The Friendly Man

#181 - 6 April 2001

A special show, composed entirely of stories from just one This American Life contributor: Scott Carrier, whose strange and compelling stories sound like nothing else on the radio.

Return to Childhood

#180 - 23 March 2001

Stories of people who try to revisit their childhoods. What they find. And what they do not find.

Cicero

#179 - 16 March 2001

The story in a way of a town that time forgot, or more accurately, a town that tried to forget the times. A special broadcast co-hosted by award-winning journalist Alex Kotlowitz, author of the books There Are No Children Here and The Other Side of the River.

Superpowers

#178 - 23 February 2001

We answer the following questions about superpowers: Can superheroes be real people? (No.) Can real people become superheroes? (Maybe.) And which is better: flight or invisibility? (Depends who you ask.) Chris ware's comic mentioned in the episode is here.

American Limbo

#177 - 9 February 2001

Stories of people living completely outside the grid of American life. Americans in Paris. Chinese in America. West Virginians in treehouses. Mexican-Americans in Rochester.

Two Nations, One President

#176 - 26 January 2001

In the wake of the 2001 election debacle in Florida, the two political halves of this country seemed angrier at each other than they had in decades. This week we bring you tales of that widening rift. Democrats explain why they're having trouble getting over it, and Republicans explain why this is so infuriating.

Babysitting

#175 - 5 January 2001

Stories of babysitters, and what goes on while mom and dad are away that mom and dad never find out about. Including the story of two teenagers who decide to invent children to babysit, as an excuse to get out of their own house.

Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Milestones

#174 - 29 December 2000

Birthdays, anniversaries, and milestones of all sorts...and how they mean something whether we want them to or not. A live show taped for our fifth anniversary, back in 2000, when we went on the road to Boston, New York, Chicago, and L.A. Featuring house band OK Go.

Three Kinds of Deception

#173 - 15 December 2000

A story of self-deception, a story about deceiving others, and a story about accidental deception. And how one type of deception can easily turn into another.

24 Hours at the Golden Apple

#172 - 17 November 2000

The This American Life producers document one day in a Chicago diner called The Golden Apple, starting at 5 a.m. and going until 5 a.m. the next morning. We hear from the waitress who has worked the graveyard shift for over two decades, the regular customers who come every day, the couples working out their problems, various assorted drunks, and, of course, cops.