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Fresh Air Weekend: Jonathan Franzen; The History Of The Autism Spectrum

Jonathan Franzen is also the author of <em>Freedom</em> and the essay collection <em>How To Be Alone</em>.
Michael Loccisano
/
Getty Images for HBO
Jonathan Franzen is also the author of Freedom and the essay collection How To Be Alone.

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

Jonathan Franzen On Writing: It's An 'Escape From Everything': The author of The Corrections and the new novel Purity likens writing to losing himself in a dream. "When it's really going well ... you're in a fantasy land and feeling no pain," he says.

'NeuroTribes' Examines The History — And Myths — Of The Autism Spectrum: Steve Silberman talks about how Nazi extermination plans and a discredited scientific paper about childhood vaccines shaped our current understanding of autism.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

Jonathan Franzen On Writing: It's An 'Escape From Everything'

'NeuroTribes' Examines The History — And Myths — Of The Autism Spectrum

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