Radio Archive by Tag

Childhood

  • Take Your Kid to Work Day.

    477: Getting Away With It 10.19.2012

    A boy rides shotgun in a memorable car ride with his mother, and in the process learns how his ...Childhood • Family

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  • The Geeks Come Out at Night.

    463: Mortal Vs. Venial 04.27.2012

    Because the line between a mortal and venial sin can be hazy, sometimes the only way to tell is ...Childhood

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  • Prologue.

    438: Father's Day 2011 06.17.2011

    Host Ira Glass plays clips of interviews with several people whose dads have tried reach out to ...Automobiles • Childhood • Fathers

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  • Astro Boy Meet Robot Dad.

    438: Father's Day 2011 06.17.2011

    Michael Ian Black reads an excerpt from his forthcoming book You're Not Doing It Right, about ...Childhood • Death • Fathers

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  • I Just Called To Say—Something That's Hard to Say, That I Really Should Say More Often...

    438: Father's Day 2011 06.17.2011

    Producer Jonathan Menjivar tells this story about Naomi Azar and her father Shaul. Shaul had ...Childhood • Fathers • Telephone

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  • May Be Hazardous To Children.

    433: Fine Print 2011 04.15.2011

    Susan Burton rereads her parents' divorce papers—the fine print that changed her life forever. ...Childhood • Divorce • Parents

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  • Bar Car Prophesy.

    426: Tough Room 2011 02.04.2011

    Writer Rosie Schaap tells the story of how she ingratiated herself into the adult society of the ...Childhood • Mental Health • Travel

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  • When I Grow Up.

    425: Slow To React 01.21.2011

    Back in 2004, a reporter named David Holthouse published a remarkable story in the weekly paper ...Childhood • Crime • Criminal Justice

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  • My Own Private U.F.O.

    421: Last Man Standing 12.03.2010

    A story about God and extraterrestrials, told by Elna Baker. Elna is the author of a memoir ...Childhood • Literature • Paranormal

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  • Error at First Base.

    411: First Contact 06.25.2010

    Ira Glass mentions a very silly mistake he made with a girl when he was in junior high. Then ...Childhood • Funny • Live Performance

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  • Prologue.

    402: Save the Day 03.12.2010

    When Luke Davies was 11 years old in Australia, his family moved from the boring suburbs to an ...Animals • Childhood • Health Care/Medicine

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  • Bump In The Night.

    395: Middle of the Night 11.27.2009

    Producer Jane Feltes talks with her parents about staying up at night with a sick ...Childhood • Parenting

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  • The Case Of The Long Lost Frenemy.

    389: Frenemies 09.11.2009

    Ira talks to a woman about a childhood friend of hers who mysteriously shows up after decades, ...Childhood • Friendship

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  • Bill Clinton’s 7-year-old Brother.

    383: Origin Story 06.19.2009

    Reporter Mary Wiltenburg tells the story of a little boy stymied by the question "Where do you ...Childhood • Immigration

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  • If The Shoe Fits.

    381: Turncoat 05.22.2009

    Actor Matt Malloy reads a short piece of fiction called "Shoes," about a boy trying not to be a ...Childhood • Fiction • History

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  • Putting The Cart Before The Porsche.

    368: Who Do You Think You Are? 11.07.2008

    Sara was raised in a fancy suburban neighborhood with strict parents who liked to flaunt their ...Activism • Childhood • Live Performance

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  • Hollywood-induced Nightmare.

    361: Fear of Sleep 08.08.2008

    This American Life production manager Seth Lind explains how he ended up watching Stanley ...Childhood • Education • Film/Film Making

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  • Prologue.

    351: Return to Childhood 2008 03.07.2008

    Host Ira Glass talks with Kayla Hernandez, a seventh-grader who likes to reminisce about when ...Childhood • Education • Teenagers

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  • Ich... bin... ein... mophead.

    351: Return to Childhood 2008 03.07.2008

    This American Life producer Alex Blumberg sets out to find a woman named Susan Jordan, who ...Childhood • Teenagers

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  • Boy Interrupted.

