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PART 1: When the American Dream turned into a Nightmare

From: Claes Andreasson
Series: Downwinder Diaries
Length: 02:46

Downwinder affected by the radiocative fallout from test at Nevada Test Site Read the full description.

Claudiasmall_small Claudia Petersen lives in St George in Southwestern Utah. She lost her father, sister and her daughter Bethany to cancer. And she is convinced the illnesses were all caused by the radioactive fallout from the nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site – in spite of the – at the time - calming words from the Atomic Energy Commission:

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Piece Description

Claudia Petersen lives in St George in Southwestern Utah. She lost her father, sister and her daughter Bethany to cancer. And she is convinced the illnesses were all caused by the radioactive fallout from the nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site – in spite of the – at the time - calming words from the Atomic Energy Commission:

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Things We Didn't Know

This is information that need to get out about this type of destruction.

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Review of PART 1: When the American Dream turned into a Nightmare

The five segments of The Downwinder Diaries available on PRX are powerful pieces. They are short, to the point and consist of first person interviews, along with audio from original newscasts. These are rich, moving, informative pieces, made even more powerful by their brevity.
When one reads a book, the author doesn't stand over one's shoulder, explaining each nuance. The reader is respected. The presentation of the Downwinder Diaries respects the listeners' intelligence. Mr. Andreasson stands back and allows the stories to tell themselves. A courageous move and one that makes these pieces even more powerful.

Broadcast History

Interview has never been aired on American public radio, but was part of a docuymentary on Swedish NPR

Timing and Cues

The story runs 2:24, with an additional 0:03 intro and 0:18 sec. of ambience/music

Musical Works

"Coffey on the Green Mile" (Thomas Newman) from the motion picture "The Green Mile"