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Full episode
401: Parent Trap
Act One

Letter Day Saint

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Rebecca was 16 years old when her mother Elizabeth died of cancer. But before she died, she wrote letters to Rebecca, to be given to her on her birthday each year for thirteen years. At first the letters were comforting, but as time went on, they had much more complicated effects. David Segal tells the story. David is a reporter for The New York Times. (14 minutes.)

By

David Segal

Song:

“Pages of My Letters” by Keri Noble

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Act Two: Oh Mother Where Art Thou?

Contributor Samuel James thought he knew what happened to his mother.
793: The Problem with Ghosts
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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.
779: Ends of the Earth
Sept. 16, 2022

Act One: Exit Strategy

Amy Bloom tells the story of her husband, Brian, getting Alzheimer's and wanting assisted suicide.

More by David Segal

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568: Human Spectacle
Oct. 2, 2015

Act Three: Take My Break, Please

Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall were a comedy duo back in the mid-1960s, playing clubs around Los Angeles, when their agent called to tell them he'd landed them the gig of a lifetime: They were going to be on The Ed Sullivan Show.
531: Got Your Back
July 25, 2014

Act Two: By the Waters of Haggle-On

Ira plays audio of a phone call recorded by Ryan Block, who became Internet-famous after he posted audio of himself trying to cancel his Comcast account.
309: Cat and Mouse
Feb. 24, 2006

Act Three: Looking For Loveseats In All The Wrong Places

It's been well over a decade, so why can't Eric, who is in many other respects a measured and reasonable person, select a simple piece of furniture? David Segal attempts to explain why the man can't just buy himself a couch, already.
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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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