NPR’s Book of the Day: Ethleen Whitmire on “The Remarkable Life of Reed Pegram”

Date: February 12, 2026
Host: Andrew Limbong (A), Scott Simon (C)
Guest: Ethleen Whitmire (D), historian and author

Overview

This episode spotlights Ethleen Whitmire’s new nonfiction book, The Remarkable Life of Reed Pegram, which uncovers the extraordinary yet largely forgotten life of Reed Pegram—a queer, Black Harvard scholar and translator who defied both racial and sexual prejudice, risking safety to remain in Europe with his lover during World War II. Whitmire joins NPR’s Scott Simon to discuss Pegram’s singular journey through academic achievement, passion, displacement, adversity, and tragedy, as well as the invaluable letters that made his story possible.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

How the Story Was Unearthed

• Serendipitous Discovery of Letters (02:04–02:46)
  • Whitmire explains that during a 2016 talk in Copenhagen, a member of her audience revealed she was Pegram’s great-niece.
  • The great-niece shared over 200 family letters from Pegram written during WWII in Paris, Copenhagen, and Florence.
  • These letters formed the foundation of the biography.

Pegram’s Early Life & Education

• Academic Excellence Under Racial Caveats (02:46–03:19)

  • Pegram grew up in Cambridge, excelled at Boston Latin School, and attended Harvard.
  • Despite immense academic praise, recommendations always emphasized his race.
  • “[They] admired him for his intellect, ...but they never failed to mention that he was a Black American. So there was always a caveat.” — Ethleen Whitmire (03:03–03:19)

• The Pivotal Role of Pegram’s Grandmother, Laura Reed (03:19–04:11)

  • Laura Reed, with only a third-grade education, worked as a janitress and house cleaner for Boston’s elite.
  • She leveraged her network to secure opportunities for Pegram, even prompting her employers to write recommendations to Harvard.
  • Whitmire dedicates the book to Laura: “She was able to gain access for Reed to these prestigious institutions.” (03:24–04:11)

Love, Art, and Exile in Europe

• Early Signs of Queer Love: Leonard Bernstein (04:11–04:52)

  • At Harvard, Pegram developed an unrequited affection for Leonard Bernstein, revealed through love letters.
  • “He was quite infatuated with him, and he did not get a very positive response. But it demonstrated just how passionate Reed was in terms of love.” (04:20–04:52)

• Paris: A Place to Become Himself (04:52–05:50)

  • Pegram’s pursuit of French culture led him to Paris on a prestigious scholarship in 1938, just as WWII loomed.
  • He stayed despite advisories to return, finding anonymity and the freedom to reinvent himself:
    “He was in a place where no one knew him, but he had all sorts of opportunities to become the man that he wanted to be.” (04:54–05:50)

Commitment Amid War

• Choosing Love Over Safety (05:50–06:23)

  • Pegram met Danish artist Arna Hoffman and refused repeated offers to return to the U.S., instead following Arna through war-torn Europe.
  • “He didn’t want to abandon Arna. And they ended up going to Italy and staying there for five years during the war.” (05:55–06:23)

• Desperate Years in Italy (06:23–07:22)

  • The couple’s situation became dire:
    • Arna could not get a U.S. visa.
    • Laura Reed sent what money she could, but support was limited by occupied Denmark and her own poverty.
    • U.S. authorities and the State Department could not help.
    • Eventually exposed as a same-sex couple, Pegram and Arna were evicted, separated, and forced into a concentration camp.
  • “Eventually, they were asked to leave Florence, and they were separated...and then eventually they ended up in a concentration camp.” (06:57–07:22)

Hardship and Legacy

• Liberation and Decline (07:22–08:02)

  • After months in the camp and wandering Italy, the couple encountered African American troops, and coverage by embedded journalists led Whitmire to Pegram’s story.
  • Postwar, Pegram’s health and prospects declined:
    • Four years in a sanitarium with electroshock therapy and a possible lobotomy.
    • Never realized his scholarly potential.

• A Life of Promise and Prejudice (08:23–08:58)

  • Whitmire reflects on the tension between Pegram’s brilliance and the forces of racism and homophobia that undermined his life’s fulfillment:
    “He was betrayed by not just race, but also homophobia. If he could have married Arna, he could have brought him to the United States and they would not have had this whole odyssey.” (08:36–08:58)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The first hint that I knew that Reid was gay was in the love letters that he wrote to Leonard Bernstein. I must say, unrequited love letters...”
  — Ethleen Whitmire, (04:20)

• “She worked as a janitress... Even though she only had a third grade education, she pushed her grandson to go to these institutions.”
  — Ethleen Whitmire on Laura Reed, (03:24)

• “He was in a place where no one knew him, but he had all sorts of opportunities to become the man that he wanted to be ... He could reinvent himself, live the life that he wanted to.”
  — Ethleen Whitmire, (05:00–05:25)

• “He was betrayed by not just race, but also homophobia.”
  — Ethleen Whitmire, (08:36)

Important Timestamps

• [02:04]: Discovery of Pegram’s letters in Copenhagen
• [03:03]: Discussion of racial caveats in Pegram’s early accolades
• [04:11]: Pegram’s infatuation with Leonard Bernstein
• [05:55]: Meeting and staying with Arna Hoffman during WWII
• [06:57]: Hardship in Italy and separation
• [07:22]: Time in concentration camp and eventual discovery by U.S. troops
• [08:36]: Whitmire on intersectional bigotry shaping Pegram’s fate

Conclusion

Ethleen Whitmire’s The Remarkable Life of Reed Pegram excavates a dazzling, tragic life—one that charts the ambitions and heartbreaks of a queer Black scholar who risked everything for love in the shadow of global conflict. Through Whitmire’s painstaking research and unexpected discovery of Pegram’s letters, the episode showcases themes of resilience, the costs of invisibility, and the enduring support of family across continents and crises.