This American Life
This American Life
This American Life
871: The Thing About Things
59 minutes Posted Oct 26, 2025 at 10:00 pm.
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Show notes
Three stories about the strange power inanimate objects can hold over us.
Prologue: Nunzio gets caught in a kind of servile relationship—with a scooter. (8 minutes)
Act One: Ted was six when he first picked up a rock from the Petrified Forest National Park. Nearly 50 years later, he really wishes he hadn’t. Aviva DeKornfeld talked to him. (15 minutes)
Act Two: Heavyweight host Jonathan Goldstein leaps in to help a family, who are not entirely sure they want or need his help, get rid of their stuff. (31 minutes)