The High Low

Welcome back to the summer term, High Lowers! We recap some news and bring you a boat load of televisual, podcast and - mainly - book recommendations. Plus, Dolly falls for the ultimate whale hoax/ocean con. Enjoy.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowAmerican Marriage, by Tarayi JonesThis is The Story of a Happy Marriage, by Ann PatchettMy Sister, the Serial Killer, by Oyinkan BraithwaiteThree Women, by Lisa TaddeoBad Behaviour, by Mary GaitskillTrick Mirror, by Jill TolentinoGuantanamo's Darkest Secret, by Ben Taub for The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/22/guantanamos-darkest-secretUndercover, on BBC iPlayerThis Is Us, Series 2, on Amazon PrimeFleishman Is In Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner: https://amzn.to/2J5VoGO A Half-baked Idea by Olivia Potts https://amzn.to/2DH9GtZ One Day by David Nicholls: https://amzn.to/2VBXeWAClose To Where The Heart Gives Out by Dr Malcolm Alexander https://amzn.to/2J6y2Rp Terrific Mother by Lorrie Moore:

We discuss Lorraine Kelly’s “performative construct”, Dolly’s piece about I’m In Trouble syndrome and what we don’t know - and need to know - about women in prison, rehabilitation and reform. And we deep-dive into perfectionism, failure and why society needs to re-frame the idea of “childless” women, with novelist and High Low returning guest, Elizabeth Day, whose memoir How To Fail comes out on April 4th. Tweet @thehighlowshowE-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comThe High Low is now on Easter holidays. We’ll be back in May! How To Fail, by Elizabeth Day https://www.waterstones.com/book/how-to-fail/elizabeth-day//9780008327323?awc=3787_1553638468_1a3ae434886bc59cdb0f76a91f73672c&utm_source=176013&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=Shopping+FMBrave, Not Perfect, by Reshma Saujani https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/561367/brave-not-perfect-by-reshma-saujani/9781524762339/Inheritance, by Dani Shapiro https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/554262/inheritanc

We ring up director Dan Reed to discuss his sensational documentary, Leaving Neverland, which is all anyone else is talking about. We deep-dive into the allegations against Michael Jackson - so long, brushed over - and what Reed's documentary teaches us about child sex abuse, trauma, grooming, the aura of celebrity and how the internet has changed popular culture - and accountability - for the better.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowSARC information: https://twitter.com/Essex_SARC​To The Woman, an Audible Originals series https://adbl.co/2HwwPTC Ordinary People, by Diane Evans https://bit.ly/2OhAK6ZLife Itself, on Sky or Amazon PrimeDirty John, on Netflix and podcast, by The LA Times https://lat.ms/2ui8mIWLouis Theroux, The Night In Question https://bbc.in/2ES7C3fColor and Light, by Sally Rooney for The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/18/color-and-lightEverybody Died, So I Got a Dog, by Emily Dean https://bit.ly/2HIVTGf Calypso,

*** PLEASE NOTE: This episode was recorded several days before it was announced that Shamima Begum's baby had died, which is why it is not discussed in this episode ***This is one of the most important - and certainly prescient - author specials we’ve ever had. The journalist and author Fatima Bhutto (the niece and granddaughter of two Pakistani Prime Ministers and the daughter of a political exile) joins us to discuss her new novel, The Runaways, about the radicalisation of 3 teenagers. As the Shamima Begum - and now Hoda Muthana - citizenship furore gains momentum, we discuss what lures teenagers to the Islamic State, what the West doesn’t understand about radicalisation and the problem with pitting the East, and West against one another. As Fatima says, “who decided that freedom is a Western value? Or that tolerance is a Western value? Why can’t it be an Eastern value, too?” The Runaways, by Fatima Bhutto https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/308/308064/the-runaways/9780241346990.htmlShamima Begum’s im

We’re live from Pandora jewellery’s flagship store in London on Friday 1st March, in partnership with Ovacome for Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. Aaaand this week we bring you Emma Thompson’s open letter to The LA Times after she quit an animated movie in protest against the studio’s new hire (a man accused of multiple counts of sexual harassment) and we do a deep-dive into self-discipline. Pandora’s discovered the Pomodoro technique; but is Dolly a fan of self-imposed rules? Take a listen and find out. E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowYou, Me & The Big C, a BBC podcast https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/you-me-and-the-big-c-putting-the-can-in-cancer/id1356165446?mt=2Camping, on Sky Atlantic This Time with Alan Partridge, on BBC iPlayerEmma Thompson’s Open Letter to The LA Times https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-mn-emma-thompson-john-lasseter-skydance-20190226-story.html%3foutputType=ampHow I Hacked My Most-Used Apps to Calculate My Day Rate, by Anna

