815: How I Learned to Shave

This American Life · Dec 2, 2024

Things our dads taught us, whether they intended to or not.

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Prologue: Ira talks about the time his dad taught him to shave, and how unusual that was. (5 minutes)
Act One: When Jackie read the obits for the man who had invented the famous Trapper Keeper notebook, she was very surprised. As far as she knew, the inventor was very much alive. It was her dad. Not the guy in the obit. (15 minutes)
Act Two: A father and son find themselves in a very traditional relationship. Until the end. (21 minutes)
Act Three: Simon Rich reads his short story "History Report," in which a father explains the sex robots of the future. And other things as well. (14 minutes)