This American Life

Telephone

#90 - 16 January 1998

Stories of who we are on the phone, of things we learn on the phone, and of things that happen on the phone that don't happen anywhere else.

Sibling Rivalry

#89 - 9 January 1998

Stories about people who are destined to fight: brothers and sisters.

Numbers

#88 - 2 January 1998

Numbers lie. Numbers cover over complicated feelings and ambiguous situations. In this week's show, stories of people trying to use numbers to describe things that should not be quantified.

A Very Special Sedaris Christmas

#87 - 19 December 1997

Stories from David Sedaris's book of Christmas stories, Holidays on Ice, read onstage by David, Julia Sweeney and actor Matt Malloy.

How to Take Money from Strangers

#86 - 12 December 1997

Two stories of how to get money from strangers. In both stories, the money is made by people who make the strangers feel good about themselves and about their nation. NOTE: This episode originally included a story by reporter Stephen Glass, which we have removed because of questions about its truthfulness. This story is included in the transcript only for reference.

Poultry Slam 1997

#85 - 5 December 1997

Humans have turned chicken and turkey into what we want them to be. Which means that chickens and turkeys are a mirror of ourselves.

Harold

#84 - 21 November 1997

A parable of politics and race in America. The story of Chicago's first black mayor, Harold Washington, told two decades after his death. Washington died on November 25, 1987.