Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul – crowned by Rolling Stone the greatest singer of all time – with a dozen million-selling singles to her name. But in spite of her talent, Aretha’s road to respect wasn’t exactly smooth. Her first seven albums flopped.

It's a fascinating story. Hope you’ll join us.

The major source for this episode is the biography: "Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin" by David Ritz.

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This week, we take you through three books we consider essential reading for the rejected. Or the brave. Or the curious.

One is about hope, one is a three-volume collection of most-hated things and the third is a memoir of the craft.

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This week, it’s a two-er. The stories of two Bluth brothers – Michael and Gob – aka Jason Bateman and Will Arnett. Their stories are entirely different, yet tethered by some interesting beats. Like – not finishing school, being labelled a smart-ass, being rejected for sitcom after sitcom and crediting Arrested Development with rescuing their careers. Hope you’ll join us.

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John Grisham has authored nearly 60 books, adapted into nine motion pictures. He’s written over 50 consecutive #1 New York Times bestsellers and is considered one of the best-selling authors of fiction in the U.S. But there was a time when no one wanted his books. Not publishers, not agents, not readers. Grisham drove around Mississippi with boxes of his first novel in the trunk of his car. Then he got an unexpected phone call.

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Apostrophe co-founder and director Callie-Rae O'Reilly has written a new book – a memoir – called “Let Me Down: Reflections on Abuse and Love.” It’s a personal story about the intersections of love, abuse, memory and the stories we tell ourselves about the people who hurt us.

If you’ve ever wondered “why didn’t she just leave?” this book is an education. It’s fascinating. It’s healing. It untangles shame from so many of our stories.

Let Me Down is available at Indigo, Amazon or your favourite indie bookstore.

Find book tour events here.

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We're heading back to Paris with an encore of one of our favourite episodes. Featuring an intro from our producer and researcher Allison, where she shares the story behind the inspiration for this episode.

The Eiffel Tower is the most-visited paid monument in the world. 300 million people have climbed its stairs – or its elevators – since the landmark first opened in 1889. You’ve seen it in countless movies, you’ve marvelled at its 20,000 lights. But did you know back when the tower's design was first revealed to the public, 300 of France’s most-respected cultural luminaries called it a humiliation, a mockery and an "odious column of bolted metal?"

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Welcome to a brand-new mini-series all about reviews.

Reviews are tricky things. They have the ability to set something on fire – in one way or the other. They can be totally wrong. They can be devastatingly right. And they can be downright hilarious.

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As part of our summer hiatus, we’re bringing you an extended version of one of our favourite episodes – the doctor who was fired for washing his hands.

We originally released this episode in 2023 as a short story. Then this summer, as part of our CBC Radio Summer Series, we reworked and extended the episode – to become a full-length show.

Reminder we’re back in September resuming our regular season episodes. But for now, enjoy the crazy story of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis.

Did you know in the late 1800s, doctors didn’t wash their hands? When Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis – an obstetrician in Vienna – realized women in his hospital were dying at staggering rates, he implemented staff-wide mandatory hand washing. Maternal death rates dropped by 90%. But doctors weren’t happy. Semmelweis was called "crazy," told his idea was superstitious, not scientific.

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