NPR 4 THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When U Can

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FRESH AIR: Growing up an only child in Massachusetts, humorist John Hodgman longed to be considered interesting. In high school, he grew his hair out, wore a fedora and carried a briefcase in an effort to look like Doctor Who. Hodgman says his look was modeled on “the fourth Doctor Who … which was an emotionally terrified weirdo who is tricking people into thinking he was interesting by wearing funny clothes.” Now that Hodgman is 46, being interesting has taken on a different, more reflective meaning. His new book, Vacationland, is a collection of humorous essays and personal stories in which the former Daily Show contributor reflects on his career, the death of his mother and his own experiences with white privilege. “The book is about, to some degree, moments in your life when you are faced with a sudden clarity of where you are in life,” Hodgman says. “Sometimes that … surrounds midlife, when you’ve maybe accomplished everything you think is most important, and … then figuring out how to push forward from there.” MORE