuitWhy the Upscale Suburb of Westfield, NJ, May Be the Scariest Place to Live in the U.S.Taking Another Look at The Watcher What we know about the case four years later. Support the show

In this episode, Katie is bewitched by Cassie Chadwick. In 2021, everyone learned the name "Anna Delvey," fake heiress and SoHo grifter extraordinaire. But over a century before Anna partied with pharma bros and Fyre Fest scammers, Cassie Chadwick was laying the foundation for all female con artists; setting a bar so high for fraud and fakes few would ever come close to achieving her level of Master Swindler. Born Elizabeth "Betty" Bigley on a rural Canadian farm, this gilded-age grifter would go on to operate under dozens of aliases. From clairvoyant to an heiress, Bigley wreaked havoc across the midwest with a lifelong string of scams. But it was as Cassie Chadwick, the illegitimate daughter of Andrew Carnegie, that her name and face would gain international attention when she pulled off one of the biggest financial frauds of all time. If you are interested in purchasing any of the books mentioned in this episode, visit our bookshop! Staff picks: -The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller-Abbott Elementary (TV series)Recommended reading:-Queen of the Con by Thomas Crowl-Greed in the Gilded Age by William Elliott Hazelgrove-Confident Women by Tori Telfer-Pretty Things by Janelle Brown-Lucky by Marissa Stapley-Fingersmith by Sarah WatersLinks: The High Priestess of Fraudulent Finance  Nerves of Steal Cassie Chadwick: Female Wizard of Finance Glitzy, Tragic, and Selfish Cassie L. Chadwick Support the show

In this episode, Hailee is bewitched by the Lizzie Borden. Lizzie Borden took an axand gave her mother forty whacks.When she saw what she had done,she gave her father forty-one.But is that what really happened? On August 4th, 1892, Andrew and Abbie Borden were murdered in their home by an axe in broad daylight. Lizzie, Andrew's daughter, was the only suspect in the murder but she was acquitted through a trial sensationalized in the media and lived the rest of her life as a free, though publicly tormented figure. No one else was ever tried for the crime and it technically remains an unsolved murder. Staff picks: Great or Nothing by Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, Jessica SpotswoodLessons in Chemistry  by Bonnie GarmusRelated media recommendations: The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015)Lizzie Borden Took an Axe (2014)Lizzie (2018)The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century by Sarah MillerThe Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara RobertsonThe Jennings Journals 1892: The unpublished notes and documents from the files of Lizzie Borden’s Defense Attorney, Andrew Jackson Jennings.See What I Have Done by Sarah SchmidtMaplecroft by Cherie PriestThe Murderer's Maid by Erika MailmanIf you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!Sources:Lizzie Borden.Famous Trials: Lizzie Borden Trial.https://lizzieandrewborden.com/Why 19th Century Axe Murderer Lizzie Borden was Found Not Guilty The Long Silence of Lizzie BordenCBS: Lizzie Borden Case ImagesOn the Market: Lizzie Borden House for SaleSupport the show Support the show

On this episode of The Reference Desk, Katie is bewitched by Key West. As the southernmost point in the continental U.S., Key West, Florida, takes some work to get to. But you'll find this place of weirdness, inclusivity, and strange history well worth the voyage. From its beginnings as a shipwreck paradise to its current vibrant mix of American, Spanish, and Caribbean influences, Key West is full of great stories. We'll cover the history of this cayo Hueso from its indigenous people to Spanish colonization to modern times, through a look at some of the elements that make Key West so wonderfully unique: The Conch Republic Secession, the very creepy Carl Tanzler and his corpse bride, the story of the notorious haunted Robert the Doll, and the evolution of Fantasy Fest. Stick around until the end for books about and in Key West, our first-ever content overlap, and the best review of a lift-the-flap book you've ever heard. Staff picks: Hester by Laurie Lico AlbaneseNew World Witchery: A Trove of North American Folk Magic by Cory Thoman HutchesonKey West reads: Hidden History of the Florida Keys by Laura Albritton and Jerry WilkinsonHemingway’s Key West by Stuart B. McIverLast Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean by Les StandifordThe Last Train to Key West by Chanel CleetonThe Key West Food Critic Mysteries series by Lucy Burdette Naked Came the Manatee by Carl Hiaasen et. al. Purchase these books and all of our other recommended titles here! Key West Artists: https://keywestartcenter.com/artistshttps://tskw.org/https://www.oceanbluesstudio.com/Sources: Key West Fantasy Fest Turns 40Fantasy Fest Agreement & Nudity Restrictions Discussed at Length By Key West OfficialsKey West to Allow Body Paint in Designated Zone for 2022 Fantasy FestWhy Are There So Many Chickens on the Streets of Key West?Key West Declared a Faux War on the U.S. in 1982Conch Republic PassportsHijacker Linked to 'Conch' PassportThe Time the Florida Keys Tried to Secede from the U.S. by Dropping Conch Fritter BombsHistory of the Florida Keys and WreckingKey West Shipwreck HistoryThe Calusa Support the show

