Backfired: The Vaping Wars
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $6.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Leon Neyfakh
-
Arielle Pardes
About this listen
When two Stanford graduate students set out to create a new kind of cigarette that wouldn’t kill them, they didn’t foresee all the obstacles that lay ahead — or the powerful forces their invention would unleash. Nearly 10 years after the launch of the JUUL, Backfired: The Vaping Wars asks: Could e-cigarettes have been the solution to one of the world’s most pressing public health problems—or was this technology doomed to introduce a whole new generation to nicotine, and end up perpetuating an intractable addiction?
Backfired is the latest podcast from Prologue Projects, the award-winning team behind Slow Burn, Fiasco, and Think Twice: Michael Jackson. Backfired is a show about the business of unintended consequences—what happens when solving one problem inadvertently leads to a host of new ones?
In this tale of opportunity, addiction, and good intentions gone awry, hosts Leon Neyfakh and Arielle Pardes offer a definitive account of Juul Labs’ rise and fall, as well as the ubiquitous illegal vape market that sprouted up in its wake. Through dozens of original interviews, they gain access to the key players who got swept up—sometimes unwittingly—in the firestorm that reshaped the culture of nicotine.
For a list of books, articles, and documentaries used in the research for this podcast, please visit bit.ly/backfiredbib.
The senior producer of Backfired: The Vaping Wars was Sam Lee. The editor was Kim Gittleson. Producers were Dustin Desoto, Leon Neyfakh, Arielle Pardes, and Katherine Sullivan. The assistant producer was Arlene Arevalo. Sound design by Andrew Parsons. Archival research and fact-checking by Francis Carr. Theme song and score composed by Emma Munger. Audio mix by Erica Huang. Backfired was co-created for Prologue Projects by Kim Gittleson.
©2024 Prologue Projects (P)2024 Audible Originals, LLCAbout the Host
About the Host
Related to this topic
-
The Art of War
- By: Sun Tzu
- Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.
-
-
The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary
- By Nemo71 on 12-31-19
By: Sun Tzu
-
My Big TOE: Awakening
- Book One of a Trilogy Unifying Philosophy, Physics, and Metaphysics
- By: Thomas Campbell
- Narrated by: Thomas Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
My Big TOE: Awakening, written by a nuclear physicist in the language of contemporary culture, unifies science and philosophy, physics and metaphysics, mind and matter, purpose and meaning, the normal and the paranormal. The entirety of human experience (mind, body, and spirit) including both our objective and subjective worlds is brought together under one seamless scientific understanding.
-
-
What a Trip (but to where?)
- By Michael on 11-26-13
By: Thomas Campbell
-
The Mastery of Self
- A Toltec Guide to Personal Freedom
- By: Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.
- Narrated by: Charlie Varon
- Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The ancient Toltecs believed that life, as we perceive it, is a dream. We each live in our own personal dream, and these come together to form the dream of the planet, or the world in which we live. Problems arise when our perception of the dream becomes clouded with negativity, drama, and judgment (of ourselves and others), because it's in these moments of suffering that we have forgotten that we are the architects of our own reality and we have the power to change our dream if we choose.
-
-
listen.. .then listen again
- By Casiano on 12-22-16
-
The Daily Stoic
- 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
- By: Ryan Holiday, Stephen Hanselman
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why have history's greatest minds - from George Washington to Frederick the Great to Ralph Waldo Emerson along with today's top performers, from Super Bowl-winning football coaches to CEOs and celebrities - embraced the wisdom of the ancient Stoics? Because they realize that the most valuable wisdom is timeless and that philosophy is for living a better life, not a classroom exercise. The Daily Stoic offers a daily devotional of Stoic insights and exercises, featuring all-new translations.
-
-
Not well made as audio
- By Andreas on 12-27-16
By: Ryan Holiday, and others
-
The Thin Line
- Hope vs. Reality in the Era of Weight-Loss Drugs
- By: Scaachi Koul
- Narrated by: Scaachi Koul
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the next five years, millions of more Americans are expected to take Ozempic and other GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, which are rapidly being recognized as the miracle drugs of this century. If you’re not on them, you’ll probably know someone who is. What are the implications of the widespread use of these drugs, both on our bodies and our society? In this show, you’ll meet people across America who are either taking the jab or thinking about it, and the shocking intentional and unintentional results they are seeing.