The High Low turns TWO this week! Excuse us while we wallow in (the admittedly shallow) nostalgia of it all.This week we discuss the Oscars; the ongoing case of Shamima Begum’s citizenship; the Insta-tributes to Karl Lagerfeld; and the Martin Scorsese fan who wants to erase a film ending he doesn’t like. Where does our ability to meme popular culture end; and how will it affect problematic art? Is Animal Hospital without Rolf, just a koala hanging in mid-air? Today we have an author special with Candice Carty-Williams, whose debut novel, Queenie, has been making waves ahead of its publication (published by Trapeze on 11th April.) Queenie is the young black female protagonist you’ve been hoping for - and the book is funny, raw and wise in equal measure. Queenie, by Candice Carty-Williams. Pre-order the Waterstones exclusive https://www.waterstones.com/book/queenie/candice-carty-williams/9781409180050City of Girls, by Elizabeth Gilbert (out June 2019) https://www.amazon.co.uk/City-Girls-Eliz

*** PLEASE NOTE: This episode was recorded about 8 hours before it was announced that Shamima Begum had been denied entry back to the UK and was stripped of her British citizenship.***This week, we discuss the most flammable news story of the week: the return of Shamima Begum, the 19 year old Londoner who fled to the Islamic State 4 years ago and returned to have her 3rd baby in the UK. Home Secretary Sajid Javid wants to deny her entry - but should a humane society seek to rehabilitate? We also discuss the idea that “young women do not know their own minds” and why vulnerability does not negate agency. Also this week, we discuss the allegations against singer-songwriter Ryan Adams, and why the ‘tortured artist’ trope is tired and misogynistic. Plus, Jenna Coleman’s interview gone viral, creepy finger grapes and Dolly’s favourite new musical.I Met Fear On A Hill, by Leslie Jamison for The Paris Review https://www.theparisreview.org/letters-essays/7318/i-met-fear-on-the-hill-leslie-jamisonI

We couldn't not discuss Liam Neeson's race row and The New Yorker long-read setting the publishing world alight: about best-selling novelist Dan Mallory, aka AJ Finn, who built his career on an extensive web of lies. How did it take a decade for anyone to see through his deception? And what does it tell us about the publishing world - and ourselves?Also today, we discuss Valentine's Day (and reveal our best and worst and our plans for this year), the diversity of vaginas and the M&S love sausage.Vagina: A Re-Education, by Lynn Enright https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/lgbt-gender-studies/vagina-a-reeducation,lynn-enright-9781911630012A Suspense Novelist’s Trail is Deception, by Ian Parker for The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/02/11/a-suspense-novelists-trail-of-deceptions/ampWhy I Photographed 100 Vaginas, by Laura Dodsworth for The BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/Why_I_Photographed_100_VulvasRachel Cooke on Dan Mallory for The Guardian https

We’re back! Have you missed us? Dolly’s tits-deep in her Everything I Know About Love tour (buy tickets here: faneproductions.com/dolly and the paperback is out now) and Pandora’s essay, The Authentic Lie, for independent crowd-funding publisher, The Pound Project, is now open for pledging. Buy in online or mini book form, here! (Plus, there’s a foreword by Elizabeth Day.) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/poundproject/the-pound-project-part-four-pandora-sykesThis week we discuss everything we’ve been enjoying since Christmas - what we’ve been watching, listening to and reading (a lot.) It’s all listed below. Sign the The High Low’s sub-editor and freelance journalist Anna Codrea Rado’s brilliant open letter to the media, to secure #FairPayForFreelancers http://bit.ly/fairpayforfreelancers. Donate to help The Pool's staff and freelancers get paid: https://www.gofundme.com/help-the-pool-staff-and-freelancers-get-paid?pc=&rcid=r01-154905562015-fce176adade44eb7 E-ma

It’s our favourite time of year: Betwixtmas. We hope you’re face-planted on the sofa, whilst we waltz down your ears with this end of year episode. Dolly devises a very silly quiz which *sort* of refers to things that happened in 2018 and sort of includes rogue personal questions about her internet provider. The High Low is taking a winter holiday, so here’s what’s on our bookshelf to devour — whilst the pod is sunning itself with a cocky by the pool, restoring and renewing its energy for a new term in February. The Milkman, by Anna BurnsKudos, by Rachel CuskBrilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant, by Joel GolbyBecoming, by Michelle ObamaNotes to Self, by Emilie PineThe Parisian, by Isabella Hammad Vox, by Christine DalcherDiary of a Somebody, by Brian BilstonDuped: Double Lives, False Identities, and the Con Man I Almost Married, by Abby EllinA Spark of Light, by Jodi PicoultSweet, Fruit, Sour, Land by Rebecca Leythehighlowshow@gmail.com@thehighlowshowThe High Low will be back in early

