Each week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. This American Life is true stories that unfold like little movies for radio. Personal stories with funny moments, big feelings, and surprising plot twists. Newsy stories that try to capture what it’s like to be alive right now. It’s the most popular weekly podcast in the world, and winner of the first ever Pulitzer Prize for a radio show or podcast. Hosted by Ira Glass and produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago.
This episode explores doppelgangers through two stories. First, an investigation into the possibility that hog rectum is being passed off as calamari in restaurants, including interviewing sources and conducting a blind taste test. Second, a comparison of the psychological effects of trauma experienced by a military veteran in Afghanistan and a man from a violent inner-city neighborhood, highlighting their shared struggles with vigilance, witnessing death, rage, and seeking help.
Conversations across a divide: People who are outside a war zone check in with family, friends, and strangers inside. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: The Hammash family’s group chat unfolds over texts, starting before the war. (8 minutes) Act One: When Yousef Hammash left Gaza a year ago, his sisters decided to stay behind. We hear about the toll that separation has taken on Yousef and the sister he’s closest to, Aseel. (30 minutes) Act ...
This episode explores how sudden, unexpected moments can act as a mirror, revealing surprising aspects of our character. It features stories from people who faced split-second decisions, attempted to build a pet wig empire after a tough year, confronted complex family dynamics through a parent's illness, and navigated the strange paranoia of losing objects. The episode delves into whether these moments fundamentally change us or merely show us who we already are.
Boen Wang has a theory that a lot of the misery in his life can be traced to a single moment that happened years before he was born. So he makes a pilgrimage to see if he’s right. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Ira talks about what it’s like to go back to 1119 Bayard Street in Baltimore. (6 minutes) Part One: Boen visits Norman, Oklahoma, where he was born, to meet the man he thinks changed his parents’ lives—and his life, too. (31 minu...
This episode explores the theme of chaos and uncertainty through three distinct acts. First, a scientist graphs the confusion surrounding research grant meetings. Then, American doctors returning from Gaza uncover a disturbing pattern of children shot in the head. Finally, a woman navigates the bewildering US immigration system after her partner is suddenly deported to a prison in El Salvador.
A couple devises a strategy to get their daughter's killer prosecuted and to get attention for other Native families. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Mika Westwolf was killed in a hit-and-run on a Montana highway. Her parents thought the driver might get away with it. The driver was white. Mika was a citizen of the Blackfeet Nation. (1 minute) Act One: Mika’s parents, Carissa Heavy Runner and Kevin Howard, share recordings of their inter...
Artifacts and exhibits of this particular moment we are living through. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Exhibit One: Ira talks to producer Emmanuel Dzotsi, who brings the first exhibit into the studio with him: a chunk of concrete with some yellow paint on it. He got it from the demolition site in Washington, DC, where the giant Black Lives Matter letters are being dug out of the street with heavy equipment. (8 minutes) Exhibit Two: Producer Aviva...
Sometimes, life’s biggest mysteries require one very specific person to answer them. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: 7-year-old Miles has lots of questions. More specifically, he has questions about the famous car chase from “The Blues Brothers” movie. We arrange for him to talk to stunt coordinator Gary Powell so he can get the answers he so desperately wants. (9 minutes) Act One: Producer Aviva DeKornfeld looks into why comedian Daniel...
Unnecessary and outrageous lies that make you wonder — why lie about that in the first place? Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Kasey, a woman who prides herself on her truthfulness, tries to help host Ira Glass figure out how to stop lying about one specific thing. (10 minutes) Act One: Producer Dana Chivvis talks to reporter Liz Flock about a strange experience she had in 2011. (21 minutes) Act Two: Host Ira Glass talks with M. Gessen ab...
Zach Mack and his dad try to mend a rift between them in a very unusual way. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Ira Glass introduces Zach Mack’s story. (1 minute) Part One: Zach and his father enter into an agreement that could change their entire relationship. (9 minutes) Part Two: Zach’s mother and sister weigh in on the agreement. (28 minutes) Part Three: With the year coming to an end, someone is going to have to say, “You were right, a...
Ira Glass has news to share about some things happening here at This American Life. To sign up as a Life Partner, visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners .
Oct 16, 2024•5 min
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