    346: Home Alone 12.21.2007

    Growing up, Clevins Browne moved all over New York with his mother, in different apartments ...Childhood • Homelessness • Housing

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  • Mr. Successful.

    338: The Spokesman 08.10.2007

    Anthony Pico was a foster kid for most of his life. His mother was a crack addict who abandoned ...Activism • Childhood • Family

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  • Commandment Five. Honor Your Father And Your Mother.

    332: The Ten Commandments 05.04.2007

    When Jack Hitt was 11, he did the worst thing his father could have imagined. Neither Jack nor ...Childhood • Fathers

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  • Round III. Girls In Need Of A Safer Time.

    326: Quiz Show 02.16.2007

    Robin Epstein talks about her old job, as producer and chief question writer on a game show for ...Childhood • Education • Television

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  • Prologue.

    314: It's Never Over 06.23.2006

    Host Ira Glass talks to Jonathan Gold about the bully in high school who knocked Jonathan and ...Childhood • Education • Funny

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  • Who Takes The Class Out Of Class Reunion.

    314: It's Never Over 06.23.2006

    Jon Ronson goes to his high school reunion to try to figure out why his schoolmates—his ...Childhood • Education

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  • Prologue.

    309: Cat and Mouse 02.24.2006

    Host Ira Glass talks to Adam Stein about the very real cat-and-mouse game between his friends ...Childhood • Education • Funny

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  • The Diary Of Mrs. Sam Horrigan.

    308: Star-Crossed Love 02.10.2006

    Sixteen-year-old Catalina Puente, one of WNYC's Radio Rookies, gets caught up in a complete and ...Childhood • Romance

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  • Function Of The Heart.

    306: Seemed Like A Good Idea at the Time 01.13.2006

    When Elspeth was a girl, she wanted nothing more than her father's attention. He was busy, a ...Childhood • Fathers • Mothers

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  • Goldstein On Goldstein.

    294: Image Makers 08.05.2005

    Jonathan Goldstein decides to find out—once and for all—if his dad Buzz thinks he's manly ...Childhood • Fathers

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  • Small Thoughts In Big Brains.

    293: A Little Bit of Knowledge 07.22.2005

    This American Life producer Alex Blumberg investigates a little-studied phenomenon: Children who ...Childhood

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  • Prologue.

    289: Go Ask Your Father 05.13.2005

    When Aric Knuth was a little kid, his dad would leave for six months at a time. He was a ...Childhood • Fathers • Jobs/Employment

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  • Because I'm The Mommy, That's Why.

    284: Should I Stay or Should I Go? 03.11.2005

    One day Virginia Holman's mother announced she was taking Virginia and her little sister to ...Childhood • Mental Health • Writing

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  • Across The Street From Heaven.

    259: Promised Land 02.20.2004

    Contributor Starlee Kine tells a story about getting as close to one promised land—Disneyland—as ...Childhood • Film/Film Making

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  • Prologue.

    250: The Annoying Gap Between Theory...and Practice 11.07.2003

    Host Ira Glass talks to two people about their real-life stories of theory and practice. Subject ...Childhood • Crime

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  • Except For The Smell, I Think I Have A Crush On You.

    249: Garbage 10.31.2003

    There are squatters who've built entire neighborhoods on top of rotting trash heaps in Mexico. ...Childhood • Family • Writing

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  • The Kids Stay In The Picture.

    225: Home Movies 11.08.2002

    From the time he was a little kid until the time he graduated high school, Darren Stein made ...Childhood • Film/Film Making

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  • The Cinema Of Upward Mobility.

    225: Home Movies 11.08.2002

    Home movies usually don't have much of a plot—one of the many ways they differ from Hollywood ...Childhood • Film/Film Making

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  • Prologue.

    213: Devil on My Shoulder 05.24.2002

    How does the Devil work? We hear stories from five different people who say they found ...Childhood • Religion

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  • Prologue.

    212: The Other Man 05.10.2002

    Host Ira Glass talks with Sarah Koenig, about the first and only time a movie star came over to ...Childhood • Film/Film Making

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  • Prologue.

    207: Special Ed 03.08.2002

    Host Ira Glass talks with a bunch of special ed students. By and large, they thought of ...Childhood • Education

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  • Prologue.

