Luke Dittrich is a contributing editor at Esquire. His new book is Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets.

“As soon as I told [my mom] that I got my first book deal for this story about Patient H.M., her first words were, ‘Oh no.’ That was sort of her gut reaction to it because, I think, she knew at a certain level that I was going to be dredging up very painful stories. And I think at that point even she didn’t know the depth of the pain that some of the stories that I was going to find were going to lay out there.”

Thanks to MailChimp, EA SPORTS FIFA 17, Squarespace, Wunder, and Audible for sponsoring this week's episode.

Dittrich on Longform

[2:15] Longform Podcast #66: Andy Ward

[2:45] "The Brain That Couldn’t Remember" (New York Times Magazine • Aug 2016)

[4:15] "Possessed" (Atlanta Magazine • Nov 2003) [Google Books]

[4:15] "The Red Zone" (Atlanta Magazine • Jul 2004) [Google Books]

[4:30] Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets (Random House • 2016)

[12:00] "The Brain That Changed Everything" (Esquire • Oct 2010)

[13:30] The Alexandria Quartet (Lawrence Durrell • Pocket Books • 1977)

[16:00] Egypt Today

[20:15] journalismjobs.com

[18:15] Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story (John Berendt • Vintage Books • 1999)

[19:15] "Pageants Are My Life" (Oxford American • May 2001) [sub req’d]

[24:00] "H.M., an Unforgettable Amnesiac, Dies at 82" (Benedict Carey • New York Times • Dec 2008)

[32:30] "A Book Examines the Curious Case of a Man Whose Memory Was Removed" (Seth Mnookin • New York Times • Aug 2016)

[37:15] "Faculty at MIT and beyond respond forcefully to an article critical of Suzanne Corkin" (MIT News Office • MIT News • Aug 2016)

[37:45] "Questions & Answers about ‘Patient H.M.’" (Medium • Aug 2016)

[43:00] "Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die" (Esquire • Sep 2007)

[43:00] "The Prophet" (Esquire • Jul 2013)

[46:30] Chris Hansen’s new “predator” project

[47:00] "Esquire Article on Eben Alexander Distorts the Facts" (Robert Mays • International Association For Near Death Studies • Aug 2013)

[48:45] Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife (Eben Alexander • Simon & Schuster • 2012)

[50:45] "'Heavenly Father!' 'I love you all!' 'I love everyone!' 'Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!' 'I love all of you!'" (Esquire • Sep 2011)

[51:30] "Chuck Berry Goddamn!" (Esquire • Dec 2011)

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