It’s Chriiiiiiiistmas! From cracker jokes to festive songs; Yuletide readings and actual Christmas cards from the ACTUAL ye olde mail bag; a host of Christmas surveys unpicked and the ultimate question: should a parent ever tell their kid Father Christmas doesn’t exist? Also today, a ton of recs and a quick-fire festive round of Ask The High Low. The Pact We Made, by Layla AlAmmar https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780008284442/the-pact-we-made/Hannah Gadsby meets Roxane Gay for The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/dec/08/hannah-gadsby-roxane-gay-in-conversation-body-image-fan-encounters-trollsReni Eddo-Lodge on the Blackfishing Phenomenon for British Vogue https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/blackfishing-phenomenonAimee Mullins interview in the current issue of PORTER magazine, out now Christine Amanpour: Sex and Love Around the World, on Netflix The American Meme on NetflixJill Soloway Wants It, TBD by Tina Brown https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/tbd

It was the week of Knickers (the cow too big for the abattoir), a Guardian long-read about poo (much to Dolly’s dismay) and Ada Hegerberg, the Norwegian Ballon d’Or winner who coolly refused to twerk. This episode, we discuss the proposed ban of the Christmas song, ‘Baby It’s Cold Out Here’, on account of its supposed coercion (“I really must go”) and connotations of date-rape (“what’s in this drink?”) But, when you dig into the lyrics and read what music historians have to say - it turns out this song was the very opposite. Is this a reminder that a ‘past-present’ translator is mandatory, with cultural artifacts? And Google, when are you making one?Also on the agenda, abuse against women on social media, as written about by journalists Polly Vernon, in Grazia and Daisy Buchanan, on Twitter. Polly calls every day ‘Righteous Internet Pile-in Day’ where women are “attacked, vilified and lampooned by complete strangers.” Meanwhile, Daisy

We're back at Google's Curiosity Rooms to celebrate the launch of their Google Pixel 3 phone and we're still not over Baby Shark. On the agenda today: the zeitgeisty new buzz-phrase 'emotional labour'. What does it mean and are we using it correctly? We also discuss Sarah Michelle Gellar's thanksgiving gaffe, after she shared a pic of her in her underwear, as a 'warning' not to over-eat at Thanksgiving. Do women in the public eye hold responsibility for how we feel about their bodies? Plus, how incels are using sex robots; a powerful piece of 'ethical-dilemma' fiction about abortion; and our guardian angel Tina Brown's new podcast. Russell Brand on Happy Place, by Fearne Cotton https://www.acast.com/happy-place/russell-brandA Spark of Light, by Jodi Picoult https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Jodi-Picoult/A-Spark-of-Light--from-the-author-everyone-should-be-reading/22391565The Reddit sex robot forums radicalising men, by Jade Angeles Fitton for New Statesman https://www.newstatesman.com/2018/11

The Baby Shark ear-worm; Joanna Lumley saying the word 'waz'; and the Chinese man who got so drunk on Black Friday (aka Single's Day in China) he bought a salamander and a tiny Thai pig. Oh, it's a good week at The High Low.Today we discuss M&S's Christmas display - a woman in red lace underwear next to a man in a suit - which one Twitter user gone viral called "vomit-inducing." Is it? We also discuss John Allen Chau, the American missionary killed by the isolated Sentinelese tribe and Lena Dunham's extraordinarily revealing interview for New York Magazine.E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshowBudget Christmas ad goes viral https://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/11/26/budget-love-gift-christmas-ad-goes-viralLittle Mix: these issues of body shaming needed exposure, by Gaby Hinsliff for The Observer https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/23/little-mix-body-shaming-piers-morgan-naked-stripMeet the traumatised Asian men who are trapped in forced marriages, by Yasm

It was the week of the BBC's 100 Women of the Year list, Hockney's record-breaking art sale and the story of Deke Duncan, a radio jockey playing to an audience of one (Dolly's spirit animal.)On today's agenda, the 'cleanfluencer' phenomenon, Mrs Hinch - who has over 1.3 million IG followers and shares videos of herself cleaning. Why DO people go so potty for her? Does she offer an ordered escape from a terrifyingly messy world?And we discuss Lolly Adefope's wry joke about a whitewashed comedy line-up - which escalated into a perceived 'race row' and saw Lolly cast in the role of 'Angry Black Woman.' Why is calm and valid criticism so hard for us to accept? And what does it say about diversity - or rather, the continued lack of it?E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet us @The High Low LinksMother Ship, by Francesca Segal https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/111/1116702/mother-ship/9781784742690.htmlWhy Are Young People Having So Little Sex? By Katie Julian for The Atlantic https://www.t