    199: House on Loon Lake 11.16.2001

    Host Ira Glass explains that our show's a little different this week. It consists of one long ...Childhood • Family • History

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  • Act One.

    199: House on Loon Lake 11.16.2001

    Adam Beckman tells the first part of his story, about how, back in the 1970s, he and his friends ...Childhood • Family • Housing

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  • Act Two.

    199: House on Loon Lake 11.16.2001

    Adam Beckman continues his story. He returns to the town in New Hampshire where he discovered ...Childhood • Family • History

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  • Prologue.

    198: How to Win Friends and Influence People 11.02.2001

    Host Ira Glass talks with Paul Feig, who as a sixth-grader, at the urging of his father, ...Childhood • Friendship • Funny

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  • To Make A Friend, Be A Friend.

    198: How to Win Friends and Influence People 11.02.2001

    David Sedaris has this instructive tale of how, as a boy, with the help of his dad, he tried to ...Childhood • Friendship • Funny

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  • Of Course I Remember Your Name.

    197: Before It Had A Name 10.26.2001

    A short story about the moment when we suddenly learn the name of something that has heretofore ...Childhood

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  • A Bad Day For Plates.

    197: Before It Had A Name 10.26.2001

    The story about what happens when you discover the medical reason your mother was such a bad ...Childhood • Family • Mental Health

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  • Prologue.

    193: Stories of Loss 09.14.2001

    Reporter Mark Arax spent three years investigating the murder of his father and yet he's still ...Childhood • Crime • Death

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  • Airel Sharon, Shimon Peres, David Ben Gurion, And Me!

    190: Living the Dream 08.03.2001

    Host Ira Glass talks with contributor Adam Davidson about how Adam's teenage diaries are filled ...Childhood • Funny • Teenagers

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  • Prologue.

    188: Kid Logic 06.22.2001

    Host Ira Glass talks with Rebecca, who, using perfectly valid evidence, arrived at the perfectly ...Childhood • Family • Fathers

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  • The Game Ain't Over Til The Fatso Man Sings.

    188: Kid Logic 06.22.2001

    Howie Chackowicz tried a risky combination when he was little, kid logic with puppy love. He ...Childhood • Romance

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  • Prologue.

    187: Father's Day '01 06.15.2001

    Leah remembers when her parents got divorced and her dad, a farmer in North Dakota, moved to an ...Childhood • Divorce • Fathers

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  • Mr. Rothbart's Neighborhood.

    184: Neighbors 05.11.2001

    When he was just a kid, Davy Rothbart and his family visited the most famous neighbor in ...Childhood • Television • Travel

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  • Case Three. I'm An Orphan; Don't Tell My Mom.

    183: The Missing Parents Bureau 04.20.2001

    When Starlee Kine was a kid, she wanted to be a child star so badly that she signed up for an ...Adoption • Childhood • Parents

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  • Prologue.

    180: Return to Childhood 03.23.2001

    Host Ira Glass talks with Kayla Hernandez, a seventh-grader who likes to reminisce about when ...Childhood • Education

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  • Once More, With Feeling.

    180: Return to Childhood 03.23.2001

    Jonathan Katz listens to old tapes of his family; then travels back to the neighborhood in ...Childhood • Family • Housing

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  • Punk In A Grey Flannel Suit.

    180: Return to Childhood 03.23.2001

    A mortgage broker named David Philp discovers that his old punk band from the 1970s is hot in ...Business • Childhood • Jobs/Employment

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  • Ich... Bin... Ein... Mophead.

    180: Return to Childhood 03.23.2001

    Producer Alex Blumberg sets out to find a woman named Susan Jordan, who babysat him and his ...Childhood • Jobs/Employment • siblings

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  • Prologue.

    174: Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Milestones 12.29.2000

    We hear the story of a disastrous birthday party and how it's hard not to see these kinds of ...Childhood • Children • Friendship

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  • When Happiness Hurtles Downward Like Rain From Heaven.

    169: Pursuit of Happiness 09.29.2000

    Thomas Beller tells the story of how we go from innocently amusing ourselves, to less innocent ...Childhood • Fiction

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  • When Attacks Really Count.

