About the "This American Life" Podcast
"This American Life" is a weekly public radio show broadcast on more than 500 stations to about 2.2 million listeners. It is also often the most popular podcast in the country, with around 2.5 million people downloading each week. The program was started in 1995 by host and producer Ira Glass.
Each week's episode has a theme, and the show presents journalistic non-fiction, essays, memoirs, field recordings, short fiction, and found footage on that theme. The unique format of the show, which often involves personal narratives and storytelling, has been widely influential and has shaped the development of many other radio shows and podcasts.
The show is known for its deep, rich storytelling and the variety of voices and perspectives it brings to the air. Its stories are sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes funny, and always thought-provoking. Over the years, the program has won numerous awards for journalism and broadcasting, including several Peabody Awards.
The structure of the show often involves a prologue, followed by several "acts" or segments that explore the theme in different ways. The producers and staff, as well as freelance contributors, produce the content, which ranges from investigative journalism to personal narratives, from humor to reflective essays.
Some of the most famous episodes include "The Giant Pool of Money" (an in-depth explanation of the subprime mortgage crisis) and "Cars" (a show which featured stories of people and their relationships with cars, including an entire act devoted to a New York City car dealership).
Best Lines from "This American Life Podcast"
"This American Life" has featured countless thought-provoking, funny, and deeply moving lines over the years, often arising from the real-life experiences of its subjects.
"We live in a world where joy and empathy and plea
sure are all around us, there for the noticing." - Ira Glass
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." - Annie Dillard, quoted on the show
"When you're a kid, you assume your parents are soulmates. My kids are gonna be right about that." - Pam, a character from the TV Show "The Office," quoted in a Valentine's Day episode
"There is no such thing as an ordinary life." - From the episode 'Unconditional Love'
"These people are not politicians, they're just people. It's hard to hate up close." - From 'Red State Blue State'