In this episode, Hailee is bewitched by the Woodstock Music and Art Fair of 1969. The Woodstock Music and Art Fair was a music festival that happened from August 15-17 in 1969 on a dairy farm in Bethel, NY. It was billed as an Aquarian Exposition providing three days of music and peace. Thirty-two acts performed for the nearly 500,000 attendees over the three days and Rolling Stone Magazine lists it as one of the top 50 moments that changed Rock and Roll history. There have been attempts to recreate the iconic music festival and all have been unsuccessful, most notably the absolute disaster of Woodstock 1999. So what made the original festival so special? Staff picks: Clown in a Cornfield by Adam CesareLaziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price Related media recommendations: Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life by Elliot Tiber Barefoot in Babylon: The Creation of the Woodstock Music Festival, 1969 by Bob SpitzThe Road to Woodstock by Michael LangThree Day Summer by Sarvenaz TashWoodstock, Baby!: A Far-Out Counting Book by Spencer Wilsonwww.woodstock.comhttps://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/If you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!Spotify PlaylistsWoodstock 1969 - Full Chronological SetlistBest of Woodstock 1969Sources:Trainwreck: Woodstock ‘99Woodstock '99WoodstockRichie Havens | 50 Years of Peace & MusicJoan Baez Looks Back at Woodstock: ‘It Was the Eye of the Hurricane’Peace, Love and Music: The Legacy of Woodstock 50 Years LaterWoodstock 1969: How a Music Festival That Should've Been a Disaster Became Iconic Instead - HISTORYSupport the show Support the show

In this episode, Katie is bewitched by lobotomies. The U.S. has a long and tragic history of barbaric and inhumane treatment of people living with mental illnesses. From overcrowded institutions to painful experimental treatments, patients were subjected to the unthinkable. Admittance to a state hospital was tantamount to a death sentence served in inhumane conditions. Then, a promising young neurologist introduced a new procedure inspired by the work of a Portuguese physician. Walter Freeman and the prefrontal lobotomy offered the promise of returning a patient home in a year or less. To many, this psychosurgery was seen as a miracle. But as thousands of unconsenting patients had the connections in their prefrontal cortexes severed by leucotomes and orbitoclasts, the true costs of the procedure were slowly revealed. Staff picks: The Flatshare (and ALL the other books!) by Beth O'Leary Everything Everywhere All at Once, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike + its Netflix adaptationRelated media recommendations: The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness  by Jack El-HaiMadness in Civilization: A Cultural History of Insanity, from the Bible to Freud, from the Madhouse to Modern Medicine by Andrew ScullRosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford LarsonMy Lobotomy: A Memoir by Howard Dully and Charles FlemingThe Lobotomist's Wife by Samantha Greene WoodruffThe Mad Woman's Ball by Victoria MasThe Mountain, directed by Rick AlversonThe Lobotomist, produced by American Experience PBSMy Lobotomy: Howard Dully's Journey by "All Things Considered" NPRIf you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org!Sources: The Strange and Curious History of the LobotomyMy Lobotomy: Howard Dully's Journey Psychosurgery, Ethics, and Media: A History of Walter Freeman and the LobotomyA Hole in the Head: A History of TrepanationAmerica's Long-Suffering Mental Health SystemThe Secret Lobotomy of Rosemary KennedyMental Illness in Black Community, 1700-2019: A Short HistoryThe Village at Grand Traverse Common: HistorySupport the show