    160: Character Assassination 05.19.2000

    There's little in adult life that can hurt as much as a character assassination attack when it ...Childhood • Education • Friendship

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  • Prologue.

    155: Hoaxing Yourself 03.17.2000

    Sean Cole explains why he decided that he would speak with a British accent—morning, noon and ...Childhood • Television

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  • The Sun Never Sets—On The Moosewood Restaurant.

    155: Hoaxing Yourself 03.17.2000

    The story of two young people who, in their search to figure out who they were, pretended to be ...Childhood • Family • Food/Drinks/Cooking

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  • Resurrection.

    154: In Dog We Trust 03.10.2000

    Writer Brady Udall with another story about what animals can take the place of, in our lives and ...Animals • Childhood • Family

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  • You Know What Mr Bear Would Say.

    153: Dolls 03.03.2000

    A truly remarkable children's book just came back in print: The Lonely Doll, by Dare Wright. ...Childhood • Literature • Writing

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  • Kiss.

    152: Crush 02.11.2000

    So what if you held onto a high-school crush? Under what conditions would it never go away? ...Childhood • Death • Family

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  • Househusband At 12.

    150: Kids As Adults 01.21.2000

    When Anh Tuan Hoang was 12 and living in Vietnam back in 1980, his cousin was scheming up a way ...Boats • Childhood • Mothers

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  • The Miseducation Of Josh Frank.

    150: Kids As Adults 01.21.2000

    This is another story of a young person making a huge, life-changing decision about his own fate ...Childhood • Music • siblings

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  • The Red Velvet Underground.

    148: The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Suit 12.24.1999

    We begin our show with the most idealistic notion of Santa. Mike Paterniti heads on a quest ...Childhood • Holidays • Travel

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  • Church Of Latter Day Snakes.

    146: Urban Nature 12.10.1999

    Scott Carrier tells the story of trying to bring a part of the outside world inside the house ...Animals • Childhood • Family

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  • Prologue.

    137: The Book That Changed Your Life 08.20.1999

    When Alexa was seven, she started going through her grandfather's books. Her grandfather was a ...Childhood • Literature • Theater

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  • The Family That Reads Together.

    137: The Book That Changed Your Life 08.20.1999

    The story of a book that changed a family's life, but only temporarily and not for the better. ...Childhood • Literature • Sexuality

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  • A Trip Down Memory Lane.

    132: Father's Day '99 06.18.1999

    Photographer Joel Meyerowitz decided to go on a last big trip with his father Hy, who has ...Childhood • Fathers • Funny

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  • Where The People Walk Around Upside Down.

    131: The Kids Are Alright 06.04.1999

    More stories from Wen Huang that contradict what you think you know about the 1989 student ...Activism • Childhood • Government

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  • When Czechs Bounce.

    131: The Kids Are Alright 06.04.1999

    If part of the impulse behind the Tiananmen Square uprising was the pure desire to feel like ...Childhood • History • Music

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  • When We Were Animals.

    131: The Kids Are Alright 06.04.1999

    Since the high school shootings in Littleton, Colorado, parents and teachers are looking for ...Childhood • Crime • Education

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  • Brothers Of Different Mothers.

    130: Away From Home 05.21.1999

    In this act we hear two stories of people who stumbled upon a place where they instantly and ...Adoption • Childhood • Family

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  • Prologue.

    129: Advice 05.14.1999

    When Adam and Jamie were kids, Jamie would always ask for Adam's advice, but he didn't want to ...Childhood • Friendship • Journalism

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  • Sleepless In Seattle.

    129: Advice 05.14.1999

    What if you asked people for advice and actually took all the advice that everyone gave you? As ...Childhood • Food/Drinks/Cooking • Funny

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  • Rules Of The Game.

    127: Pimp Anthropology 04.16.1999

    How Kevin and his friends got into the game of pimping, and the rules of the game at the time. ...Childhood • Jobs/Employment • Prostitution

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  • You Can't Go Home Again.

    126: Do-Gooders 04.09.1999

    Jackie and Kenny Wharton were kids in the tiny town of Canalou, Missouri, off of old Highway 61. ...Childhood • History • Marriage

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  • Again.