-
-
More balanced than expected and very comprehensive
- By Summer Rodriguez on 01-03-25
By: Scaachi Koul
-
The Parole Room
- By: Ben Austen
- Narrated by: Ben Austen
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Will Johnnie Veal—convicted of the murder of two police officers in 1970—be granted parole after 50 years in prison? How can he convince the parole board he’s reformed when he insists he’s innocent? What is prison time even supposed to accomplish? These are the questions that propel The Parole Room forward as it builds toward Johnnie’s 20th parole hearing—after 19 rejections.
-
-
Well done
- By Cynthia Duncan on 10-13-24
By: Ben Austen
-
The Art of War
- By: Sun Tzu
- Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.
-
-
The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary
- By Nemo71 on 12-31-19
By: Sun Tzu
-
My Big TOE: Awakening
- Book One of a Trilogy Unifying Philosophy, Physics, and Metaphysics
- By: Thomas Campbell
- Narrated by: Thomas Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
My Big TOE: Awakening, written by a nuclear physicist in the language of contemporary culture, unifies science and philosophy, physics and metaphysics, mind and matter, purpose and meaning, the normal and the paranormal. The entirety of human experience (mind, body, and spirit) including both our objective and subjective worlds is brought together under one seamless scientific understanding.
-
-
What a Trip (but to where?)
- By Michael on 11-26-13
By: Thomas Campbell
-
The Mastery of Self
- A Toltec Guide to Personal Freedom
- By: Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.
- Narrated by: Charlie Varon
- Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The ancient Toltecs believed that life, as we perceive it, is a dream. We each live in our own personal dream, and these come together to form the dream of the planet, or the world in which we live. Problems arise when our perception of the dream becomes clouded with negativity, drama, and judgment (of ourselves and others), because it's in these moments of suffering that we have forgotten that we are the architects of our own reality and we have the power to change our dream if we choose.
-
-
listen.. .then listen again
- By Casiano on 12-22-16
-
The Daily Stoic
- 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
- By: Ryan Holiday, Stephen Hanselman
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why have history's greatest minds - from George Washington to Frederick the Great to Ralph Waldo Emerson along with today's top performers, from Super Bowl-winning football coaches to CEOs and celebrities - embraced the wisdom of the ancient Stoics? Because they realize that the most valuable wisdom is timeless and that philosophy is for living a better life, not a classroom exercise. The Daily Stoic offers a daily devotional of Stoic insights and exercises, featuring all-new translations.
-
-
Not well made as audio
- By Andreas on 12-27-16
By: Ryan Holiday, and others
-
The Thin Line
- Hope vs. Reality in the Era of Weight-Loss Drugs
- By: Scaachi Koul
- Narrated by: Scaachi Koul
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the next five years, millions of more Americans are expected to take Ozempic and other GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, which are rapidly being recognized as the miracle drugs of this century. If you’re not on them, you’ll probably know someone who is. What are the implications of the widespread use of these drugs, both on our bodies and our society? In this show, you’ll meet people across America who are either taking the jab or thinking about it, and the shocking intentional and unintentional results they are seeing.
-
-
More balanced than expected and very comprehensive
- By Summer Rodriguez on 01-03-25
By: Scaachi Koul
-
The Parole Room
- By: Ben Austen
- Narrated by: Ben Austen
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Will Johnnie Veal—convicted of the murder of two police officers in 1970—be granted parole after 50 years in prison? How can he convince the parole board he’s reformed when he insists he’s innocent? What is prison time even supposed to accomplish? These are the questions that propel The Parole Room forward as it builds toward Johnnie’s 20th parole hearing—after 19 rejections.
-
-
Well done
- By Cynthia Duncan on 10-13-24
By: Ben Austen
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Backfired: Attention Deficit
- By: Leon Neyfakh, Prologue Projects
- Narrated by: Leon Neyfakh, Arielle Pardes
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
ADHD may be the defining diagnosis of our time. According to the latest data, more than 10 percent of American children (that’s 7.1 million kids) have been diagnosed with ADHD. And the number of stimulant prescriptions for adults in their 30s has shot up nearly threefold since 2012. In recent years, this explosion in demand has combined with other factors to create a widespread stimulant shortage in the US. In the second installment of Backfired, cohosts Leon Neyfakh and Arielle Pardes look at the unintended consequences of the ADHD industry, and trace the surprising path that brought us here.
