A bank robber on an undercover mission. A teenage girl with the powers of a tiger. A vigilante seeking vengeance in Ciudad Juarez. All have secret identities. But not all of them chose those identities for themselves.
-
Download Control-click (or right-click) Tap and hold to download
- Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Subscribe
- Transcript
Courtesy Hulu
EXTRA: A drawing by Alice Leora Briggs accompanies the text of "Diana, Hunter of Bus Drivers."
Prologue
Ira attempts to solve perhaps the most unsolvable mystery at the Trees of Mystery, in California: Exactly who is the voice of Paul Bunyan? (7 minutes)
You Can't Handle The Truth
If you ever think about assuming a secret identity, you may want to take a little time to consider the possible consequences. Jon Ronson tells the tale of a bank robber who absolutely does not take that advice. (22 minutes)
Jon Ronson's most recent book is Frank. It's also a movie. You can read Tom Schoenberg's epic tale about Herson Torres and the attempted bank robberies in Bloomberg Businessweek.
Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright
Elna Baker has a story about her teenage cousin, Navey Baker, who manages to have a secret identity while being a public figure at the same time: She's the school mascot — a tiger — at her high school. (11 minutes)
The Blonde Avenger
While we were putting together this week's show, we heard about a real life avenger with a secret identity in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Writer Yuri Herrera lived on the border for several years and spent a lot of time in Juarez. He went back there to see the what effect this secret avenger has had on the city. (13 minutes)
Yuri Herrera's books are available in Spanish. His latest is “A Silent Fury: The El Bordo Mine Fire.”
We commissioned this artwork of Diana the Hunter on the bus to go with his story from this artist named Alice Leora Briggs, who does incredible drawings of scenes from Juarez.
Related
Act One: Texas Girl
Act Four: You Had Me at Hello
Act One: The Straw That Broke Joe Camel's Back. / Can I Still Be a Joker and a Midnight Toker? / The Unbearable Lighterlessness of Being.
Staff Recommendations
Somewhere in the Arabian Sea
Life aboard an aircraft carrier stationed in the Arabian Sea supporting bombing missions over Afghanistan.
I'm From the Private Sector and I'm Here to Help
Nancy Updike goes to Iraq to try to figure out what it's like to be a private citizen working in the middle of a war zone.