Selected Shorts is a weekly radio broadcast, produced by Symphony Space and recorded live on stage in downtown New York City. Each of the short stories commonly is performed -- acted (not simply read) by a separate, professional actor.

“Tales of Betrayal” contains six short stories, centered around the theme of betrayal in which the story’s characters make choices that yield consequences that define their lives. The stories included are as follows: John Biguenet's "I Am Not a Jew" (performed by David Strathairn); Adam Haslett's "Devotion" (performed by John Shea); John Cheever's "The Worm in the Apple" (performed by Anne Meara); Tessa Hadley's "Mother's Son" (performed by Shohreh Aghdashloo); Galina Vromen's "Sarah's Story" (performed by Jane Curtin); and Rattawut Lapchraroensap's "Draft Day" (performed by BD Wong).

I have listened to this collection two times, separated by a span of several years; the first was in daily commutes, and the second (very recently) while seated at a desk. My second experience made me realize that the stories required full attention to appreciate, and more attention than a drive to work allowed. In particular, I entirely underestimated Haslett's story "Devotion", a masterpiece of a tale in its content and delivery.

Below are the stories, with my ratings (on a scale of 5 stars). To the "Comments" section I've posted one- sentence summaries of each, as provided by the Symphony Space site.

I Am Not a Jew (by John Biguenet) 3*
Devotion (Adam Haslett) 5*
The Worm in the Apple (by John Cheever) 2.5*
Mother's Son (Tessa Hadley) 3*
Sarah's Story (Galina Vromen) 2*
"Draft Day" (Rattawut Lapchraroensap) 2.5* ( )