This American Life

Although This American Life is an hour-long radio show produced by the Chicago Public Media, millions of listeners tune into the show in the form of a weekly podcast. It’s arguably the show that made podcasts cool again. Hosted by Ira Glass, each episode features stories of people from all walks of life, tied together by a common theme. 

It does a fantastic job of getting to the heart of each and every narrative, so much so that you may feel oddly attached to these people you’ve only heard speak for a few minutes. From time to time, I still think about the actress who was kidnapped by the North Korean government or the Mexican immigrants working on a farm in rural New York or the grandfather who changed his political position after a lifetime of voting for one party.

Their seemingly wild and ecstatic tales are surprisingly relatable, and the connections to current events are always interesting.

Episodes to start off with:

“Making the Cut”

“Chip in My Brain”