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294
August 5, 2005

Image Makers

Stories of people and institutions who are worried about what the world thinks of them, and who take action...decisive action.
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EwS

Prologue

Kristy Kruger realized in college just how bad her high school education had been. She was always having to pretend she knew what the people around here were talking about when she didn't know. And so she devised a troll-based system for getting through those moments without people thinking she was dumb. (Kristy's a musician in Dallas.) (7 minutes)

By

Ira Glass
Act One

Dewey Decibel System

Alex Blumberg tells the story of an audacious act of rebranding done by a group of people who aren't normally thought of as very audacious: public librarians. In Michigan, they've started staging rock concerts in libraries. The band that's been thrown into the experiment— The High Strung—couldn't be more perfect for the job. (23 minutes)

By

Alex Blumberg

Song:

“Shut Up In the Library” by Barry Louis Polisar
Act Two

Goldstein On Goldstein

Jonathan Goldstein decides to find out—once and for all—if his dad Buzz thinks he's manly enough. (15 minutes)

By

Jonathan Goldstein

Song:

“I'm Waiting For the Man” by David Bowie
Act Three

Heart Shaped Box

Julie Hill explains how she's going to remake all the ideas her son has about his father, using a very simple tactic. (11 minutes)

By

Julie Hill

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Act Three: The Game Ain't Over til the Fatso Man Sings

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Act Two: Maul in the Family

Amity Bitzel was a teenager when her parents decided to adopt a 27-year-old man.

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All kinds of little stories that we ordinarily can't use on the radio show because they are just too short.

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This American Life is produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago and delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange.

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