Why We Keep Objects for Their Meaning

Three stories about the strange power inanimate objects can hold over us.

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• Prologue: Nunzio gets caught in a kind of servile relationship—with a scooter. (8 minutes)
• Act One: Ted was six when he first picked up a rock from the Petrified Forest National Park. Nearly 50 years later, he really wishes he hadn’t. Aviva DeKornfeld talked to him. (15 minutes)
• Act Two: Heavyweight host Jonathan Goldstein leaps in to help a family, who are not entirely sure they want or need his help, get rid of their stuff. (31 minutes)

Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org

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