Podcast Summary: The New Yorker Radio Hour

Episode: “A Writer Solves a Mystery, and Ruth E. Carter Steps into the Spotlight”
Original Airdate: February 22, 2019
Host: David Remnick
Guests: Patrick Radden Keefe, Richard Brody, Alexandra Schwartz, Ruth E. Carter, Doreen St. Félix

Episode Overview

This episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour explores two major stories:

1. Writer Patrick Radden Keefe’s investigation into a decades-old murder and the lingering trauma of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, as told in his book Say Nothing.
2. A profile of Oscar-nominated costume designer Ruth E. Carter, whose career has spanned groundbreaking films, culminating in her acclaimed work on Black Panther.

Interspersed is The New Yorker’s unique “Alternative Oscars” roundtable and commentary on the state of the film industry. The episode features deep reporting, nuanced conversation about history, creativity, and unresolved social issues, and celebrates influential figures in the arts.

Segment 1: A Writer Solves a Mystery — The Troubles and the Murder of Jean McConville

Guest: Patrick Radden Keefe (Author, “Say Nothing”)
Timestamps: 00:01–15:48

Main Points & Insights

• Legacy of the Troubles:
  The episode opens with a discussion of the enduring scars from the conflict in Northern Ireland (the Troubles), highlighting violence, unsolved crimes, and the persistence of trauma even after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

• Dolores Price & Secret Histories:
  Patrick Radden Keefe recounts stumbling across the obit of Dolores Price—the first woman front-line IRA soldier—to discover her central role in notorious bombings and violence (Old Bailey bombing, hunger strikes), and her later participation in a secret oral history project housed at Boston College (00:46–01:40).

• The Mystery of Jean McConville:
  Keefe details the disappearance and later discovery of Jean McConville—a widow and mother of 10, abducted and murdered by the IRA in 1972. Her children were left traumatized and in the dark for three decades.

  “She was a mother of 10 and a widow who was taken away by the IRA and disappeared. She was killed, but her body was buried in an unmarked grave. Her kids never knew what happened to her.” (Patrick Radden Keefe, 01:40)

• Accusations of Informing:
  The IRA insisted McConville was an informant (a rationale disputed by her family and never conclusively proven). Keefe’s investigation weighs evidence on both sides.

  “There's not a definitive answer in the book. I lay out the evidence on both sides.” (Patrick Radden Keefe, 02:34)

• Political Implications and Gerry Adams:
  The Boston College oral histories implicated multiple people—including prominent Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, long rumored (though publicly denied) to have been in the IRA or ordered killings.

  “Adams, who I feel pretty comfortable saying was...a commander in the IRA for many years.” (Patrick Radden Keefe, 05:52) “...he ordered the killing of Jean McConville? — Yes. Yes. And more than one person who was involved has said this. He denies it...” (05:12–06:16)

• Sense of Betrayal Among IRA Veterans:
  Keefe explains how former comrades like Dolores Price felt Adams (who led the peace process) had betrayed their actions and sacrifices, disavowing responsibility while claiming political credit.

  “What you've done is you've changed the means.” (Patrick Radden Keefe, 08:35) “...I find him emotionally very unsympathetic, downright sociopathic...But politically, Adams was the one who realized that you need to end this fight.” (Patrick Radden Keefe, 09:27)

• Responsibility in Accusing a Living Person:
  Keefe describes the gravity of naming a living suspect in McConville’s murder—both the legal and moral weight—and the measured, if stunned, response from the McConville family and the accused (10:50–11:56).

• The Cost to McConville’s Children:
  The trauma for McConville’s children didn’t end—once orphaned, they were separated into “awful” orphanages and repeatedly victimized (12:26–13:10).

• Legacy of the Troubles Today:
  Despite peace, violence and the specter of the IRA linger. Keefe notes ongoing tension—with Brexit posing a new threat of instability on the Irish border.

  “...the past will not stay buried, and if you ignore this kind of history, it will come back and have its revenge.” (Patrick Radden Keefe, 14:28)

Notable Quotes

• “They haven’t gone away, you know.” — Gerry Adams, as quoted by Keefe, on the persistence of the IRA (14:28)
• “I would never have named the name and pointed the finger at someone...if I wasn’t absolutely sure.” (Patrick Radden Keefe, 11:12)
• “If you ignore this kind of history, it will come back and have its revenge.” (Patrick Radden Keefe, 14:28)

Segment 2: The Alternative Oscars — The Brodies

Guests: Richard Brody (film critic) & Alexandra Schwartz (writer)
Timestamps: 15:54–27:59

Main Points & Insights

• Remnick, Brody, and Schwartz debate the year’s real Oscar nominees and Brody’s personal picks (the "Brodies"), critiquing industry trends, embracing auteurs and calling attention to overlooked work.

