# 318: With Great Power

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-american-life-7814501/318-with-great-power
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-american-life-7814501/318-with-great-power.md
Podcast: [This American Life](https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-american-life-7814501)
Published: 2026-05-10T22:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/318-with-great-power--71950921
Audio file: https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71950921/default.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/this-american-life-7814501/episodes/318-with-great-power
Duration seconds: 3651

## Resource

People who end up with far more power than they bargained for, and everything that comes with it. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Ira tells the story of two friends who had this incredible power to save someone. And with that great power came great responsibility. (4 minutes) Act One: 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. (25 minutes) Act Two: Ira Glass talks with a mother and daughter who spent years watching their neighbor do things they found shocking and felt powerless to stop. Then, suddenly, they get the power to decisively change things permanently. And they have to decide if they will. (14 minutes) Act Three: When you're powerless, you spend a lot of time thinking about the people above you — what they want, why they do what they do, whether they'll ever come through. Shalom Auslander has a story about that relationship. (11 minutes) Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org This American Life privacy policy. Learn more about sponsor message choices. 🎬 SEE THE STORY UNFOLD: Want to see the original photos, documents, and the faces behind this week's acts? 👇 View the visual archive for this episode here: https://goo.su/XwNQm (Updated for each story)

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## Transcript

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