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Full episode
186: Prom
Act One

Tornado Prom

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Susan Burton reports on Prom Night 2001 in Hoisington, Kansas, a town of about 3,000. While the seniors danced, 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. (25 minutes)

By

Susan Burton

Song:

“Tornado on the Dance Floor” by Greg Hill, Matt Shupe and Jason Bitner (written for This American Life)

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Act One

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804: The Retrievals
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Act Two

Often bypassing logic, the women go to great lengths to construct elaborate stories to make sense of their inexplicable pain.
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