The tendency toward self-reinvention is so deep in American culture that we have an entire industry, a self-help industry, telling us how to transform ourselves into someone new. And usually, we see this as a positive thing. But what happens if you're too good at it, at throwing everything off, starting over from scratch?
More in Death
Act Two: Oh Mother Where Art Thou?
Contributor Samuel James thought he knew what happened to his mother.
Act Three: Seance Fiction
In the 1920s, at the height of the Spiritualism movement, a friendship blossomed between two men with opposing views on the topic: Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Act One: Exit Strategy
Amy Bloom tells the story of her husband, Brian, getting Alzheimer's and wanting assisted suicide.
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The Giant Pool of Money
The surprisingly entertaining story of how the U.S. got itself into a housing crisis.
Americans in Paris
David Sedaris takes Ira on a tour of his favorite spots in Paris.