-
-
Avoid if recently diagnosed with ADHD as an Adult
- By Anonymous User on 10-05-24
By: Leon Neyfakh, and others
-
Letters from Guantánamo
- By: Mansoor Adayfi, Antonio Aiello
- Narrated by: Mansoor Adayfi, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Elias Khalil, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In weeks after the September 11 attacks, 18-year-old Mansoor Adayfi was kidnapped by Afghan militia and sold to US forces for bounty money. After months of interrogations, he was sent to the US military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, as one of its first prisoners. Like the nearly 800 other men imprisoned at Guantanamo, Adayfi didn’t know why he was imprisoned or for how long. He had never seen a skyscraper and couldn’t imagine what the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center looked like, much less how they were destroyed.
-
-
An important reminder
- By Dave Heilman on 05-25-24
By: Mansoor Adayfi, and others
-
The Exvangelicals
- Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church
- By: Sarah McCammon
- Narrated by: Sarah McCammon
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up in a deeply evangelical family in the Midwest in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Sarah McCammon was strictly taught to fear God, obey him, and not question the faith. Persistently worried that her gay grandfather would go to hell unless she could reach him, or that her Muslim friend would need to be converted, and that she, too, would go to hell if she did not believe fervently enough, McCammon was a rule-follower. But through it all, she was plagued by fears and deep questions as the belief system she'd been carefully taught clashed with her expanding understanding of the outside world.
-
-
Multiple Reasons
- By Meghan Smith on 03-30-24
By: Sarah McCammon
-
Emotional Investment
- By: Fresh Produce Media
- Narrated by: Amanda Clayman
- Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Emotional Investment, therapist-turned-financial coach Amanda Clayman works with a range of people and couples to unravel money dilemmas. Along the way, Clayman gives us practical tools—both financial and emotional—that we can all use in our own lives.
-
-
So honest and engaging to hear people’s money stories.
- By Jc on 04-12-24
-
Early True Believers
- The Untold Story of Silicon Alley
- By: Vanessa Grigoriadis, Adam Fisher
- Narrated by: Vanessa Grigoriadis
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Early True Believers: The Untold Story of Silicon Alley is a 1990s saga of ambition and innovation set in Manhattan’s Silicon Alley, a swath of downtown that served as New York City’s nerve center of tech entrepreneurship. The series features the stories of a forgotten cohort of early internet visionaries, countercultural social networks, the digital gold rush, and the lavish events that came with it, including one held in an underground Tribeca bunker that abruptly ended in a police raid—a harbinger of the upheaval to come.
-
-
So insightful and informative!
- By Keith M. Karabin on 10-25-24
By: Vanessa Grigoriadis, and others
-
The Sing Sing Files
- One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice
- By: Dan Slepian
- Narrated by: Dan Slepian
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2002, Dan Slepian, a veteran producer for NBC’s Dateline, received a tip from a Bronx homicide detective that two men were serving twenty-five years to life in prison for a 1990 murder they did not commit. Haunted by what the detective had told him, Slepian began an investigation of the case that eventually resulted in freedom for the two men and launched Slepian on a two-decade personal and professional journey into a deeply flawed justice system fiercely resistant to rectifying—or even acknowledging—its mistakes and their consequences.
-
-
Love the perspective
- By Conni Brown on 01-13-25
By: Dan Slepian
-
Backfired: Attention Deficit
- By: Leon Neyfakh, Prologue Projects
- Narrated by: Leon Neyfakh, Arielle Pardes
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
ADHD may be the defining diagnosis of our time. According to the latest data, more than 10 percent of American children (that’s 7.1 million kids) have been diagnosed with ADHD. And the number of stimulant prescriptions for adults in their 30s has shot up nearly threefold since 2012. In recent years, this explosion in demand has combined with other factors to create a widespread stimulant shortage in the US. In the second installment of Backfired, cohosts Leon Neyfakh and Arielle Pardes look at the unintended consequences of the ADHD industry, and trace the surprising path that brought us here.
-
-
Avoid if recently diagnosed with ADHD as an Adult
- By Anonymous User on 10-05-24
By: Leon Neyfakh, and others
-
Letters from Guantánamo
- By: Mansoor Adayfi, Antonio Aiello
- Narrated by: Mansoor Adayfi, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Elias Khalil, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In weeks after the September 11 attacks, 18-year-old Mansoor Adayfi was kidnapped by Afghan militia and sold to US forces for bounty money. After months of interrogations, he was sent to the US military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, as one of its first prisoners. Like the nearly 800 other men imprisoned at Guantanamo, Adayfi didn’t know why he was imprisoned or for how long. He had never seen a skyscraper and couldn’t imagine what the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center looked like, much less how they were destroyed.
