Family Secrets

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Family Secrets. We all have them. And while the discovery of family secrets can initially be terrifying or traumatic, often these discoveries have the power to liberate, heal, and even uplift us. Join Dani Shapiro, bestselling author of the memoir Inheritance, and her guests as they explore astonishing family secrets and uncover the extraordinary lessons the truth can teach us.

  • 1 hour 17 minutes
    Homeschooled

    After being coerced into homeschool by a mother whose love threatens to consume him, Stefan must confront how an isolated childhood shrouded in secrecy will shape his life.

    Stefan Merrill Block's memoir is titled Homeschooled.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    22 January 2026, 11:00 am
  • 38 minutes 47 seconds
    Should We Do This?

    Marion and Tony are madly, deeply in love. But there are obstacles to their relationship, namely Tony’s sexual preference. When Tony loses his life to AIDS, Marion discovers just how many obstacles there really were.

    This year is the 30th Anniversary of Marion Winik's memoir, First Comes Love.

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    15 January 2026, 11:00 am
  • 1 hour 40 seconds
    The Mixed Marriage Project

    In his locked study, Dorothy’s father works on his book. For years. And years. And years. But it’s not until after his death that Dorothy uncovers the secrets in between its unfinished pages.

    Dorothy Roberts is the author of The Mixed Marriage Project: A Memoir of Love, Race, and Family.

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    8 January 2026, 11:00 am
  • 1 hour 3 minutes
    90 Miles

    Karen vanishes with her children to escape a violent marriage, erasing a life in order to save it. But eventually, when it’s safe—if it’s safe—she must come out of hiding.

    Karen Palmer's book, She's Under Here, is out now.

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    1 January 2026, 11:00 am
  • 36 minutes 31 seconds
    All Without Telling Me

    In 1998, long before Dani discovered the truth of her biological paternity, she published a story called “The Secret Wife” about the discovery of her father’s second wife, a secret marriage that had been hidden for decades. Today, she reads and reflects on this story—the uncovering of the silent grief and buried histories that shaped her. 

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    25 December 2025, 12:00 pm
  • 1 hour 14 minutes
    The Guy Who Knew a Guy

    When Francesca sets out to understand her father’s past, she is faced with a world of crime, silence, and denial. But it’s not just his past she must reckon with; it’s her present, her inheritance of a story no one wanted to tell.

    Francesca Fontana is the author of The Family Snitch.

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    18 December 2025, 11:00 am
  • 52 minutes 40 seconds
    Tangled Up in Blue

    Sam grows up without knowing his biological father. As he enters adolescence, he begins to resemble Bob Dylan. A lot. So when Sam learns his mother had a brief relationship with Dylan in the 70s, the cascade of questions begins to flow.

    Sam Sussman's book, Boy from the North Country, is out now.

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    11 December 2025, 11:00 am
  • 48 minutes 44 seconds
    Baby X

    After centuries of ancestral trauma, Julian must listen closely to the stories of his family —stories of survival, memory, myth and generations of erasure—in order to discover the story of himself.

    Julian Brave NoiseCat's book, We Survived the Night, is out now.

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    4 December 2025, 11:00 am
  • 56 minutes 9 seconds
    They Weren’t Into Consequences

    When Amanda’s parents’ eccentricities take a dark turn toward hoarding, scheming, and secret-keeping, the walls begin to literally close in on her. As the chaos and deceit grows in volume around her, she must figure out how to escape.

    Amanda Uhle's book is titled Destroy This House.

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    27 November 2025, 11:00 am
  • 1 hour 23 minutes
    In The Backseat of My Body

    When Kate begins to recover haunting memories, she must confront a family history shaped by silence and generational harm. What follows is her quest to piece together the truth and reclaim a stolen childhood.

    Kate Price's book, This Happened to Me: A Reckoning, is out now.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    20 November 2025, 11:00 am
  • 1 hour 5 minutes
    Acting on Top of Acting

    Ari’el has spent his life playing characters, trying on different identities. But at a certain point he must discover who—beneath all these competing selves—he truly is. 

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    13 November 2025, 11:00 am
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