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Related Pieces
Piece Description
Krystle Murray spent much of her childhood at school or in the care of babysitters, who watched her at home in the morning and at night, while her single mom worked fulltime at a law firm and went to college at NYU. Now that Krystle is a teenager she doesn't have babysitters anymore and sometimes she feels lonely waiting for her mom to come home, which can be as late as 2 or 3 in the morning. Krystle loves her mom very much and she feels guilty about how hard her mom has worked to provide a good life for them, but Krystle sometimes wonders if all the work hours are worth it.
Broadcast History
WNYC Morning Edition - December 8, 2008
Transcript
HOST INTRO: And now a story about being home alone. Like a lot of kids, Radio Rookie Krystle Murray spent much of her childhood at school and in the care of babysitters. Her single mom often works long hours as a paralegal in a large New York City law firm, sometimes coming home as late as 2 in the morning. Now a sophomore in high school, Krystle feels guilty about how hard her mom has worked to provide a good life for them and, at the same time, she wonders if all the long hours are worth it.
NARRATION: There are some things that I don't understand and might never understand: like why schools make unhealthy lunches for us to eat and why my mom works so much.
MOM: I have to go press my pants to get ready for work.
NARRATION: I see my mom most mornings before school.
KRYSTLE: Ouch! You gotta work on your birthday, isn't that a little preposterous?
MOM: Maybe, but that's how life goes...
Read the full transcript
Additional Credits
Sanda Htyte, Associate Producer
Courtney Stein, Assistant Producer
Marianne McCune, Editor
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Brit McGinnis
Posted on December 23, 2010 at 07:38 PM | Permalink
Review of "Home Alone"
I have been waiting for a piece like this, a description of the experience of being home alone as a child (sorry, Krystle). The snippets of music, voices, microwave beeps, and others serve as perfect punctuations to telling this story. The different characters are properly introduced, with more than one type of introduction. The multiple settings established portray Krystle's world fully, as a neighborhood rather than a few rooms where interviews take place. I am reminded of the writing structure of "Juno", "Precious", and "Three Idiots", where places are portrayed as endpoints between journeys. The final sound layerings serve as a wonderful ending, illustrating the banal everyday (microwave beeps), the negative past (phone conversation), and a daughter's hope for the future ("I Will Wait For You").
Things to notice: Krystle has a clear, articulate voice that she knows how to use effectively convey emotion. A common dilemma for female radio speakers is figuring out how to convey emotions such as concern or fear without appearing younger or shrill (thereby less credible). But Krystle absolutely does not have to worry about this; her tone is emotion-filled but does not cross the line into emotionally stacked. The editing is lovely, and displays a knowledge clearly obtained through listening to many pieces. The lady speaks with class and with much though, choosing every word carefully but remaining completely authentic in voice.