-
-
An important reminder
- By Dave Heilman on 05-25-24
By: Mansoor Adayfi, and others
-
The Exvangelicals
- Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church
- By: Sarah McCammon
- Narrated by: Sarah McCammon
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up in a deeply evangelical family in the Midwest in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Sarah McCammon was strictly taught to fear God, obey him, and not question the faith. Persistently worried that her gay grandfather would go to hell unless she could reach him, or that her Muslim friend would need to be converted, and that she, too, would go to hell if she did not believe fervently enough, McCammon was a rule-follower. But through it all, she was plagued by fears and deep questions as the belief system she'd been carefully taught clashed with her expanding understanding of the outside world.
-
-
Multiple Reasons
- By Meghan Smith on 03-30-24
By: Sarah McCammon
-
Emotional Investment
- By: Fresh Produce Media
- Narrated by: Amanda Clayman
- Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Emotional Investment, therapist-turned-financial coach Amanda Clayman works with a range of people and couples to unravel money dilemmas. Along the way, Clayman gives us practical tools—both financial and emotional—that we can all use in our own lives.
-
-
So honest and engaging to hear people’s money stories.
- By Jc on 04-12-24
-
Early True Believers
- The Untold Story of Silicon Alley
- By: Vanessa Grigoriadis, Adam Fisher
- Narrated by: Vanessa Grigoriadis
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Early True Believers: The Untold Story of Silicon Alley is a 1990s saga of ambition and innovation set in Manhattan’s Silicon Alley, a swath of downtown that served as New York City’s nerve center of tech entrepreneurship. The series features the stories of a forgotten cohort of early internet visionaries, countercultural social networks, the digital gold rush, and the lavish events that came with it, including one held in an underground Tribeca bunker that abruptly ended in a police raid—a harbinger of the upheaval to come.
-
-
So insightful and informative!
- By Keith M. Karabin on 10-25-24
By: Vanessa Grigoriadis, and others
-
The Sing Sing Files
- One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice
- By: Dan Slepian
- Narrated by: Dan Slepian
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2002, Dan Slepian, a veteran producer for NBC’s Dateline, received a tip from a Bronx homicide detective that two men were serving twenty-five years to life in prison for a 1990 murder they did not commit. Haunted by what the detective had told him, Slepian began an investigation of the case that eventually resulted in freedom for the two men and launched Slepian on a two-decade personal and professional journey into a deeply flawed justice system fiercely resistant to rectifying—or even acknowledging—its mistakes and their consequences.
-
-
Love the perspective
- By Conni Brown on 01-13-25
By: Dan Slepian
-
Benefits with Friends
- Starring Mae Martin and Sabrina Jalees
- By: Mae Martin, Sabrina Jalees
- Narrated by: Mae Martin, Sabrina Jalees
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sex, money, religion...all topics that we’re told to avoid in polite company. But exactly the kind of conversations you should be having with your bestie, according to best friends of more than 20 years, Mae Martin (Feel Good) and Sabrina Jalees (Roast Battle). Romantic couples are often guided through the conversations they should be having before committing to each other–but what are the topics that best friends should be covering to truly get to know each other?
-
-
Fun! Light yet lots of depth!
- By KP on 01-11-25
By: Mae Martin, and others
-
Chasing Boaz Manor
- By: Leah McLaren
- Narrated by: Serinda Swan
- Length: 3 hrs and 56 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Boaz Manor was a finance wunderkind. He started a hedge-fund company in Canada and later burst onto Wall Street with a product that could transform the crypto market. By all accounts, he was incredibly hard-working. Possibly brilliant. And...a shameless con man who ended up wanted in multiple countries. Chasing Boaz Manor explores Boaz’s schemes through the perspective of those he left in his wake.
-
-
Drawn out and unresolved waste of time
- By DC on 06-06-24
By: Leah McLaren
-
Exposed
- The Ashley Madison Hack
- By: Sophie Elmhirst, Maria Luisa Tucker
- Narrated by: Sophie Nélisse
- Length: 3 hrs and 13 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Millions of people–looking to cheat on their partners–signed up for Ashley Madison in the early 2000s, seeking a private space to share their public desires. The promise of discretion was shattered in the summer of 2015, when anonymous hackers stole the company’s cache of user information and published it worldwide. The result? One of the most shocking data breaches of the internet age. Overnight, millions of unfaithful spouses had their real names, addresses and sexual preferences published online in a searchable database that anyone could browse.
