This American Life

By: This American Life
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  • Summary

  • 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.
    Copyright 1995-2024 This American Life
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Art Political Science Social Sciences
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Episodes
  • 850: If You Want to Destroy My Sweater, Hold This Thread as I Walk Away

    850: If You Want to Destroy My Sweater, Hold This Thread as I Walk Away
    Dec 22 2024

    The tiny thing that unravels your world.

    Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.

    • Prologue: Ira talks to Chris Benderev, whose high school years were completely upended by an impromptu thing his teacher said. (8 minutes)
    • Act One: For Producer Lilly Sullivan, there’s one story about her parents that defines how she sees them, their family, and their history. She finds out it might be wrong. (27 minutes)
    • Act Two: For years, Mike Comite has replayed in his head the moment when he and his bandmate blew their shot of making it as musicians. He sets out to uncover how it all went awry. (13 minutes)
    • Act Three: Six million Syrians fled the country after the start of its civil war. A few weeks ago, one woman watched from afar as everything in her home country changed forever – again. (9 minutes)

    Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org

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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • 849: The Narrator

    849: The Narrator
    Dec 15 2024

    Banias is an 8-year-old kid living in Gaza. And she has a story to tell — many stories, in fact.

    Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.

    • Prologue: While on the phone with reporter Maram Hamaid in Gaza, producer Chana Joffe-Walt gets interrupted by Maram’s daughter––Banias, eight, who grabs the phone from her mother and starts telling us about her life. The narrator arrives. (8 minutes)
    • Part One: Banias, an 8-year-old in Gaza, tells us about her life––her friends, the games she plays, the things she cares about. Everything but the war going on around her. (25 minutes)
    • Part Two: Banias talks about the war. (20 minutes)

    Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org

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    58 mins
  • 809: The Call

    809: The Call
    Dec 8 2024

    One call to a very unusual hotline and everything that followed.

    Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.

    • Prologue: Ira talks about a priest who set up what may have been the first hotline in the United States. It was just him, answering a phone, trying to help strangers who called. (2 minutes)
    • Act One: The Never Use Alone hotline was set up so that drug users can call if they are say, using heroin by themselves. Someone will stay on the line with them in case they overdose. We hear the recording of one call, from a woman named Kimber. (13 minutes)
    • Act Two: An EMT learns he was connected to the call, in more ways than he realized. (16 minutes)
    • Act Three: Jessie, who took the call, explains how she discovered the hotline. She keeps in touch with Kimber. Until one day, Kimber disappears. (16 minutes)
    • Act Four: We learn what happened to Kimber after she called the line. (10 minutes)

    Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org

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    1 hr and 2 mins

What listeners say about This American Life

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Profile Image for Jackson

Life changing, life defining

I’m nowhere near the age to have kids but if I were a parent I’d share and bond over this podcast and the truly life changing impact it’s had on my life and I. My favorite hour each week is spent on the edge of a metaphorical seat with Ira’s sultry whispering caressing my earbuds. 😅😘

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fantastic

Absolutely one of my favourite episodes, thank you! Would love it if you were able to do another such mystery episode regarding old houses or belongings and the search for the person's who owned them.

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Profile Image for Jennifer

Ira, you are the bezt

I hope you read these personally because I want you to know that I love these stories. I tell everyone I know to listen. Thank you for all that you think of, find and share.

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Profile Image for Glen Dingley

Great Podcast

I love the stories that they pick and choose and their discussion is very well done I have learned a lot in a lot in these podcasts good job!

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Profile Image for Marci Raney

loved this

just the absolute best podcast. I'm continually learning and just feel better having such rich content to absorb. Thank you Ira Glass!

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Profile Image for Harlow

Absolutely fascinating...

TAL was the first "podcast" before the term existed.i am so glad to have rediscovered it.

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Profile Image for Lonora

I loved Act 1 (Pirates of the Carib-Bean Town)

I couldn't stop laughing af the image the storyteller painted....and what happened when they revisited the story.

....act 2, not so much

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My favorite PODCAST by far!

Wish I could download more than just the ten episodes at a time! I love listening in my car.

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A wonderful tribute

Beautiful and Moving stories throughout the episode, I couldn't stop listening. Thank you for sharing this again.

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