When ‘Good Kids’ Go Radical: A Breaking History Special

About this episode

The episode explores the journey of individuals from ordinary backgrounds into extremism, featuring an interview with journalist Jay Solomon about his investigation into American extremist Calla Walsh.

What drives someone from an ordinary background into extremism? In this Breaking History special, journalist Jay Solomon joins Eli Lake to discuss his investigation into American extremist Calla Walsh. But this isn’t an isolated story. It echoes a pattern we’ve seen before. Following the interview, we revisit our episode on “middle-class kids breaking bad,” exploring how individuals from stable, even privileged backgrounds have repeatedly been drawn into violent or extremist movements. We explore the tale of the Red Army Faction and how Ulrike Meinhof went from reporter to terrorist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Eli Lake

Guest: Jay Solomon

Topics covered

• extremism
• radicalization
• middle-class youth
• violent movements
• journalism
• historical patterns

Keywords

• extremism
• radicalization
• Calla Walsh
• Ulrike Meinhof
• Red Army Faction
• middle-class kids
• violence
• journalism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Red Army Faction

Places: America

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• A New Series From The Free Press | The Lindbergh Conspiracies · May 19, 2026 · 43 min
• What the Founders Really Meant to Say · May 13, 2026 · 57 min
• Roald Dahl: Genius and Bigot · May 7, 2026 · 49 min
• Eli Lake and David Rose: The UK Censorship Machine Eats Itself · May 1, 2026 · 52 min
• Is This War Justified? Eli Lake Debates Iran with Robert Wright · April 16, 2026 · 1h 56m