This American Life Archive

258: Leaving the Fold (2004) 30.01.2004 ↓

People leaving the situation they're used to and striking off for something less familiar.

257: What I Should’ve Said 16.01.2004 ↓

People return to the scene of the crime where they should have spoken clearly and forcefully to review what the hell went wrong.

256: Living Without (2004) 09.01.2004 ↓

Sarah Vowell explains the cheerful journalism of deprivation. And other stories.

255: Our Holiday Gift-Giving Guide 19.12.2003 ↓

The vexing difficulty of finding the perfect gift.

254: Teenage Embed, Part Two 12.12.2003 ↓

Hyder returns to Afghanistan.

253: The Middle of Nowhere 05.12.2003 ↓

The tiny island of Nauru is at the center of several of the decade's biggest global events.

252: Poultry Slam 2003 28.11.2003 ↓

Turkeys, chickens, geese, ducks, fowl of all kinds, real and imagined, and their mysterious hold over us.

251: Brother’s Keeper 21.11.2003 ↓

In his ongoing effort to write his own version of the Bible, Jonathan Goldstein retells the story of Cain and Abel.

250: The Annoying Gap Between Theory...and Practice 07.11.2003 ↓

Why is it always harder than you think it'll be?

249: Garbage 31.10.2003 ↓

We follow the trash from the sanitation men on the street, to the mob guys who controlled the hauling business, to the people who actually live in dumps.

248: Like It or Not 24.10.2003 ↓

David Rakoff guest hosts.

247: What Is This Thing? 19.09.2003 ↓

What is this thing called love? For answers, we explore the romance novel industry, a $1.5 billion empire run almost entirely by and for women.

246: My Pen Pal 12.09.2003 ↓

Stories of very unusual pen pals, people whose relationship could not exist without the help of the postal service.

245: Allure of the Mean Friend 05.09.2003 ↓

They treat us poorly, they don't call us back, they cancel plans at the last minute, and yet we keep coming back for more.

244: MacGyver 15.08.2003 ↓

Four real stories in which real people invent amazingly clever solutions to their problems.

243: Later That Same Day 25.07.2003 ↓

Stories about what the passage of time can do to someone.

242: Enemy Camp 18.07.2003 ↓

The story of a fixer for the Catholic Church and how he came to sympathize with the people that he was sent to deceive.

241: 20 Acts in 60 Minutes 11.07.2003 ↓

All kinds of little stories that we ordinarily can't use on the radio show because they are just too short.

240: I’m In Charge Now 20.06.2003 ↓

There is a ominous information gap between the U.S. officials running the country and the Iraqi people being governed.

239: Lost in America 06.06.2003 ↓

Stories of people who are lost, histories that are lost, and things that are lost.

238: Lost in Translation 30.05.2003 ↓

Jonathan Goldstein and Starlee Kine go to a karaoke club that has, along with all the songs, comedy routines for people to perform.

237: Regime Change 18.04.2003 ↓

Stories of regime change in everyday life.

236: My Two Cents 11.04.2003 ↓

We try to figure out the paradox of the current economy, where Americans are simultaneously both losing jobs and buying new homes and cars.

235: The Balloon Goes Up 21.03.2003 ↓

Stories from the beginnings of the war in Iraq, and how it compares with wars in our country's past.

234: Say Anything 14.03.2003 ↓

Does talking about it really help?