Frenemies

Friendships Under Pressure [View this email online]( [Invisibilia]( [Sonnenzimmer]( for NPR In 2007, American anthropologist Katherine Verdery found herself staring at almost 3,000 pages worth of Top Secret files… all about her. What Katherine found in that dossier turned her world upside-down and tested her most basic assumptions about trust, betrayal, friendship and power. If you found yourself in front of a box with your name on it, labeled TOP SECRET, would you open it? [Listen to the Episode]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Food for Thought --------------------------------------------------------------- We only just began to brush the surface of the complexities and nuances of life in Communist Romania. For more context, here are some reading materials we recommend: - [My Life As A Spy]( by Katherine Verdery - [Secrets and Truths]( by Katherine Verdery - [What Was Socialism and What Comes Next?]( by Katherine Verdery - [Red Hangover]( by Kristen Ghodsee - [The Black Envelope]( by Norman Manea - [Dancing Bears]( by Witold Szablowski - "[Inside the Securitate Archives]( by Lavinia Stan - [Chuck Norris vs Communism]( a documentary directed by Ilinca Calugareanu Eye Candy --------------------------------------------------------------- Left: Katherine Verdery in Romania. Right: A portion of Katherine's official secret police file. Photos courtesy of Katherine Verdery Do-It-Yourself --------------------------------------------------------------- One of the ways that Katherine and Mariana cemented there bond was by doing a lot of cooking together. We found this great blog that delves into the food and folklore of the country. Plus you can’t beat the name: “[From Dill to Dracula.]( Maybe something to put on the stove while you listen to our latest episode! Vibe Out --------------------------------------------------------------- We all have boxes in our lives that we're afraid of opening. Katherine opened hers. [Here's a playlist]( to help with whatever unboxing you need to do. [Listen to the Playlist]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Pop Culture Happy Hour, Code Switch and more! What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [invisibiliamail@npr.org](mailto:invisibiliamail@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Pop Culture Happy Hour, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Invisibilia emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]