Popular Reviews of Mother Country Radicals

The ultimate family history of the 1970s US radical movement known as The Weather Underground, this podcast is beautifully written by host Zayd Dohrn, whose parents declared war on the US government and tried to build a social revolution.Zayd’s mother, Bernardine Dohrn, went from law student to what the FBI termed “the most wanted woman in America”. His father, Bill Ayres, moved from being a teacher to gearing up to build bombs and brawl with police.Now a successful playwright and creative writing academic, Zayd does not shy away from challenging his parents on how they thought they could combine being on the run with raising a child (him). Excellent use of archive and candid interviews make for a compelling investigation – though oddly, the emotional register remains mostly low.

This podcast lived up to the hype for me. It did a great job of describing what life was like for Weather Underground extremists both during and after their politically active periods. Although the creators took some steps to get a historical perspective on the political actions of the era, this is very much an inside, too-close telling of the history. To me that's fine, because my questions were more "what was it like" than "were they right or wrong," and that's what this podcast addressed. For those seeking historical nuance, this might be frustrating. Still, recommended.

Damn! This is one of the best podcasts I've listened to this year. It's a hard look into the lives of a group of idealistic young people, and gives insight into how their beliefs gradually lead them from political support to protest and street activism to something dark and violent. It's written, co-produced and narrated by the son of two of the members, and includes interviews with various members. The result is a story that is raw, deeply personal, thoroughly engaging. At the same time, it's problematic, and urgent -particularly considering the Jan 6th insurrection- and the narrator doesn't shy away from interrogating that part. In addition, the sound design and editing is top-notch. In all, this is excellent stuff, and strongly recommended. Subscribe and start listening, you won't regret it!

A pathetic attempt at keeping anti American scum in the news.