For our 400th show, we try something harder than anything we've ever tried in the previous 399. We take the random ideas that members of our own families have told us at weddings and family gatherings would be "perfect for the show"...and we actually try to make those ideas into stories.
We Have a Winner!
Prologue
Nancy's Dad's Story
The Erie Canal. (6 minutes.)
Alex's Dad's Story
Corporate Personhood. (6 minutes)
In the broadcast, we interrupt Alex's story in the middle. Listen to the whole thing.
Alissa's Mom And Sarah's Mom
Two short ideas that didn't work out so well as full stories. (3 minutes.)
All the songs in this episode prompted Senior Producer Julie Snyder to sing the unofficial This American Life jingle.
Related
Act Two: Life With The Haters
Act Three: Reverb
Act Five: Karen
Staff Recommendations
The Giant Pool of Money
The surprisingly entertaining story of how the U.S. got itself into a housing crisis.
The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar
In 1912, a four-year-old boy went missing in Louisiana. Eight months later, he was found. But two grief-stricken mothers both claimed the same boy as their own.