Al Pacino's childhood was spent in a tough neighborhood in the South Bronx. But he grew up among a crew of wild kids who often found themselves on adventures rivaling those of Huckleberry Finn. Those childhood antics proved foundational for Pacino, who details these stories and more in a new memoir, Sonny Boy. In today's episode, Pacino speaks with NPR's Ari Shapiro about the experiences that ignited and fed his love of acting, like a performance of Chekhov's The Seagull that changed his life. They also discuss the influence of the actor's mother and grandfather on his upbringing and whether Pacino still feels like a nonconformist at 84 years old.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
Amanda Holmes reads Ai’s “The Testimony of J. Robert Oppenheimer: A Fiction.” Have a suggestion for a poem by a (dead) writer? Email us: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. If we select your entry, you’ll win a copy of a poetry collection edited by David Lehman.
This episode was produced by Stephanie Bastek and features the song “Canvasback” by Chad Crouch.
Chapo elections unit Dave Weigel and Josh “Ettingermentum” return for one last check-in on the state of the 2024 US Elections. We review Trump’s fascist clown show rally at Madison Square Garden over the weekend, and discuss its potential impacts on the final week of the race. We look at the closing arguments & strategies of both campaigns, the increasingly strained relationship between the electorate and the media, key senate races to watch, and give final chances for Trump & Harris.
LOS ANGELES: Come to our 11/4 Election Eve show with E1 & live house band featuring Dan Boeckner and Nick Diamonds: https://link.dice.fm/b1eb3de54f54
We are releasing another batch of SIGNED COPIES of Matt’s book, ¡No Pasarán!, tomorrow/today TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29th, at Noon ET/9am PT at chapotraphouse.store. Sales open ONLY until this Thursday, October 31st, get your copy!
Find Dave’s reporting at Semafor here: https://www.semafor.com/author/david-weigel
Find the Ettingermentum newsletter here: https://www.ettingermentum.news/
Since the war in Gaza began, Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha says he has not lived a normal life. He lost 31 members of his extended family in an airstrike and now, he checks the list of casualties every day. Still, he has continued to write poetry. Abu Toha's new collection of poems, Forest of Noise, aims to document what he's witnessed and deliver the emotional experiences of Palestinians living in devastation and fear. In today's episode, Abu Toha speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about what the news fails to recognize about the war in Gaza and about the U.S. government's role in the conflict.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
The Federal Reserve directly controls a rate that for a long time drove interest rates. Does it still work that way? Cato's Jai Kedia looked at the evidence.
The Maldives is a small island nation struggling with a heavy debt load. Its borrowing includes $500 million worth of something called sukuk. These are bond-like investments that don't pay interest, to be in line with Islamic law. Today on the show, we explain how sukuk works, how it fits into the larger world of Islamic finance and what might happen if the Maldives can't pay back its debt.
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Dan Senor joins us to discuss Israel's strike on Iran this weekend. We also talk about the media meltdown over endorsements, Trump's Madison Square Garden rally, and why Michelle Obama thinks attacking men for being full of rage is a winning political strategy. Give a listen.
Palestinian-American activist, legal scholar, and human rights attorney Noura Erakat joins Bad Faith in a must-listen episode on the strategic benefits limits of the law in stopping a genocide, how to leverage electoral power to end U.S. aid to Israel, and why she isn't voting for Kamala Harris. Noura also weighs in for the first time on why she declined to join the Green Party ticket as V.P. and makes the case for solidarity across the left -- even in the face of strategic disagreement.
In the latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Gavin Ortlund joins in to discuss his new book, “What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church.”
Intro music by Jack Bauerlein.