-
-
Hard to feel sorry for the cheaters
- By Kim Kormylo on 02-21-24
By: Sophie Elmhirst, and others
-
The Indignities of Being a Woman
- By: Merrill Markoe, Megan Koester
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Indignities of Being a Woman candidly traces the history of womanhood and investigates how much things have really changed for womankind. By carefully x-raying areas such as body image, marriage, mental illness, fashion, and politics, this audiobook examines what it was like to be a woman in the past versus what it’s like now, when women are constantly told equality between the sexes exists but reality proves otherwise.
-
-
Insert Political Joke Here
- By Adam on 02-16-19
By: Merrill Markoe, and others
-
Pipeline to Power
- The 40-Year Plan to Capture the Supreme Court
- By: Vicky Ward
- Narrated by: Vicky Ward
- Length: 4 hrs
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Forty years ago, following the appointment of their professors to the federal bench, a tiny group of conservative law students at Yale Law School worried that their ideas might disappear from intellectual discourse in this bastion of liberal thought. They set out to fill that void. But they ended up achieving way more than that. Over the next few decades, the Federalist Society became an integral tool in the larger conservative movement, with political, judicial, and social repercussions ending in the conservative capture of the Supreme Court and the election of Donald Trump to the presidency.
-
-
Disturbingly Timely
- By pilatesgal on 09-24-23
By: Vicky Ward
-
Wild with Happy
- By: Colman Domingo
- Narrated by: Colman Domingo, Alex Newell, Sharon Washington, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gil (Domingo) is a struggling NYC actor who heads home to Philadelphia after the passing of his mother, Adelaide (Winfrey). The plan is to tidy-up her affairs as quickly and efficiently as possible, until a few unpredictably hilarious detours ensue. With his Aunt Glo (Washington) insisting on a proper burial, but an urn of ashes already in his hand, Gil gets thrown into a car by his best friend (Newell).
-
-
All hollas and hallelujahs
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 06-14-24
By: Colman Domingo
-
The Execution of Willie Francis
- Race, Murder, and the Search for Justice in the American South
- By: Gilbert King
- Narrated by: Korey Jackson
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On May 3, 1946, in St. Martinsville, Louisiana, a 17-year-old Black boy was scheduled for execution by electric chair. Willie Francis had been charged with murder; his trial had been brief; his death sentence never in doubt. When the executioners flipped the switch, Willie screamed and writhed as electricity coursed through his body. But Willie Francis did not die. Having miraculously survived, Willie was informed that the state would attempt to execute him a second time within a week.
By: Gilbert King
-
Ask Not
- The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed
- By: Maureen Callahan
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Kennedy name has long been synonymous with wealth, power, glamor, and—above all else—integrity. But this carefully constructed veneer hides a dark truth: the pattern of Kennedy men physically and psychologically abusing women and girls, leaving a trail of ruin and death in each generation’s wake. Through decades of scandal after scandal—from sexual assaults to reputational slander, suicides to manslaughter—the family and their defenders have kept the Kennedy brand intact.
-
-
Amazing
- By cathy in maryland on 07-29-24
By: Maureen Callahan
-
When the Sea Came Alive
- An Oral History of D-Day
- By: Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Garrett M. Graff, full cast
- Length: 19 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A visceral drama, When the Sea Came Alive is the most comprehensive account of D-Day that we have yet to see, and an unforgettable, fitting tribute to the men and women of the Greatest Generation.
-
-
Just a great "oral" history of d day
- By PAUL on 07-25-24
By: Garrett M. Graff
-
In Praise of Difficult Women
- Life Lessons from 29 Heroines Who Dared to Break the Rules
- By: Karen Karbo, Cheryl Strayed - foreword
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Smart, sassy, and unapologetically feminine, In Praise of Difficult Women is an ode to the bold and charismatic women of modern history. Karen Karbo spotlights the spirited rule breakers who charted their way with little regard for expectations: Amelia Earhart, Helen Gurley Brown, Edie Sedgwick, and Shonda Rhimes, among others. Their lives provide inspiration and instruction for the new age of feminism we have entered. Karbo distills these lessons with wit and humor, examining the universal themes that connect us to each of these mesmerizing personalities today.
