In the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a collection of stories in which people try to make sense of loss.
-
Download Control-click (or right-click) Tap and hold to download
- Transcript
Prologue
Reporter Mark Arax spent three years investigating the murder of his father and yet he's still not at peace when he thinks of his dad's death. (His book is called In My Father's Name.) This is how it goes sometimes: We create a story that tries to explain our lives, and it still leaves so much unanswered. (6 minutes)
Act One
The Disappearance
Genevieve Jurgensen and her husband Laurent lost their two daughters—Elise and Mathilde—at the ages of 4 and 7. Actress Felicity Jones reads from her book The Disappearance: A Memoir of Loss, in which Jurgensen tries to explain their lives and their deaths to a friend, in a series of letters. (28 minutes)
Act Two
Look For The Union Label
A father and daughter (Adrian LeBlanc and his daughter Adrian Le Blanc) decide to write his obituary—together—not really thinking very seriously at first about the real meaning of what they were doing. (11 minutes)
Song:
“They Can't Take That Away from Me” by Billie Holliday
Act Three
Ashes
How writer (and frequent This American Life contributor) David Sedaris and his family reacted when Sedaris's mother—a lifelong, unrepentant smoker—developed lung cancer. After a lifetime of barbed, funny remarks, no one in the family is prepared to talk about their feelings. (11 minutes)
Related
If you enjoyed this episode, you may like these
Act Three: Mom Music
Beau O'Reilly and his mother Winifred, who had 14 children, discuss her secret feelings about Johnny Cash and other matters on Mother's Day.
Act Three: A Can Of Worms
David Sedaris wishes he could take back a wish.
Act One: Just South of the Unicorns
A teenager runs away from home to move in with someone he's never met, his idol, the person he respects most of all — a fantasy writer named Piers Anthony.
Staff Recommendations
Pray
Can the secular world and the religious world understand each other?
A Mess to Be Reckoned With
Lissa Yellow Bird searches for missing people. She's great at it. But then, her niece goes missing.