• Key Nominations Discussed:

  • Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley): Lauded for its political and racial satire.

    “It's about class, it's about politics, it's about labor politics. It's essentially an apocalyptic, revolutionary film.” (Richard Brody, 18:33)

  • BlacKkKlansman (Spike Lee): Discussed for cultural resonance and use of real news footage.

    “It's a movie that takes the cultural background and pulls it into the foreground.” (Richard Brody, 19:38)

  • Madeline’s Madeline (Josephine Decker): Especially praised for Helena Howard’s lead performance.

    “Helena Howard...gives what I consider one of the greatest teen performances in the history of cinema.” (Richard Brody, 21:10)

  • The Old Man and the Gun (dir. by David Lowery, starring Robert Redford): Redford’s subtle, luminous acting is highlighted.

    “Every tremor of his eyebrows, every half smile on his lips, every wink, every gleam is picked up by the camera and seems to convey a lifetime of experience...” (Richard Brody, 23:00)

• Industry Critique:

  • Frustration at the lack of female director nominees.

    “...perpetually disappointed by how few women directors are nominated...no reason to have this total shutout once again.” (Alexandra Schwartz, 25:35)

  • The transformation of the Oscars in the Netflix era.

    “Netflix is now going to be sitting inside that ceremony and has every reason to have a pretty smug look on...” (Alexandra Schwartz, 26:17)

  • Suggestion: The Oscars should be a movie itself, directed by Scorsese (!).

Segment 3: Ruth E. Carter Steps into the Spotlight

Interviewed by: Doreen St. Félix
Timestamps: 28:14–35:00

Main Points & Insights

• Career Beginnings in Black Theater:
  Ruth Carter describes shifting to theater arts and being drawn to “black theater,” inspired by formative college mentors (29:43–30:34).

  “I wanted to be around them, and I wanted to be doing black theater because I was reading all the plays. I still have the books I had back then.” (Ruth E. Carter, 30:20)

• Learning Costume Design for Film:
  Carter describes learning to recalibrate her theater-trained creativity for the detail-intense, close-up scrutiny of film.

  “In theater...the eye just eliminates detail as it travels...with film, it's blown up 600 times its size. So the details are much more prominent...” (31:36)

• First Big Break with Spike Lee:
  A chance encounter with Spike Lee, who encouraged her to move into film after seeing her innovative dance costumes. She learned on the job for his movie School Daze, drawing on her own college experience (31:31–33:17).

• Resourcefulness and Storytelling:
  Carter tells a colorful story about retrieving a unique, hand-knit sweater (with African masks) from an airport at midnight after nearly losing it on set—highlighting the practical and emotional stakes of her job (33:32–34:44).

• Cultural Impact & Recognition:
  Carter’s work spans I'm Gonna Get You Sucka, Malcolm X, Selma, and reaches a new audience with Black Panther, for which she received an Oscar nomination and attained popular cultural reverence.

Notable Quotes

• “[With film] I had to actually learn how to dial it back. But for School Daze, because it was a little bit more theatrical, it was the perfect film to start with.” (Ruth E. Carter, 31:36)
• “I was hell bent on keeping that sweater...and then Spike gave it to [the actor]. He didn’t even give you the sweater? No, he did not.” (Ruth E. Carter, 34:38)

Memorable Moments & Quotes (By Timestamp)

• On Gerry Adams's denials and “counter interrogation training”:

  “This means you could be torturing the man and he wouldn't tell you anything. And he looked at me and he says, but if you want to go in with your WE notebook, good luck to you.”
  – Patrick Radden Keefe (06:16)

• On the continuing trauma for McConville’s children:

  “The kids were re-victimized in a whole series of awful ways.”
  – Patrick Radden Keefe (12:36)

• On transformative change in the film industry:

  “Independent producers have been rivaling Hollywood studios for years...the Oscars mistake is actually to broadcast itself at all. It ought to be a movie…”
  – Richard Brody (26:45)

• On costume design’s storytelling power:

  “Stage, you have aesthetic distance, and the eye just eliminates detail...with film, it's blown up 600 times its size.”
  – Ruth E. Carter (31:36)

Episode Takeaways

• The past—personal, political, or cultural—refuses to stay buried, echoing in conflicted memories and unresolved wounds.
• Investigative journalism has the power not only to solve mysteries, but to confront the trauma of history and give voice to those who suffered.
• Creativity in the arts, whether in writing or costume design, requires resilience, adaptability, and often, resourcefulness against long odds.
• Recognition matters—to the orphans of a murdered mother, to overlooked directors, to African-American artists finally in the global spotlight.

For further exploration:

• Patrick Radden Keefe’s Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
• Ruth E. Carter’s costume work, especially on Black Panther

End of Summary.