339: Break-Up
Update: 2025-02-09
11
Description
For Valentine's Day, stories from the heart of heartbreak.
Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.
- Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks with Lauren Waterman, who's in the middle of a break-up right now and grappling with totally contradictory feelings. (5 minutes)
- Act One: In the wake of a break-up, writer Starlee Kine finds so much comfort in break-up songs that she decides to try and write one herself—even though she has no musical ability whatsoever. For some help, she goes to a rather surprising expert on the subject: Phil Collins. (29 minutes)
- Act Two: Eight-year-old Betsy Walter goes on a campaign to understand her parents' divorce — a campaign that takes her to school guidance counselors, children's book authors, and the mayor of New York City. (10 minutes)
- Act Three: Ira talks with divorce mediator Barry Berkman about why it's bad when the justice system gets involved in a break-up. (8 minutes)
- Act Four: What divorce looks like from the dog's point of view. (5 minutes)
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
This American Life privacy policy.
Learn more about sponsor message choices.
Top Podcasts
The Best New Comedy Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best News Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Business Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Sports Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New True Crime Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Joe Rogan Experience Podcast Right Now – June 20The Best New Dan Bongino Show Podcast Right Now – June 20The Best New Mark Levin Podcast – June 2024
In Channel
One month ago, Joe Biden was still tripping over himself like a fool in the White House. Today, President Trump is kick ass and taking names and the leftist fools are frothing "Elon Musk!" like idiots. Happy anniversary, patriots!
"DOGE" was first called the RIGO or "Reinventing Government" Report when it was first deployed under the Clinton/Gore administration years ago. But orange man and Elon Musk bad, right?
Since President Trump took his rightful place in the Oval Office again, illegal border crossings are down 95%. Just sayin'...