This Is Hell!

From October, Brian Mier, editor and contributor to, “Year of Lead: Washington, Wall Street and the New Imperialism in Brazil,” co-editor of Brasilwire, Brazil correspondent for TeleSur English's News Program, From the South, and co-host on Brazil 24/7. Brian was on to discuss his most recent writing at the time, “Media Spins Lula Victory As Defeat,” which was posted just before Lula da Silva won the Brazilian presidential run-off over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.

We replay a listener chosen favorite interview from 2022 with Dorothy Roberts, an award-winning author and expert on the interplay of gender, race, and class in legal issues concerning reproduction, bioethics, and child welfare. She is a professor of law and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. Chuck Mertz interviews Roberts about her latest book, TORN APART: How the child welfare system destroys black families—and how abolition can build a safer world.

Live from Sebastian's living room where he hasn't calibrated his mic correctly, here's the Best of 2022 for Boxing Day with an interview from July 2022 with writer Kate Manne on abortion rights and pregnancy criminalization.

We continue our Best of 2022 series, wherein we revisit the very best interviews of the past year. This week we return to our interview with Gerald Horne, author of, “The Counter-Revolution of 1836: Texas Slavery & JIm Crow and the Roots of U.S. Fascism.” Gerald continues his dynasty of repeated appearances on our year-end best-of round-ups! Moreover, this week's Question From Hell contest reaches its electrifying culmination.

We replay a listener chosen favorite interview from 2022 with Laura Mauldin who is a writer, sociologist, and interdisciplinary scholar based in New York City. The interview was initially recorded August 22, 2022 and discusses Mauldin's article "Care Tactics" published by the Baffler https://thebaffler.com/salvos/care-tactics-mauldin

The Listeners (you) chose this August interview with Heather Berg, Assistant Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies at Washington University St. Louis. Dr. Berg talked about her Boston Review article "Freedom, not Benefits: Sex Workers are the Vanguard of Labor. The Left ignores them at its own Peril." We also feature an somewhat new Past inside the Present, present this week's Question from Hell!, and then also give you this week's much needed Hangover Cure.

Michael Hawthorne is on to talk about his investigation into "Forever chemicals: They’re in your drinking water and likely your food. Michael is a Pulitzer-finalist investigative reporter who focuses on the environment and public health for the Chicago Tribune.

Our planned interview is rescheduled for tomorrow. Today we review Rotten History and new answers to the Question from Hell. We play back an interview with Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law, recorded August 5th, 2020. https://thisishell.com/interviews/1214-victoria-law-maya-schenwar

We welcome environmental scholar Leslie Kern to talk about her new book "Gentrification is Inevitable - And other Lies." We also present you this week's (long) Question from Hell!, and have another Icelandic hangover cure. Producer Sebastian has this week's Past Inside the Present, in which he details some of the reasons for Germany's awkward relationship with Israel.

Today's guest had to reschedule, so we replay a past episode, Lindsey has a hellride to work and is called to play back a musical episode featuring artist Wesley WIllis, recovered from the vaults by producer Dan Hill.