Podcasts seem to be making a rise in modern society, and there is a very large fan base for them. Not only are they interesting and enjoyable, but podcasts cover so a wide variety of topics that there is bound to be one for everyone. One podcast in particular that has gained many listeners is one called "Serial" hosted by Sarah Koenig.
"Serial," by the same creators of "This American Life," spends each season telling a story, a true story, and follows wherever the story goes. Season one focuses on a murder investigation from 1999 in Baltimore, Maryland. One of the best things about this podcast is that Sarah Koenig, the host, knows the plotline of the story only shortly before the listeners do. It's twelve episodes, released weekly, make the listener feel like they're watching a fictional television show, but are constantly reminded that it actually is a true story.
The story follows the disappearance and murder investigation of Woodlawn High School senior Hae Min Lee. One day after school in January, Hae goes missing without a trace. The police have next to no leads and are completely stumped as to where she could be. Hae's ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was arrested for her murder only six weeks after she went missing. Syed claims that he is innocent and has nothing to do with the situation, despite testimony from a fellow classmate saying Adnan did, in fact, kill her. The only problem, Adnan can only remember bits and pieces of where he was and what he was doing on that cold January day.
Adnan was born in America, but both of his parents were born in Pakistan. While at home, he was the good Pakistani child around his family but was the normal American teenager around his friends from school. Not only this, but his parents were traditional Pakistani, meaning Adnan wasn't allowed to date or really even talk to any girls. This meant that his relationship with Hae had to be kept a secret, as his family and religion wouldn't agree with it. The prosecutor working for the state on this case used this against Adnan, saying that he was living a double life and purposely putting his family and religion on the line to be with Hae. Then, when Hae ended their relationship and started dating someone else soon after towards the end of December 1998, the state argued he had nothing left and that murdering Hae was Adnan's way of getting revenge.
The story, when told by Sarah Koenig, is full of even more twists and turns and mysterious circumstances. The only way to understand the whole story is to listen to the whole season, and that's something I would strongly recommend.
