This American Life
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This American Life
Each week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. This American Life is true stories that unfold like little movies for radio. Personal stories with funny moments, big feelings, and surprising plot twists. Newsy stories that try to capture what it’s like to be alive right now. It’s the most pop...
Episodi recenti
44 episodi
851: Try a Little Tenderness
In the new year, stories of people trying a radical approach to solving their problems.
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879: A Christian and a Muslim Walk Into a Bar
When a joke could get you killed, should you say it anyway? A group of Syrian comedians test the limits of their newfound freedom, a year after the fa...
The Americans Outside My Window
In this special mini-episode -- an extra episode this week! -- we hear from someone in Venezuela with a very specific take on last week's U.S. attack.
878: New Lore Drop
People discovering information about their own lives that they did not know, and suddenly everything looks very different.
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850: If You Want to Destroy My Sweater, Hold This Thread as I Walk Away
The tiny thing that unravels your world.
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Tr...
801: Must Be Rats on the Brain
The one animal we can’t seem to live without, even when we really, really want to.
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Christmas and Commerce
Stories about the intersection of Christmas and retail, originally broadcast in 1996 when our show was only a year old. Including David Sedaris's "San...
877: The Making Of
How one block in Portland, Oregon became a movie-set war zone that lots of people think is a real war zone.
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255: Our Holiday Gift-Giving Guide
The vexing difficulty of finding the perfect gift.
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876: Bigger Than Me
When history comes knocking, you have to figure out what to do.
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513: 129 Cars
We spend a month at a Jeep dealership on Long Island as they try to make their monthly sales goal: 129 cars. If they make it, they'll get a huge bonus...
875: I Hate Mysteries
What’s in the box? What’s in the $%&ing box?!?
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874: Under One Roof
What’s great about living in a family is that everyone sees everything differently. Also, that’s what’s awful about living in a family. We go behind c...
873: Got You Pegged
Shalom Auslander goes on vacation with his family, suspects the beloved, chatty old man in the room next door is an imposter, and sets out to prove it...
872: Winners
America loves winners—now more than ever. But how do you get to a win in 2025 America? We watch someone trying to score a win in a game whose rules ar...
871: The Thing About Things
Three stories about the strange power inanimate objects can hold over us.
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844: This Is the Case of Henry Dee
Thirteen parole board members decide whether or not one man should be released from prison.
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An Update from Ira
Ira Glass shares some news about This American Life
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870: My Other Self
What happens when people create alternate versions of themselves and release them into the wild?
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869: Harold
When Zohran Mamdani won the primary race for New York mayor, the Democratic establishment's lukewarm response echoed the treatment of another charisma...
286: Mind Games
Stories of people who try simple mind games on others, and then find themselves way in over their heads.
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868: The Hand That Rocks The Gavel
A group of immigration judges, who almost never speak to the press, describes the dismantling of our immigration court system from the inside.
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867: College Disorientation
Things are different on college campuses this year. We see inside the drama, with students and staff.
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866: Watch Out for That Tree
Small human plans that run into much larger obstacles.
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233: Starting From Scratch
People starting over—sometimes because they want to, other times because they have to.
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865: The Other Territory
Since October 7th, while the world has focused its attention on Gaza, the Israeli government has tightened the screws on the three million Palestinian...
838: Letters! Actual Letters!
When the best—and perhaps only—way to say something is to write it down.
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839: Meet Me at the Fair
Iowa has three million people and a million come to their State Fair, each with their own goals and dreams for the fair. We hang out with some of them...
245: Allure of the Mean Friend
What is it about them, our mean friends? They treat us poorly, they don't call us back, they cancel plans at the last minute, and yet we keep coming b...
864: Chicago Hope
The story of the most commonly performed surgery, and what goes wrong with it – terribly wrong – 100,000 times a year in the United States. We’re exci...
Bonus: Nancy's Deep Cuts
Ira Glass talks with longtime producer Nancy Updike about the most personal stories they have put on the radio. This is a sample of the bonus episodes...
863: Championship Window
People on a mission to achieve their goals before their window of opportunity closes.
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862: Some Things We Don't Do Anymore
On his first day in office, President Trump decided to freeze all U.S. foreign aid. Soon after, his administration effectively dissolved USAID—the fed...
861: Group Chat
Conversations across a divide: People who are outside a war zone check in with family, friends, and strangers inside.
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860: Suddenly: A Mirror!
A show about people who are suddenly confronted with who they are.
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859: Chaos Graph
People immersed in chaos try to solve for what it all adds up to.
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858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
A couple devises a strategy to get their daughter's killer prosecuted and to get attention for other Native families.
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A Big Announcement
Ira Glass has news to share about some things happening here at This American Life.
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809: The Call
One call to a very unusual hotline and everything that followed.
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528: The Radio Drama Episode
Our most ambitious live show ever! We pulled together a massive team of theater pros at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Opera House—nearly 50 singers,...