With Great Power

A family wishes for years that they could do something to stop their neighbor's shocking behavior. Suddenly they get the power to decisively change things forever...and they have to decide whether they will. This, and other stories of everyday people who get saddled with great power—and the great sense of responsibility that goes with it. Prologue: Ira tells the story of two friends of his who were like superheroes. They had this incredible power to save someone. And with that great power came great responsibility. His friends are with Mission USA, working with gang kids in Chicago's prisons. (4 minutes) Objects In Side View Mirror Are Truer Than They Appear: Alex Kotlowitz reports on a woman with the power to change two people's lives...and at the height of her power, she doesn't even know she has it. Alex is the author of Never a City So Real and other books. (25 minutes) Unwelcome Wagon: Host Ira Glass interviews the mother and daughter in a family who wished for years they could do something to stop their neighbor from all kinds of shocking behavior. Suddenly they get the power to decisively change things forever...and they have to decide whether they will. (14 minutes) Waiting For Joe: When you're powerless, you think a lot about the powerful figures above you. Especially when their actions just make no sense. Or when they don't seem to be living up to their responsibilites. Shalom Auslander tells the story of the one authority figure who's like this more than any other. This story is from his collection Beware of God. (11 minutes)