-
-
The epitome of white feminism
- By Emily K on 11-23-20
By: Karen Karbo, and others
-
Pulse
- The Untold Story
- By: Trevor Aaronson
- Narrated by: Trevor Aaronson
- Length: 4 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a gay nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016, the shooter, Omar Mateen, murdered 49 people and wounded 53 others. The attack was the deadliest act of violence against the LGBTQ+ community in US history and the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States since 9/11. But there’s a story you haven’t heard. The FBI had a secret history with the shooter and his father. To obscure that history, the FBI pushed a false story that the media dutifully carried—that the attacker was a secretly gay Islamist extremist who had chosen to target Pulse and planned the attack for weeks.
-
-
Heart wrenching
- By Kaylee Charles on 07-21-24
By: Trevor Aaronson
-
The Wonder of Stevie
- By: Wesley Morris
- Narrated by: Wesley Morris, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year 1972 saw the beginning of a five-year span in which Stevie Wonder released five groundbreaking, critically acclaimed albums, garnering him more than half a dozen Grammys and more than 10 million albums sold, securing his place as one of the most important American musicians and songwriters in history. For the first time, uncover the untold story of an extraordinary artistic journey that shaped the greatest creative era in popular music history.
-
-
Good but not great
- By Anonymous User on 09-14-24
By: Wesley Morris
What listeners say about Backfired: The Vaping Wars
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kathleen
- 06-24-24
Truly EXCELLENT podcast
Lost both of my parents to smoking related lung disease and have always had a negative perception of vaping. This well-researched podcast shows the complexity of this issue. This first episodes had me furious about the targeting of youth (and greed of companies). The research behind health benefits and harms of vaping and discussion of harm reduction efforts in the UK all provided a well rounded picture. WELL worth the listen. Truly excellent job.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- kristin
- 06-26-24
Great Info
Great research done on such a complicated subject. I loved the different perspectives from everyone impacted by this industry. I really enjoyed the interviews done on founders of different vape companies.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 06-26-24
the ending!!!!
Mom should be a politician. She has my vote! I loved seeing both sides and having her view at the end.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alfredo
- 06-29-24
intriguing history about vaping
Never vaped myself. So learning more about vaping and the whole controversy around flavored pods was pretty intriguing. I will say it's disappointing about how the show has no accountability for the parents. Like the one mother who sues other companies magically finding out from her son about vaping and then wants to go ahead and sue. That story doesn't fly with me. Also the father who's a smoker buying a vape for their kid. Come on. That's like buying non-alcoholic beer for your kid, because you drink. That doesn't make any sense. You know that that's a slippery slope, but whatever. No accountability, right? Kids are already messed up. Parents who smoke already know what nicotine does to them, but hey, let's buy our kids this stuff. Then act surprise when they go down that slippery slope and now their nicotine heavy and their depression is higher and they're more irritable and everything that they experience when they smoke, so lets sue the company and not our bad decisions as parents.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ryan Arndt
- 06-28-24
Great Info
Open to both sides and did a great job splicing in interviews. I am not a smoker or vaper but was still interested in the topic just for the sake of learning and it satisfied me
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Zack
- 07-09-24
Eye opening deep dive into Vaping
I was blown away at how thorough and captivating this deep dive was. The hosts did a fantastic job looking at all sides of the story and bringing guests and perspectives to their story. It was a great intersection between capitalism, addiction, technology, and politics.
Very well done, would love to see them tackle more topics like this.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mogrith
- 07-12-24
even handed. parents groups vape makers FDA all made thier cases
good rapport between co-hosts. they while not trying to fix blame, they did search for causes
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Martin
- 07-13-24
Great and covered a lot
definitely learned a lot and covered a lot of the how we got here. The host were able to get great access to a lot of people, bit only really posed the hard questions to the vape side. Not really to government or parents. most surprisingly the one thing in trying to place responsibility to government or industry there was no responsibility on the parents to parent.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lauralyn
- 08-26-24
Fascinating blend of the science of emotions behind the vaping industry.
I found myself intrigued from start to finish. I don’t smoke or vape (never have), but I’m a parent and teacher, so I was interested in hearing what the podcasters had to say. This was an excellent listen! I teach high school students how to read peer reviewed literature and, as a result, tend to be critical of the way science is presented. Kudos to the podcasters and their thoroughness.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Victoria Dennis
- 11-18-24
Insightful & Well-Researched
This podcast gave an extensive insight into the vaping industry without being over the top on whether vaping is “good” or “bad.” It’s also really interesting to know the history of it, since sometimes it can feel like vaping has been around forever, and the coverage of it in a lot of media and by a lot of political figures can be sensationalized and misleading. The kind of meta-coverage of media added a helpful dimension in understanding how it’s been covered and how that’s shaped the public understanding of vaping was fascinating.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!