What started out as a 5-piece article on health care became Laurie Abraham's book, "Mama Might Be Better Off Dead: The Failure of Health Care in Urban America". Through her stories, Abraham points out the many hardships and catch-22 scenarios of some poor families. One woman, after caring for her mother all day, Julie, wanted to work part time in the evenings. However, she soon learned that she'd be making too much money and she'd no longer be eligible for Medicaid for herself and her children.

Studs Terkel interviews Valentin Pluchek and Stanislaw Pchenikov on Russia theater, focusing mainly on the city of Moscow.

Discussing the book "Interview" (published by Seven Stories Press) with author and interviewer Claudia Dreifus.

Studs Terkel montage

Past radio transcripts of former President Ronald Reagan were being hidden or suppressed. Ronnie Dugger worked tirelessly at getting the transcripts so that people would learn the truth about Reagan. In Dugger’s book, “On Reagan: The Man & His Presidency,” Dugger points out that President Reagan was against the ERA. He didn’t believe in anti-trust, and he opposed every civil rights act every placed in front of him. Dugger said Reagan’s genius was that he’d get elected without people knowing of his records.

Interviewing former war correspondent, journalist and author Gloria Emerson.

Discussing the book "A man's life" with the author Roger Wilkins.

Studs discusses poetry and mass media with American writer Norman Corwin, who was visiting Chicago to receive an honorary award from Columbia College. Works discussed include Corwin's radio address, "On A Note of Triumph," which the author delivered on May 8, 1945 to mark the end of World War II in Europe, and "Ballad for Americans", a cantata produced by Corwin on CBS radio in 1939. Topics include Corwin's personal and professional history, the process of writing "for the ear", World War II, the dawn of the nuclear age, and the television's role in eclipsing radio in popularity.

Studs discusses writing and acting with John Schultz, Paul Pekin, and six of their students: Alex Wayne, Linda Gilbert, Will Jackson, Dan Michalski, Bill Johnson, and Fred Game. The main topic of conversation is the "Story Workshop" method of teaching writing, which Schultz had recently developed and were leading at CAM (Christian Action Ministries) Academy in Chicago. The group discuss their history as teachers and writers, and they demonstrate some of the techniques they employ in their methodology. Some of the students also express the successes they have had in developing their writ