| BODY
POLITICS
To The Best of Our Knowledge
from Wisconsin Public Radio
Betsy Lerner was a chubby kid. Then an overweight
teenager. Then, a compulsive eater with a secret food life. Binging
and dieting consumed her life – until the day she tried to
kill herself. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge
the story of Betsy Lerner's struggle with weight. And, the politics
of our national weight problem. Why is there an obesity epidemic
in America? And why are we so obsessed with physical perfection?
SEGMENT 1:
Journalist Greg Critser is the author of
"Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the
World." He tells Jim Fleming that Americans never learn moderate
food habits. We must accept responsibility for our own caloric
intake and expenditure. Also, Betsy Lerner memoir is "Food
and Loathing: A Lament." Lerner tells Anne Strainchamps about
her long history with Overeaters Anonymous, bi-polar disorder,
depression, psychiatric hospitalization and binge eating. And
Jim Fleming reads Joyce Sutphen's poem "Living in
the Body." You can read it here.
SEGMENT 2:
Andrea Olsen teaches dance and environmental
studies at Middlebury College. And she's the author of "Body
and Earth," a collection of meditations and exercises designed
to teach whole-body awareness. She tells Steve Paulson how to
extend his awareness of the body's sensory abilities, and does
an excerpt from a performance art piece on body awareness.
SEGMENT 3:
Colum McCann is the author of "Dancer,"
a fictional portrait of Rudolf Nureyev. McCann tells Steve Paulson
what made Nureyev the greatest dancer of his time and how his
life was shaped by his ambition and his physical beauty.
Cassette copies are available
at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 03-03-30-B.
................................................................
Books:
- Greg Critser, Fat Land: How Americans Became
the Fattest People in the World (Houghton Mifflin)
- Betsy Lerner, Food and Loathing: a lament
(Simon & Schuster)
- Colum McCann, Dancer (Henry Holt)
- Andrea Olsen, Body and Earth: an experiential
guide (Middlebury/New England)
Music:
- 1. Peggy Seeger, "Getting It Right."
on the CD "Almost Commercially Viable." (Sliced Bread
Records).
- 2. Gardens of Eden. (Putumayo World Music) Track
6 ("Arica" by Barefoot.)
- 3. Marie-Lynn Hammond, "Temagami Round."
on the CD "Black & White and shades of grey". (Aural
Tradition)
- 4. Tchaikovsky, "Russian Dance" from
the Nutcracker, performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy and the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra. (London)
- 5. Tchaikovsky, music from The Sleeping Beauty
-- from "Ballet: Greatest Hits, vol. III". (CBS)
Distribution dates:
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Questions and comments can
be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org
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