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- Don't Drive Like My Brother
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- Jonathan Menjivar
Charles Johnson was living in St. Louis, married with a young daughter, and he needed a job. He looked around, and decided he'd try trucking. This company was offering to train and hire drivers, so he signed up. They trained him and put him on the road. The only problem was, he couldn't read. Jonathan Menjivar reports on how Charles traveled all across the country making deliveries, without ever consulting a map. And without ever telling anyone – even his own wife and brothers – that he couldn't read.
Originally aired on This American Life.
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Piece Description
Charles Johnson was living in St. Louis, married with a young daughter, and he needed a job. He looked around, and decided he'd try trucking. This company was offering to train and hire drivers, so he signed up. They trained him and put him on the road. The only problem was, he couldn't read. Jonathan Menjivar reports on how Charles traveled all across the country making deliveries, without ever consulting a map. And without ever telling anyone – even his own wife and brothers – that he couldn't read. Originally aired on This American Life.
2 Comments
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Review of Don't Drive Like My BrotherWhat does the world look like to someone who can't read? A truck driver manages to crisscross the country, picking up and dropping off loads, without being able to read street signs or maps. Find out how he learned to survive without reading in a world of text. |
Broadcast History
Originally aired on This American Life – April 15, 2005.
Timing and Cues
Suggested Host Intro:
Charles Johnson had a wife and a daughter and no income. He needed money. . . a steady job. He decided to become a trucker. It’s a dangerous job for anyone. But it was even harder for Charles, because he had a handicap that, for you or me or most people we know, would probably have made his work unthinkable. Jonathan Menjivar (men-HEE-var) reports.
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Andrew Davis
Posted on February 25, 2010 at 10:23 AM | Permalink
Feels like This American Life - Well Done!
This is such a wonderfully written and produced piece. Thanks so much for sharing it. The tone and production feels very much like This American Life.