This American Life
Chicago Public Media
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.
Location:
Chicago, IL
Networks:
Chicago Public Media
Description:
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.
Twitter:
@thisamerlife
Language:
English
Website:
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/
Email:
web@thislife.org
Episodes
834: Yousef and the Fourth Move
6/16/2024
In Rafah, Yousef is out of options and faces his toughest move yet.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:00:58:11
833: Come Retribution
6/9/2024
Donald Trump has talked about taking retribution on his enemies since the early days of his 2024 presidential campaign. After his conviction last week in New York, his talk intensified. We try to understand what his retribution might look like by speaking with people who have the most to lose in a second Trump administration: people who believe Trump will be coming for them.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:01:02:23
832: That Other Guy
6/2/2024
People tethered to one particular other person, whether they want to be or not.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:01:04:29
831: Lists!!!
5/26/2024
How they organize the chaos of the world, for good and for bad.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:01:02:35
830: The Forever Trial
5/19/2024
The trial for the men accused of orchestrating the September 11 terrorist attacks still hasn’t started yet. Family members of those who died that day are still hoping for some kind of accountability, more than 22 years later. This week, the story of how one victim’s sister is navigating this historic and twisted trial.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:01:02:33
829: Two Ledgers
5/12/2024
For years, Majid believed that if he could testify in court about what happened to him when he was held in a CIA black site, a judge and jury would give him a break. Finally, he got a chance to see if he was right.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:01:04:16
186: Prom
5/5/2024
While the seniors danced at Prom Night 2001 in Hoisington, Kansas—a town of about 3,000—a tornado hit the town, destroying about a third of it. When they emerged from the dance, they discovered what had happened, and in the weeks that followed, they tried to explain to themselves why the tornado hit where it did. Plus other stories that happen on Prom Night.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:00:59:40
568: Human Spectacle
4/28/2024
Gladiators in the Colosseum. Sideshow performers. Reality television. We've always loved to gawk at the misery or majesty of others. But this week, we ask the question: What's it like when the tables are turned and all eyes are on you?
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:00:59:46
306: Seemed Like A Good Idea at the Time
4/21/2024
A girl signs up for a class. A couple hires an accountant. A group of co-workers decides to pool their money and buy a couple of lottery tickets. In the beginning, they're full of hope and optimism — and then something turns. Stories of good ideas gone bad.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:00:59:11
564: Too Soon?
4/14/2024
It can be hard to know the right moment for something to happen.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:01:00:26
828: Minor Crimes Division
4/7/2024
People taking it upon themselves to solve the tiny, overlooked crimes of the world.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:00:59:37
587: The Perils of Intimacy
3/31/2024
Mysteries that exist in relationships we thought couldn't possibly surprise us.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:01:02:22
827: All the King's Horses
3/24/2024
The things we break and the ones we can't fix.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:01:00:14
826: Unprepared for What Has Already Happened
3/17/2024
People waking up to the fact that the world has suddenly changed.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:01:02:49
304: Heretics
3/10/2024
The story of Reverend Carlton Pearson. He was a rising star in the evangelical movement when he cast aside the idea of hell and, with it, everything he'd worked for over his entire life.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:00:59:22
825: Yousef
3/3/2024
A series of phone calls to a man in Gaza named Yousef Hammash, between early December and now. He talks about what he and his family are experiencing, sometimes as they are experiencing it.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:01:06:03
824: Family Meeting
2/25/2024
Your mother and I have something we want to talk with you about.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:00:58:52
653: Crime Scene
2/18/2024
Every crime scene hides a story. In this week's show, we hear about crime scenes and the stories they tell.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:01:00:16
791: Math or Magic?
2/11/2024
When it comes to finding love, there seems to be two schools of thought on the best way to go about it. One says, wait for that lightning-strike magic. The other says, make a calculation and choose the best option available. Who has it right?
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:00:56:34
823: The Question Trap
2/4/2024
An investigation of when and why people ask loaded questions that are a proxy for something else.
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
Duration:00:57:30