This American Life
The latest audio from This American Life: documentary radio for people who hate documentaries, hosted by Ira Glass.
Most recent episode: By Proxy
Upcoming episode: A Little Bit of Knowledge
Last Week's Show: By Proxy Originally aired 03.09.2007
Get Free mp3
Robert (pictured) had a bad reputation as a kid who didn't do his schoolwork and had little respect for adults. But his best friend, Lilly (holding picture), thought he was misunderstood. After Robert died, Lilly decided to step in and do for him what he could never do for himself: tell people how great he was. This and other stories of what happens when one person becomes a proxy for another, either by choice or by accident—including one by Davy Rothbart about the time he made a life-changing decision that wasn't really his to make.
This Week's Show: A Little Bit of Knowledge Originally aired 07.22.2005
30-second Promo
Bob Berenz had a good job as an electrician. But he wanted to do something bigger. He came up with an idea for an invention. But as he studied physics texts to see if his invention could work, he happened upon the biggest idea of his life: a revelation about physics that would disprove Einstein, and Newton. That is...if Bob's right. This, and other stories about the pitfalls of knowing just a little bit too little.