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56
March 7, 1997

Name Change

Stories of people changing their name — some to create a new identity, some to con people. Name changes are particularly American stories: they're the dream of starting over with a clean slate. They're Ellis Island and 12-step programs, the move westward and self help, Marilyn Monroe and Malcolm X and the Artist Formerly Known as Prince, all rolled up in one.

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Chris Ware

Prologue

Ira Glass's grandmother. (2 minutes)

By

Ira Glass
Act One

The Procedure

A story by Margy Rochlin. (7 minutes)

By

Margy Rochlin
Act Two

Baby Remember My Name

A 17 year old tricks an entire resort town into believing he is someone he is not. By Jack Hitt and Christopher Cerf. (17 minutes)

By

Christopher Cerf
Jack Hitt
Act Three

As Seen On Tv

Dishwasher Pete on Letterman. (17 minutes)

By Dishwasher Pete
Act Four

Nom De Plume, Nom De Guerre

How a guy named Tom became Camden Joy — and what he gained and what he lost. With Sarah Vowell. (13 minutes)

By

Sarah Vowell

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503: I Was Just Trying To Help
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Act Two: Nipped in the Bud

Under California law, it's legal to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes if you have a doctor's recommendation.
24: Teenaged Girls
May 24, 1996

Act One: Texas Girl

Jo Carol Pierce released a CD, "Bad Girls Upset by the Truth," which documents in part her teenage years.
137: The Book That Changed Your Life
Aug. 20, 1999

Act Two: The Family That Reads Together

The story of a book that changed a family's life, but only temporarily and not for the better.

Staff Recommendations

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266
June 4, 2004

I'm From the Private Sector and I'm Here to Help

Nancy Updike goes to Iraq to try to figure out what it's like to be a private citizen working in the middle of a war zone.

38
Oct. 11, 1996

Simulated Worlds

Civil War reenactments, wax museums, simulated coal mines, fake ethnic restaurants, an ersatz Medieval castle, and other re-created worlds that thrive all across America.

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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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