In this episode, Katie is bewitched by the tragic story of the Radium Girls. Hundreds of young women were thrilled at the chance to paint clock faces and dials with a new kind of glow-in-the-dark paint in the 1920s. Factories that produced these new products paid three times as much as similar employers, with the added bonus of free access to the highly valuable radium that gave its paint its signature glow. At the time, radium was being added to everything from water to makeup and was touted as a miracle cure.  But within a few short years, the dial painters were suffering from everything from tumors to teeth loss. Dubbed the "radium girls" these brave women spent their final years locked in battle with the corporations that poisoned them. What we are reading: The Paris Library  by Janet Skeslien Charles Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlaneRecommended:The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate MooreRadium Girls: Women and Industrial Health Reform, 1910-1935 by Claudia ClarkThe Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate MooreGlow by Megan E. BryantRadio Girls by Sarah-Jane StratfordThe Last Ballad by Wiley CashLinks: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/10/we-used-to-put-radium-in-coffee/263408/ https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/14/nyregion/mae-keane-who-painted-watch-dials-with-a-radium-mixture-dies-at-107.html https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-09/documents/radionuclides.pdfhttps://nypost.com/2017/03/22/skin-glowing-from-radium-ghost-girls-died-for-a-greater-cause/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/curies-isolate-radiumhttps://www.cnn.com/style/article/radium-girls-radioactive-paint/index.htmlSupport the show

This week, Hailee is bewitched by the tragic life of Marilyn Monroe. Born Norma Jean in 1926, she was moved from foster home to foster home, living for a time in an orphanage and never having a stable home base. She was married off when she was only 16 years old and was discovered by an Army Airforce photographer sent to take morale-boosting photographs of female workers during WWII.  Marilyn worked tirelessly on her craft, reading books and taking classes but she struggled with her past and with her mental health. Marilyn is much more than the blonde bombshell she has been pegged to be. Recommendations Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn Monroe, edited by Bernard Comment The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy TaraborrelliMarilyn: Norma Jeane by Gloria SteniemGoddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Anthony SummersBeauty Mark by Carole Boston WeatherfordThe Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins ReidIf you are interested in any of the books we talk about in this episode, please consider purchasing them through our affiliate link with Bookshop.org! Linkshttps://www.biography.com/actor/marilyn-monroehttps://www.sutori.com/en/story/the-life-of-marilyn--EqqS7PM6B13chDP6QRYNgtnkhttps://www.biography.com/news/marilyn-monroe-joe-dimaggio-relationshiphttps://www.cnn.com/2022/01/15/opinions/marilyn-monroe-film-critic-origseriesfilms-opinion/index.htmlhttps://www.biography.com/news/marilyn-monroe-arthur-miller-relationshiphttps://www.grunge.com/417140/marilyn-monroes-eerie-letter-from-inside-a-psychiatric-hospital/https://www.womansday.com/relationships/a60346/true-story-marilyn-monroe-john-f-kennedy-affair/https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/10/entertainment/gallery/marilyn-monroe/index.htmlSupport the show

This week, we continue telling the story of Julia Child. After returning to America, Julia Child became a star within the culinary world, thanks to her best-selling cookbook. But it was a local television studio that made her a household name. After a successful guest appearance, Julia was given her own series on PBS. For nearly four decades, Julia remained a constant presence in American homes, thanks to her down-to-Earth, fun-loving approach to home cooking. This week's recommendations:Currently Reading: A Lullaby for Witches by Hester FoxBathe the Cat by Alice B. McGinty and David RobertsNon-fiction suggestions: My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'hommeIn Julia's Kitchen: Practical and Convivial Kitchen Design Inspired by Julia Child by Pamela Heyne and Jim SchererKitchen Confidential by Anthony BourdainFiction suggestions: With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo The Abundance by Amit MajmudarThe Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenryChildren's suggestions: Minette's Feast by Susan Reich and Amy June BatesJulia, Child by Kyo Maclear and Julia MorstadBorn Hungry by Alex Prud'homme and Sarah GreenSupport the show

This week, Katie is bewitched by the one and only Julia Child. Beloved for her warm and inviting presence on screen that made her a star, Julia Child's life before she became America's favorite French cook is less well known.  Abandoning her career as a copywriter to serve her country during World War II, Julia traveled to Asia, working for the OSS, where she met her husband, Paul Cushing Child. Together, the pair moved to Paris and Julia fell in love with French cuisine. In this first of two episodes spanning the incredible life of Julia Child, we explore her childhood, government service, education, and married life before she published her first cookbook. This week's recommendations:Currently reading: The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny ColganThe Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida CórdovaOne Last Stop by Casey McQuinstonA League of Extraordinary Women series by Evie DunmoreSupport the show