This American Life Archive

533: It's Not the Product, It's the Person 05.09.2014 ↓

Alex Blumberg tells the incredible, sweat-stains-and-all saga of a man fumbling through starting a new business. And the man is: himself.

532: Magic Words 15.08.2014 ↓

Stories where people recite words that have the power to change their lives.

531: Got Your Back 25.07.2014 ↓

Stories where one person's powerlessness is transformed when they discover they have backup. And what happens when that backup goes away.

530: Mind Your Own Business 18.07.2014 ↓

A cellphone hidden in a bag of chips starts a messy turf war between the FBI and a local sheriff.

529: Human Spectacle 2014 27.06.2014 ↓

A Japanese reality show contestant has to enter sweepstakes from magazines to win enough sustenance to survive.

528: The Radio Drama Episode 20.06.2014 ↓

In our most ambitious live show, we turn journalism into a Broadway musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

527: 180 Degrees 13.06.2014 ↓

Stories of people who go one way, and then, for what ever reason, turn around and go the exact opposite direction.

526: Is That What I Look Like? (2014) 23.05.2014 ↓

A woman wakes up from a coma having forgotten that she'd divorced her husband. And Molly Ringwald watches The Breakfast Club with her daughter.

525: Call For Help 09.05.2014 ↓

Stories of people coming to terms with being in serious trouble.

524: I Was So High 02.05.2014 ↓

Alex Blumberg talks to his dad about the daily pot habit he had while Alex was growing up.

523: Death and Taxes 25.04.2014 ↓

We ask the people who work at a hospice facility some personal questions about death and dying.

522: Tarred and Feathered 11.04.2014 ↓

A pedophile who has never acted on his impulses starts an online support group to help himself and others like him.

521: Bad Baby 28.03.2014 ↓

They're small. And they're cuddly. But sometimes it feels as though our babies were replaced with demon replicas.

520: No Place Like Home 14.03.2014 ↓

Stories of people who are coming to terms with the places they call home.

519: Dead Men Tell No Tales 07.03.2014 ↓

Last May, the FBI killed a guy in Florida who was loosely linked to the Boston Marathon bombings.

518: Except For That One Thing 14.02.2014 ↓

A clerical error allowed a convicted man to walk free for 13 years. Then the justice system realized its mistake.

517: Day at the Beach (2014) 31.01.2014 ↓

David Sedaris tells us how losing a sister prompted a family reunion, and an impulse buy of an oceanfront cottage big enough for all of them.

516: Stuck In The Middle (2014) 17.01.2014 ↓

Stories about how it sucks to be in limbo, and a man who absolutely loves listening to hold music.

515: Good Guys 10.01.2014 ↓

Stories of valiant men attempting to do good in challenging circumstances: in war zones, department stores, public buses, and at the bottom of a cave 900 feet underground.

514: Thought That Counts 20.12.2013 ↓

It's the thought that counts. Unfortunately, sometimes it's not always so clear what that thought was.

513: 129 Cars 13.12.2013 ↓

One car dealership tries to make its monthly quota: 129 cars. It is way more chaotic than we expected.

512: House Rules 22.11.2013 ↓

The history of racial housing discrimination in the United States and what has been done—and hasn't been done—to rectify it.

511: The Seven Things You’re Not Supposed to Talk About 08.11.2013 ↓

Sarah Koenig's mother lives by a set of rules about conversation. We tried to prove her wrong.

510: Fiasco! (2013) 01.11.2013 ↓

The story of a police officer and a squirrel. Plus, a small town production of Peter Pan goes off the rails.

509: It Says So Right Here 25.10.2013 ↓

Stories of people whose lives are altered when seemingly boring documents like birth certificates and petitions are used against them.