This American Life-logo

This American Life

Chicago Public Media

This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.

This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.

Location:

Chicago, IL

Description:

This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.

Language:

English

Listen on a live station
Episodes

436: The Psychopath Test

7/18/2021
We heard about a test that could determine if someone was a psychopath. So, naturally, our staff decided to take it.

Duration:01:02:27

741: The Weight of Words

7/11/2021
Words mean things, but some words are especially meaningful.

Duration:01:00:51

740: There. I Fixed It.

7/4/2021
Solving problems using very extreme measures.

Duration:01:06:11

539: The Leap

6/27/2021
Most of us go from day to day just coasting on the status quo. If it ain’t broke, why fix it—right? But when routines just get too mundane or systems stop making sense, sometimes you just have to hold your breath and jump. People who leap from their lives, their comfort zones, even through time.

Duration:01:00:29

506: Secret Identity

6/20/2021
A bank robber on an undercover mission. A teenage girl with the powers of a tiger. A vigilante seeking vengeance in Ciudad Juarez. All have secret identities. But not all of them chose those identities for themselves.

Duration:01:00:54

739: Sisters

6/13/2021
Sisters build worlds together, worlds that are just for them. Stories about the bonds between sisters and how they get broken and fixed—or not.

Duration:01:00:01

74: Conventions

6/6/2021
Remember conventions, before the pandemic? When people with one common interest gather in monstrous, fluorescent-lit halls for the weekend. Sometimes they drive each other crazy, sometimes they fall in love.

Duration:01:00:26

738: Good Grief!

5/30/2021
So many of us, we don’t want to think about death. We avoid grieving when we lose someone, distract ourselves, look away. In this episode, at a moment when so many families are mourning, we have stories of people figuring out how they’ll grieve, and doing a pretty good job of it.

Duration:00:59:44

706: A Mess to Be Reckoned With

5/23/2021
Lissa Yellow Bird searches for missing people. Cold cases, mostly. People no one else is looking for. It’s not her job, but a lot of Native Americans go missing and their cases remain unsolved, so families often ask Lissa for help. But then, Lissa’s own niece goes missing.

Duration:01:05:46

737: The Daily

5/16/2021
An ode to life's daily practices, and what you learn from doing a thing every single day.

Duration:01:03:37

233: Starting From Scratch

5/9/2021
People starting over—sometimes because they want to, other times because they have to.

Duration:01:01:16

588: Mind Games

5/2/2021
People who try simple mind games on others and find themselves in way over their heads.

Duration:00:59:35

736: The Herd

4/25/2021
What happens when your own community suddenly turns on you?

Duration:01:03:03

691: Gardens of Branching Paths

4/18/2021
Other universes that are just like our own, but with one small difference.

Duration:01:08:30

735: Bloody Feelings

4/11/2021
Stories about the power of blood.

Duration:01:05:43

549: Amateur Hour

4/4/2021
People put in positions they’re completely unqualified to handle, but who try to make it work anyway. Including one story of a tough group of soldiers who attempt to save lives through the power of show tunes.

Duration:00:59:38

676: Here’s Looking at You, Kid

3/28/2021
Adults telling kids who they are, and kids wondering — are they right?

Duration:01:01:56

734: The Campus Tour Has Been Cancelled

3/21/2021
How the pandemic has thrown college admissions process into a kind of slow-motion chaos. One of the biggest changes: most colleges have stopped requiring the SAT. For decades, there’s been a debate over whether schools should drop the test. What’s it mean that it finally happened?

Duration:01:01:23

695: Everyone's a Critic

3/14/2021
People squirming in a world where everything is rated and reviewed.

Duration:01:01:14

733: Warriors in the Garden

3/7/2021
This week, three men who came together to protest the murder of George Floyd. They were unified, loud, and impressive, but over time these three friends end up in three very different places.

Duration:01:05:49

See More