This American Life

This American Life

By This American LifeSociety & CultureNewsArts
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This American Life episodes

  • 774: The Pink House at the Center of the World
    The Supreme Court case that overturned Roe v. Wade began with a lawsuit filed by a Mississippi abortion clinic. On the day Roe was overturned, we were there. Stories from the center of this moment of history, the day it happened.
    Prologue: Host Ira Glass reminds us that, before they change the country, all major Supreme Court cases start with just a person, in a place. (3 minutes)
    Act One: Documentarian Maisie Crow has been following the fight to stay open by the Jackson Women’s Health Clinic, for ten years. Now the Supreme Court decision is forcing their doors shut for good. She brings us inside as the staff prepares for the day the decision comes down, and then lives through it. (20 minutes)
    Act Two: Our producer Zoe Chace goes to Fairview Heights, Illinois, where Planned Parenthood has opened a massive new abortion clinic just across the river from Missouri. Abortion is banned in Missouri and lots of the surrounding states now that Roe has been overturned. Illinois is gearing up to get lots and lots of patients now. (5 minutes)
    Act Three: Zoe Chace spends time with a lawmaker in Missouri on the day Roe fell who’d worked her whole life for this moment and can’t believe it’s really here. (5 minutes)
    Act Four: Host Ira Glass walks through possible next steps with a pro-life activist who worked on the Texas SB8 bill, that set a precedent for enforcement of abortion bans throughout the country. (8 minutes)
    Act Five: Rebecca Grant introduces us to an abortion pill smuggler, who walks us through her undercover operation to mail pills to people who want medication abortions in places where it's hard to get them. (9 minutes)
    Act Six: Emma Green spends time with Anja Baker, who’s working on preparing Mississippi for the influx of babies it will have to absorb now that abortion is illegal in that state. (9 minutes)
    Act Seven: Maisie Crow is back to take us inside the Jackson clinic once again, as they rally themselves to see all the patients they’d scheduled for the next month to come in in the next ten days, before the ban goes into effect. (3 minutes)
    1 hr 11 min
  • 666: The Theme That Shall Not Be Named
    Satan! In his many surprising manifestations, all around us.
    Prologue: Host Ira Glass plays recordings from the Satanic Prayer Line, and speaks to the line’s creator, Chris Allert. (8 1/2 minutes)
    Act One: New Yorker staff writer Kelefa Sanneh tells the story of exorcist Bob Larson’s trip into the world of heavy metal. (20 minutes)
    Act Two: Religion professor Elaine Pagels explains the roots and evolution of Satan in religious texts. She is the author of "The Origin of Satan." (9 minutes)
    Act Three: Writer Gary Shteyngart presents a fictional diary of two Russian men — and a story of the special malevolence that can grow from an intimate situation. A portion of the story is read by actor Josh Gad. Gary Shteyngart’s most recent book is "Lake Success.” (18 minutes)
    1 hr 5 min
  • 699: Fiasco!

    We leave the normal realm of human error and enter the territory of huge breakdowns.

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

    • Prologue:
    Jack Hitt tells the story of a small-town production of Peter Pan in which all the usual boundaries between the audience and actors dissolve entirely. (6 minutes)
  • Act One: Jack Hitt's Peter Pan story continues. (18 minutes)
  • Act Two: The first day on the job inevitably means mistakes, mishaps, and sometimes, fiascos. A true story, told by a former rookie cop. (13 minutes)
  • Act Three: Comedian Mike Birbiglia talks about the time he ruined a cancer charity event by giving the worst performance of his life. Here's a hint: He improvised. About cancer. (10 minutes)
  • Act Four: Journalist Margy Rochlin on her first big assignment to do a celebrity interview: Moon Unit Zappa in 1982. Midway through the interview: fiasco! (7 minutes)

    • Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org

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    59 min
  • 552: Need To Know Basis

    Even when you're not trying to get one over on someone, it can be useful to keep the truth to yourself. Or conversely, to not know why people are lying to your face all the time. This week we'll tell you the whole truth about not telling the whole truth. Including the story of a guy who learned to lie for the first time in his life at age 29.

    • Ira talks with a guy in Chicago named Josh who likes to spend time going bird watching. But one day,
    Josh was out in a park with his binoculars and he discovered something he definitely did not want to
    know about. (6 minutes)
  • Act One: Michael Leviton was raised in a family who encouraged him and his siblings to tell the truth all the time. They believed it was better to be honest and work things out. Even when it was uncomfortable. But as Michael tells Ira, when he became an adult, he discovered that the world his parents created had its limitations. (19 minutes)
  • Act Two: Producer Zoe Chace tells the story of a community college student named Demetrius who seemed like he was doing exceptionally well in school. But as Zoe followed Demetrius over a semester, she discovered that there were things about his academic past that he had kept a secret. And not just from her. (20 minutes)
  • Act Three: Growing up, producer Stephanie Foo was the favorite child of her family in Malaysia. Particularly of the matriarch of the family who everyone called "Auntie." But as an adult, Stephanie found out the complicated truth about why she was the family favorite. (13 minutes)

    • Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org

    1 hr 5 min

About This American Life

From the publisher's feed

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…

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