This American Life

628: In the Shadow of the City

March 15, 2026·57 min·4-min readnarrativeculture
Podzilla Summary (4 min)
PREMISE
This episode of This American Life explores the forgotten, overlooked, and liminal spaces on the edges of cities—areas that feel like the shadow of urban life. These are places where history is buried, where people go to escape or be saved, and where the mundane collides with the sur

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Guest

M

Mike Paterniti

narrative on This American Life

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Ira GlassCharlie GregersonAleks ZharovRoman GodzhalovMike PaternitiMr. Chen

Books

Treasure Islandby Robert Louis Stevenson

Companies

Blommer Chocolate Company

Topics

Long Form JournalismTrue Crime

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