    125: Apocalypse 04.02.1999

    How believing in the end of the world can be the best thing that ever happens to you. Writer ...Childhood • Religion

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  • Are Movies Stronger Than Communism?

    124: Welcome to America 03.19.1999

    This is a story of a father and son—told by the son, Juan Zaldivar, who was born in Cuba. Juan ...Childhood • Fathers • Film/Film Making

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  • Psychobabble, Qu'est-ce Que C'est.

    120: Be Careful Who You Pretend to Be 01.22.1999

    There's the pretending we do as individuals, and there's the organized pretending that happens ...Childhood • Race • Religion

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  • American Goth.

    118: What You Lookin' At? 12.18.1998

    There are the people who take two hours to get dressed every day, who dress primarily to be ...Childhood • Funny • Live Performance

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  • Prologue.

    117: You Gonna Eat That? 12.11.1998

    Host Ira Glass talks about the role of mealtime in family dynamics. (2 minutes) Childhood • Family • Food/Drinks/Cooking

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  • Breakfast.

    117: You Gonna Eat That? 12.11.1998

    A story by Jay Allison and Annie Cheney, from Jay's Life Stories series. Annie tells a story of ...Childhood • Family • Food/Drinks/Cooking

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  • The Meaning Of A Bird.

    116: Poultry Slam 1998 11.27.1998

    Writer David Rakoff explains how his life was changed—in a single evening—in a room of 5000 ...Animals • Childhood • Politics

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  • Prologue.

    111: Adventures in the Simple Life 09.11.1998

    When Eustace Conway was 17, he abandoned his normal life and decided to move to the woods. (6 ...Childhood • Environment • Housing

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  • Note Three. You.

    109: Notes on Camp 08.28.1998

    We asked listeners to call and write with their camp stories. Hundreds did. We hear a selection. ...Childhood

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  • Note Four. Ritual.

    109: Notes on Camp 08.28.1998

    Camp Lake of the Woods holds a fake Indian powwow during the summer. This kind of fake Native ...Business • Childhood • History

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  • Note Five. How The Israeli Army Is Just Like Summer Camp.

    109: Notes on Camp 08.28.1998

    NPR's Adam Davidson tells a true story from his own childhood. He was sent to a camp run by the ...Childhood • Military

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  • I, Danny.

    108: Truth and Lies at Age Ten 08.07.1998

    In this special half-hour story produced by Jay Allison as part of his Life Stories series, Dan ...Childhood • Television

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  • Truth or Consequences.

    108: Truth and Lies at Age Ten 08.07.1998

    Mary J. Pruka tells her story about the lies she told herself to deal with cystic fibrosis. (19 ...Childhood • Death • Friendship

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  • Act One.

    107: Trail of Tears 07.03.1998

    Sarah Vowell and her twin sister Amy re-trace the Trail of Tears. They visit the town in Georgia ...Childhood • Family • History

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  • Papa Was Not A Rolling Stone.

    104: Music Lessons 06.05.1998

    A case study of how children are asked to live the unlived lives of their parents. Author David ...Childhood • Fathers • Funny

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  • Toccata and Fugue In Me, a Minor.

    104: Music Lessons 06.05.1998

    As a teenager, Sarah Vowell was not casual about music lessons — music became her life. She was ...Childhood • Funny • Live Performance

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  • Act One.

    101: Niagara 05.01.1998

    The modern history of Niagara Falls can be divided roughly into three phases: Schemers who came ...Childhood • Environment • History

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  • Strength In Numbers.

    99: I Enjoy Being A Girl, Sort Of 04.10.1998

    Ira with "The Hens," a group of nine middle-aged women who've known each other since girlhood. ...Automobiles • Childhood • Friendship

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  • My Crap Life.

    83: One of Us 11.14.1997

    Writer Tim Melley. (23 minutes)Childhood • Education • Family

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  • Act One.

    82: Haunted 10.31.1997

    Ira with Lynnette Nyman, who, as a girl, recorded her parents fighting with a cassette recorder ...Childhood • Family • Parents

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  • Nra Vs Nea.

