Faustian Bargains

Inspired by a spate of new Chicago stage adaptations of the Faust story, This American Life brings you stories of people who made a deal with the devil. Dangerous Minds: LuAnne Johnson is a teacher who sold her story to Hollywood and saw it made into the film and TV series Dangerous Minds, in which a character named LuAnne Johnson does things the real LuAnne believes are unethical and silly. (15 minutes) The Undiscovered Country: Found tape of a conversation about bringing back the dead. (11 minutes) Voyager: Alix Spiegel tells the story of her friend Jayna, who made a Faustian bargain at 11 years old. (12 minutes) Carmen Becomes Faust: Carmen Delzell on a deal she made with the devil when she turned 30. (14 minutes) First Contact: Daniel Pinkwater reads his children's picture book Devil in the Drain. (4 minutes)