Act V

Well, I just spent the last 30 minutes or so sobbing, while attempting to, you know, do my job. Maybe the rule to take away from this is: don't listen to This American Life while at work.

This week's episode -- which I've heard before and which still got this reaction out of me -- is called Act V.

We devote this entire episode to one story: over the course of six months, reporter and TAL contributor Jack Hitt followed a group of inmates at a high-security prison as they rehearsed and staged a production of the last act—Act V—of Hamlet. Shakespeare may seem like an odd match for a group of hardened criminals, but Jack found that they understand the Bard on a level that most of us might not. It's a play about murder and its consequences, performed by murderers living out the consequences.

Get them handkerchiefs ready.

The journalist/reporter/narrator of the story is Jack Hitt. I'm turning out to be quite a fan of his. After reading his essay "Mighty White of You" in Harpers Magazine (you can read it online if you're a subscriber (which is worth it) or if you, um, email me and ask nicely) I purchased his book Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim's Route Into Spain.

Get some Jack Hitt in your life, people. You'll be glad you did.