    81: Guns 10.24.1997

    Sarah Vowell goes home to Montana to try and understand her gunsmith dad a little better. (11 ...Childhood • Family • Fathers

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  • Fist And Gun.

    81: Guns 10.24.1997

    Geoffrey Canada, author of the book Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence in ...Childhood • City • Family

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  • Shooter.

    81: Guns 10.24.1997

    Chicago Playwright Bryn Magnus with a quintessential gun story from his childhood in Wisconsin. ...Childhood • Funny • Live Performance

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  • Mobster Daughter.

    76: Mob 09.19.1997

    Susan Berman, author of the memoir Easy Street, the True Story of a Gangster's Daugher, reads ...Childhood • City • Crime

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  • Runaway.

    75: Kindness of Strangers 09.12.1997

    In 1940, Jack Geiger, at the age of fourteen, left his middle-class Jewish home and knocked on ...Childhood • Housing • Teenagers

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  • Meema's Adventure.

    69: Dream House 07.18.1997

    A family dreams of life in rural Maine, moves there, and then things get really complicated. (36 ...Childhood • Family • Housing

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  • Blue Sky Dream.

    69: Dream House 07.18.1997

    David Beers explains the gorgeous, modern vision that drew his family, and tons of other ...Childhood • Family • Parents

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  • Good Whites, Bad Whites.

    68: Lincoln's Second Inaugural 07.04.1997

    A documentary by Cecilia Vaisman and Christina Egloff, with Jay Allison, about a white woman ...Childhood • Family • Race

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  • Blood.

    67: Your Dream, My Nightmare 06.27.1997

    Writer David Sedaris on parents' dreams and children's nightmares. (13 minutes)Childhood • Children • Family

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  • Prologue.

    64: Summer 05.23.1997

    Julie throws up. (6 minutes)Automobiles • Childhood • Family

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  • Tao Of The Dumpster.

    62: Something for Nothing 05.02.1997

    Writer Dirk Jamison, who gave up a 9-to-5 job and succeeded in getting something for nothing: he ...Childhood • Family • Fathers

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  • Mom, Dad & Bats

    53: Valentine's Day '97 02.07.1997

    A story by Bia Lowe. (12 minutes) Animals • Childhood • Parents

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  • Negress.

    53: Valentine's Day '97 02.07.1997

    Hilton Als reads an excerpt from his book The Women. (12 minutes)Childhood • Family • Mothers

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  • Plague Of Tics.

    52: Edge of Sanity 01.31.1997

    David Sedaris tells a story from his boyhood, when a voice inside his head commanded him to lick ...Childhood • Education • Family

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  • Act Four.

    47: Christmas and Commerce 12.20.1996

    John Connors's family tape from the 1960s. (3 minutes)Childhood • Family • Holidays

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  • Anti-oedipus.

    46: Sissies 12.13.1996

    This American Life producer Nancy Updike on a family where the father was one kind of sissy and ...Childhood • Divorce • Family

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  • The Pansy Kings Sing Songs Of Love.

    46: Sissies 12.13.1996

    Chicago writer and actor Dave Awl, who runs a show called the Pansy King Cotillion, on how he ...Childhood • Education • Sexuality

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  • The Other Love That Dares Not Speak Its Name.

    46: Sissies 12.13.1996

    Seattle writer and syndicated sex columnist Dan Savage, on how there's a stigma against sissies ...Childhood • Romance • Sexuality

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  • Duki.

    44: Poultry Slam 1996 11.29.1996

    When Danielle's family serves poultry at their dinner table, no one utters the word "chicken." ...Childhood • Family • Food/Drinks/Cooking

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  • Turkey.

    44: Poultry Slam 1996 11.29.1996

    Julie Showalter, who grew up on a turkey farm, tells the story of the night 3,000 turkeys died. ...Animals • Childhood • Family

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  • Voyager.

    43: Faustian Bargains 11.22.1996

    Alix Spiegel tells the story of her friend Jayna, who made a Faustian bargain at 11 years old. ...Childhood • Family • Friendship

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  • Discovering Evil

    39: Halloween 10.25.1996

    Julie Showalter, on a costume she wore as a kid. (11 minutes)Childhood • Education • Family

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  • Gang Girl.

