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.

Discussing the book "A Second Look In the Rear-View Mirror: Further Autobiographical Reflections of a Philosopher at Large" (published by Macmillan) with the author Mortimer Adler. Program includes an excerpt of a September 21, 1959 interview with Robert Hutchins.

Discussing the film "The Official Story," an entry in the 21st Chicago International Film Festival, with actress Norma Aleandro and Oscar Kramer.

Content Warning: This conversation includes racially and/or culturally derogatory language and/or negative depictions of Black and Indigenous people of color, women, and LGBTQI+ individuals. Rather than remove this content, we present it in the context of twentieth-century social history to acknowledge and learn from its impact and to inspire awareness and discussion. A citizen of Chicago, Myra Alexander, believes Chicago is lost and hopeless. Chicago, she explains, will always have its problems with its one party system. Alexander said prejudice is wide-spread in Chicago.

Studs Terkel interviews the members of the Walawa Basies: Kelvin Strong, Orlando Lucas, Levon Campbell, and Justine Cordwell. This is an Interview done in two parts

Studs Terkel interviews the members of the Walawa Basies: Kelvin Strong, Orlando Lucas, and Levon Campbell.

Terkel interviews Jose "Cha Cha" Jiménez during a social gathering. He also interviews Brian McCutcheon of the 43rd Ward.

Studs Terkel interviews José "Cha Cha" Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords. At the time of the interview, Jiménez is preparing a picnic for the local Puerto Ricans. However, he is being harassed by the police.

Metro High School on the Near North Side of Chicago is only one of three high schools in the country that operates without walls and uses the resources of the city for learning. Four students convey how marine biology is taught at the Shed Aquarium, radio production at WIMD, TV production at Dick Barnett studio WMAQ, drafting at architectural firms and blue collar jobs at factories.

Studs Terkel discusses life in the Vietnam era with children from Father Charles Pond's St. Timothy Episcopal Church Parish in Chicago. Rose is the featured speaker at 16 years of age she is no longer in school but is very well spoken. Acknowledging that people with mental illnesses are not always able to make sound decisions which are needed for individuals to make group decisions. She sees one of the problems in the world being that people are losing their individuality to a group mentality.