Fresh Air Weekend: Colson Whitehead's 'The Nickel Boys'; Quitting Opioids Alone

Fresh Air

Published August 17, 2019 at 12:10 PM EDT

Travis Rieder, author of <em>In Pain: A Bioethicist's Personal Struggle With Opioids, </em>says none of the doctors who prescribed opioids for his waves of "fiery" or "electrical" pain taught him how to safely taper his use of the drugs when he wanted to quit. — Travis Rieder, author of *In Pain: A Bioethicist's Personal Struggle With Opioids,* says none of the doctors who prescribed opioids for his waves of "fiery" or "electrical" pain taught him how to safely taper his use of the drugs when he wanted to quit.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

Colson Whitehead On The True Story Of Abuse And Injustice Behind 'Nickel Boys: Whitehead's new novel is based on a notorious Florida reform school where boys were beaten and sexually abused. "If there's one place like this, there are many," he says.

Rooted In History, 'The Nickel Boys' Is A Great American Novel:Colson Whitehead's deeply affecting new novel is based on the true story of a segregated reform school in Florida where African American boys were brutalized and possibly murdered.

Motorcycle Crash Shows Bioethicist The Dark Side Of Quitting Opioids Alone:When medical bioethicist Travis Rieder tried to taper off pain medication after a roadway accident, he was disappointed by his doctors' reaction: "Everybody had a reason to send me to somebody else."

You can listen to the original interviews and review here:

Colson Whitehead On The True Story Of Abuse And Injustice Behind 'Nickel Boys

Rooted In History, 'The Nickel Boys' Is A Great American Novel

Motorcycle Crash Shows Bioethicist The Dark Side Of Quitting Opioids Alone