It's World Kindness Day & Dolly has a beautiful poem to kick us off, whilst Pandora has a new Spotify suggestion for everyone who went nutty for French Chill. 46% of men remove their body hair, up from 36% in 2017. Is it the fusion of porn culture and pop culture?Plus we discuss Collins dictionary's word of the year - 'single-use.' What were the other contenders? Are you a plogger? Lastly, Iceland's Christmas ad, banned for being political, after the supermarket re-branded a Greenpeace advert warning against the dangers of palm oil.E-mail: thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet: @thehighlowshowGood Morning Jazz on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX71VcjjnyaBQ?si=fPT3z_VuSti-bZBSfccYPQLike Women, Men Are Now Suffering in Their Pursuit of the 'Perfect Body', by Barbara Ellen for The Observer https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/11/men-suffer-as-much-as-women-in-their-pursuit-of-the-perfect-bodyVictoria's Secret is Trying to Ch

From Prince George memes (@garyjanetti) to vegan abuse (last week journalist William Sitwell was sacked from the Waitrose Food magazine, for his jokes about killing vegans) via the healthiest/ unhealthiest high streets in the UK, as voted by The Royal Society of Public Health. Edinburgh won, Grimsby lost, and you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out why. Today we have author Olivia Sudjic on the show to discuss her new essay, Exposure, about the anxiety that threatened to engulf her after her debut novel, Sympathy, became a literary success. Part literary criticism, drawing on some of her favourite works by female authors, Sudjic’s intelligent, sharp, thoughtful and deeply confronting essay discusses not just anxiety but all of its merry cohorts: insomnia, self-surveillance, self-loathing, sabotage, imposter syndrome and the gender imbalance when it comes to critiquing women’s fiction (as Roxane Gay points out, Knausgård is never called a ‘diarist‘.) Sudjic discusses what it means to be a publish

Since we’ve been gone, Apple has added cream cheese to its emoji bagel after furious complaints (we discuss what we have on OUR bagels and spoiler alert: it’s not cream cheese, Apple); Urban Outfitters has produced an “influencer’ Halloween costume of crop top and leggings; and, of course, a new scandal which features a megalomaniac at its centre, has broken: Arcadia chairman, Philip Green, has been accused of sexual and racial harassment after peer Lord Hain exercised his parliamentary immunity (where injunctions do not apply) to name him as the anonymous retail boss who allegedly paid off employees. We discuss the difference between the injunction and the NDA and what constitutes ‘in the public interest.’E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshow Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albomhttps://www.hive.co.uk/Search/Keyword?keyword=Tuesdays%20with%20morrie%20&productType=0Seven Days of Us, by Francesca Hornakhttps://www.hive.co.uk/Search/Keyword?keyword=Seven%20Days%20of%20Us&productT

By the time she died in Syria, in 2012, Marie Colvin was one of the world’s most renowned and courageous war correspondents. Recognised for her trademark eye patch - the consequence of a grenade in Sri Lanka, in 2001 - and revered as a journalist, with a 25 year tenure at The Sunday Times, Marie Colvin had a personal life as tumultuous as the war zones she covered. With the help of 300 of Marie’s journals, her friend and colleague, Channel 4’s International Editor, Lindsey Hilsum, has written a funny, frank and moving biography, In Extremis: The Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin, where she separates the myth from the woman: as brave as she is glamorous; as fierce as she is vulnerable. Ahead of the release of A Private War - a film of Marie’s life, with Rosamund Pike as Marie and Jamie Dornan as photographer, Paul Conroy - we talk to Lindsey about her friendship with Marie, the reality of being a war correspondent and how you keep mentally strong and sane, the bad news cycle, social media and MeToo. 

Everyone’s talking about Kanye’s nutty meeting with Trump in The Oval Office last week; whilst Melania, in her most frank televised interview yet, described herself as the most bullied person in the world. Meanwhile, Fendi has made a £750 scarf which looks like a vulva (transcendental experience of being ‘born again’ presumably baked in to the price), the Duchess of Sussex is having a baby and we discuss the juiciest tidbits of the 850-guest royal wedding that we both, accidentally, got really quite into.  Also this week we discuss why 1/3 of Gen Z don’t drink (and interview two Gen Z authors Scarlett Curtis and Charly Cox about their differing attitudes to alcohol) and some brilliant pieces of journalism this weekend by Josh Glancy and Max Hastings, that discuss how feelings have trumped rational thought. Is The Enlightenment’s 300-year intellectual tenure under threat? And what are the dangers of placing heart and gut above facts and mind?  E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @theh