'The Girls Who Went Away'

Megan Sukys/Dave Beck
08/08/2006

In The Girls Who Went Away, Ann Fessler brings to light the lives of hundreds of thousands of young single American women forced to give up their newborn children in the years following World War II and before Roe v. Wade. Ann Fessler speaks today with Megan Sukys.



Today's Featured Music Selection: Boilermaker Jazz Band
We get a little nostalgic this hour and listen to some hits from the interwar years. Boilermaker Jazz Band plays ragtime, swing and jazz tunes by greats like Cole Porter and Duke Ellington. They also teach audiences about the history of jazz. We listen to highlights from their new CD, You Do Something to Me.


At 2:05 p.m. - 'The Girls Who Went Away'
In The Girls Who Went Away, Ann Fessler brings to light the lives of hundreds of thousands of young single American women forced to give up their newborn children in the years following World War II and before Roe v. Wade. In 2002, Fessler, an adoptee herself, traveled the country interviewing women willing to speak publicly about why they relinquished their children. Researching archival records and the political and social climate of the time, she uncovered a story of three decades of women who, under enormous social and family pressure, were coerced or outright forced to give their babies up for adoption. Ann Fessler speaks today with Megan Sukys.

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'The Girls Who Went Away'

At 2:30 p.m. - Sonando
The Seattle-based band Sonando plays traditional and modern interpretations of Afro-Cuban styles like Son, Changui, Bata and Rumba, as well as its own signature Latin Jazz. Fred Hoadley and Chris Stover share selections from the new recording and speak with Dave Beck.

Related Links:

Sonando

At 2:50 p.m. - Gavin Borchert
Composer and Seattle Weekly Music Critic Gavin Borchert reviews new classical music recordings regularly on The Beat. He joins us today with his latest listening adventure.