About this episode

Harriet Clark discusses her experiences visiting her mother, Judith Clark, in prison and her new novel inspired by those experiences.

In 1981, members of radical offshoots of the Weather Underground and the Black Panthers robbed a Brinks truck carrying over $1.5 million. It ended in a shootout, killing two police officers and a security guard. Judith Clark was driving a getaway car. She was sentenced to a minimum of 75 years. Her 11-month-old daughter was left to be raised by Judith’s collective and later by Judith’s parents. Terry Gross talks with her daughter, Harriet Clark, whose new acclaimed novel is drawn from childhood experiences visiting her mother in prison. “I think she figured out how to mother me in some of the most difficult conditions possible,” she says. Also, Ken Tucker reviews two albums that draw on rock's past: The Dirty Knobs’ ‘Mission of Mercy’ and Low Cut Connie's ‘Livin in the USA.’ Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter Follow us on Instagram Subscribe to our YouTube channel Check out the Fresh Air Archives See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

People in this episode

Host: Terry Gross

Guest: Harriet Clark

Topics covered

• prison
• motherhood
• radical movements
• childhood experiences
• memoir
• music review

Keywords

• Harriet Clark
• Judith Clark
• prison visits
• Weather Underground
• Black Panthers
• memoir
• music review

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Weather Underground, Black Panthers, NPR

Books & works: Mission of Mercy, Livin in the USA

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