    39: Halloween 10.25.1996

    Gang Girl, on a body they thought was fake that turned out to be real. (10 minutes)Childhood • Crime

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  • Grandma and Easy.

    35: Fall Clearance Sale 09.06.1996

    Carmen Delzell/Jay Allison's story on a guitar player. (10 minutes)Childhood • Death • Family

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  • My Brother, Tom Jones.

    31: When You Talk About Music 08.09.1996

    Radio producer Dan Gediman's story about his older brother, "Alex Jones," who he idolized when ...Childhood • Jobs/Employment • Music

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  • Act One.

    30: Obsession 07.26.1996

    A woman obsessed with the number 2. (11 minutes)Childhood • Mental Health

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  • Act Two.

    30: Obsession 07.26.1996

    A story by Lauren Slater about getting obsessive compulsive disorder. (19 minutes)Childhood • Mental Health

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  • Act Three.

    30: Obsession 07.26.1996

    An Orthodox Jew talks about whether Hasidic Judaism is like an obsession. (9 minutes)Childhood • Religion

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  • Prologue.

    28: Detectives 07.12.1996

    Ira talks about one of the purest expressions of ordinary folks' desire to be detectives: a ...Childhood • Jobs/Employment • Writing

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  • Act One.

    28: Detectives 07.12.1996

    Writer David Sedaris remembers the days his mother and sister played armchair detective, and the ...Childhood • Crime • Family

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  • I Like Guys.

    27: The Cruelty of Children 06.21.1996

    David Sedaris reads one of his funniest and most affecting stories from his book Naked before a ...Childhood • Friendship • Funny

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  • Act Four.

    26: Father's Day '96 06.14.1996

    Chicago playwright Beau O'Reilly talks about how he reconciled with his estranged father years ...Alcohol • Childhood • Fathers

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  • Fan Dance.

    17: Name Change / No Theme 03.21.1996

    Barbara Adams, a former member of the Whitewater trial jury, showed up for jury duty wearing a ...Childhood • Legal System • Parents

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  • Dad.

    16: Economy 03.14.1996

    Poet/performer Lisa Buscani tells a story about her father. (8 minutes)Childhood • Family • Fathers

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  • Dawn.

    15: Dawn 02.28.1996

    Jack Hitt's quest to find out the truth about the man who lived down the street from him 30 ...Childhood • Journalism • Neighbors/Neighborhoods

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  • Berrien Springs, Michigan, Circa 1967.

    14: Accidental Documentaries 02.21.1996

    A Midwestern family records a "letter on tape" to their son, who is in medical school in ...Childhood • Family • Fathers

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  • Dave's Love.

    11: Enemies 01.24.1996

    Bob and Dave were close childhood friends — until their relationship began to lead their peers ...Childhood • Friendship • Sexuality

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  • Dave's Hate.

    11: Enemies 01.24.1996

    The story of Dave and Bob continues. For reasons that Bob never fully understood, Dave ...Childhood • Friendship

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  • Prologue.

    10: Double Lives 01.17.1996

    Susan Bergman's father was a family man, head of the church choir, and, secretly, having sex ...Childhood • Family • Fathers

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  • Act One.

    6: Christmas 12.22.1995

    A Christmas tree story by Chicago playwright/musician Beau O'Reilly. (14 minutes)Childhood • Education • Holidays

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  • Act One.

    4: Vacations 12.08.1995

    Writer/singer/performer Sandra Tsing Loh reads a story about a family vacation arranged by her ...Childhood • Family • Mothers

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  • Act Two.

    4: Vacations 12.08.1995

    Contributor David Sedaris tells a story about discovering the possibilities—and pitfalls—of ...Childhood • Family • Film/Film Making

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  • Act One.

    3: Poultry Slam 1995 12.01.1995

    Duki's story. When Danielle's family serves poultry at their dinner table, no one utters the ...Childhood • Family • Food/Drinks/Cooking

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  • Act Two.

    3: Poultry Slam 1995 12.01.1995

    Julie Showalter, who grew up on a turkey farm, tells the story of the night 3,000 turkeys died. ...Animals • Childhood • Family

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