logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2021
40m 35s

Fighting Fires and Family Secrets

NPR
About this episode
Uncontrollable western wildfires and a hidden family history — two puzzles that can only be solved with knowledge buried in the past. Indigenous people in Montana fight fire with fire, drawing on the unique relationships their ancestors had to one of the West's greatest threats today. And a young woman grapples with the secret that binds her family together, but also tears them apart. This week, we bring you stories produced by two members of the Throughline team: Victor Yvellez and Anya Steinberg. Through their past work before joining the show, we'll travel from the homelands of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes to the freezers of a cryobank to answer questions about family, tradition, and the future.

To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Mar 5
Iran and the Jewish people: An alliance before war
Israel and Iran have been in almost constant conflict for nearly 50 years. Media tends to frame the violence as endemic, and inevitable — but it’s not. Between the creation of Israel in 1948 and Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, the countries cooperated, if cautiously. And the b ... Show More
51m 32s
Mar 3
We the People, Redefined
When the 14th amendment was ratified after the Civil War, it redefined what it meant to be an American. Today on the show, we bring you the story of how the 14th amendment was created, and the intention behind equal protection for all.To access bonus episodes and listen to Throug ... Show More
18m 59s
Feb 26
Why Super PACs have more power than ever in elections
What’s one thing people across the U.S. can agree on? Hint – it’s about money. Voters from all political parties overwhelmingly see unlimited spending in elections as a threat to our democracy. So if most people don’t like all this money in politics, then who does? The answer, on ... Show More
50m 10s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
The Destructive Power of the Family, From Oedipus to the Godfather
Family has been an inexhaustible source of conflict for writers from the ancient to modern worlds – maybe even more inexhaustible than war. From Greek dramatists Aeschylus and Sophocles to Confucius, family is a source of both self-destruction and self-actualization. In this epis ... Show More
32m 10s
Jul 2022
America's Serial Killer Family
<p>When the Bender family disappeared from Labette county, Kansas, in 1873, they left a dozen bodies buried in the garden of their home.</p><br><p>But who were they? Who were their victims? And why did people take bricks from their well as souvenirs?</p><br><p>Today Betwixt the S ... Show More
40m 20s
Oct 2022
Faleeha Hassan, "War and Me" (Amazon Crossing, 2022)
An intimate memoir about coming of age in a tight-knit working-class family during Iraq's seemingly endless series of wars. Faleeha Hassan became intimately acquainted with loss and fear while growing up in Najaf, Iraq. Now, in a deeply personal account of her life, she remembers ... Show More
42m 56s
Mar 2021
One Normal Family, 300 Years of History
Every family has a history and delving into the history of one ordinary French family over three centuries provides a remarkable picture of deep social and economic changes.&nbsp;Accounts of the lives of the rich and powerful families of history are commonplace. We have all read ... Show More
23m 16s
May 2023
Serial Killer Family on the Frontier
<p>Between 1871 and 1872, Labette County, Kansas became a source of mystery. Several people have gone missing on their journey west and a few bodies have been found. Is this the work of highway robbers? Or could it be the peculiar family who live beside the Great Osage Trail?</p> ... Show More
40m 48s
Jul 2023
Tons of People Married Their First Cousins
What do Albert Einstein, Jesse James and Saddam Hussein have in common? Like many notable figures throughout history, these men ended up marrying their first cousins. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the stories of how these historical figures ended up in romantic ... Show More
51m 2s
May 2022
Tracing forgotten female ancestors
<p>Kim Chakanetsa meets two genealogists passionate about uncovering the forgotten stories of their clients' female ancestors. </p><p>Kenyatta D Berry is a lawyer and genealogist from the USA. She is the author of The Family Tree Toolkit and the co-host of The Genealogy Roadshow ... Show More
27m 32s
May 2023
The Rise & Fall of the de la Pole Family
<p>The de la Pole dynasty played a central role in the Wars of the Roses. Theirs is a fascinating story of the rises and falls that plagued families - and the disputes within them - as they tried to chart the stormy waters of a civil war.&nbsp;</p><br><p>In this edition of <em>Go ... Show More
26m 27s
Jan 2024
Our House: Stories of the Holocaust
Jo Glanville meets Berliners who have researched the stories of the Jewish families who once lived in their homes. Marie, Hugh, Anke and Matthias all became fascinated by the history of the families who lived in their flats before them when the Nazis were in power and wanted to f ... Show More
27m 14s