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Fresh Air weekend: A family divided by race; America at 250

Eddie Glaude Jr. speaks in Philadelphia on March 1, 2023.
Lisa Lake
/
Getty Images
Eddie Glaude Jr. speaks in Philadelphia on March 1, 2023.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, as well as new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and it often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

How a single decision made a century ago split a family in half by race: Pope Leo's Black family roots inspired journalist Susan Saulny to research her Creole great-uncle who moved to Chicago, became white and didn't return. She describes her journey to reunite her family.

If you plan to catch up on reading this summer, start with these 3 books: Summer is the perfect time to go back to great books that whizzed by in spring, including The Family Man, by James Lasdun, The Hill, by Harriet Clark and A Beautiful Loan, by Mary Costello.

As the U.S. turns 250, this scholar has blunt advice: 'America has to grow up': In America, U.S.A., Princeton professor Eddie Glaude Jr. looks at the country through the lens of its previous anniversaries and centennials. "The divided soul of the nation is in full view," he says.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

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