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314
June 23, 2006

It's Never Over

A grown man tries to get to the bottom of why his schoolmates threw him in a lake 20 years earlier. And a woman buys a house on the cheap, with the understanding that the seller will soon vacate. Ten years later, she's still waiting.

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These and other stories of things that never seem to come to an end.

Prologue

Host Ira Glass talks to Jonathan Gold about the bully in high school who knocked Jonathan and his cello down the stairs one day as he was walking to history class—and why Jonathan felt a sudden surge of satisfaction about this almost three decades later. (4 minutes)

By

Ira Glass
Jonathan Gold
Act One

Who Takes The Class Out Of Class Reunion

Jon Ronson goes to his high school reunion to try to figure out why his schoolmates—his friends!—threw him in a lake when he was sixteen. The only trouble is, no one at the reunion seems to remember it quite the way he does. Jon is the author of the best-selling books Them and The Men Who Stare at Goats. (16 minutes)

By

Jon Ronson

Song:

“Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Your Grievance” by Daniel Johnston
Act Two

Life Without Leanne

Writer Larry Doyle on a love that will not die, no matter how dead it is. (7 minutes)

By

Larry Doyle

Song:

“It's Always You” by Chet Baker
Act Three

Deal Of A Lifetime

This American Life producer Sarah Koenig tells the story of how her stepsister Rue bought a house on the cheap, with the understanding that the previous owner would soon move out. More than ten years later, she's still waiting. (16 minutes)

By

Sarah Koenig

Song:

“The Love Nest” by The Hi Lo's
Act Four

One Word: Timing

Television comedy writer Tami Sagher describes what can happen when you sit on a joke for years, as she did, before the perfect opportunity to tell it comes along. (11 minutes)

By

Tami Sagher

Related

If you enjoyed this episode, you may like these
366: A Better Mousetrap (2008)
Oct. 10, 2008

Act One: Mother Of Invention

Karen Sosnoski's one-year-old son, Anton, was born with what's known as Mosaic Down Syndrome, a rare condition where some of his cells have the extra chromosome that causes Down syndrome and other cells don't.
321: Sink or Swim
Dec. 1, 2006

Act Three: If This Ark Is A Rockin', Don't Come A Knockin'

Jonathan Goldstein retells the original sink-or-swim story, the one about Noah and the flood.
439: A House Divided
June 24, 2011

Act Three: Don't Make Me Separate You

Jeanne Darst was 16 when her parents split up.

Staff Recommendations

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The Giant Pool of Money

The surprisingly entertaining story of how the U.S. got itself into a housing crisis.

487
Feb. 15, 2013

Harper High School - Part One

We spent five months at a high school in Chicago where in the last year 29 current and recent students were shot.

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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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