Ghetto Life 101

In 1993, LeAlan Jones (age 13) and Lloyd Newman (age 14) collaborated with public radio producer David Isay to create an audio diary of life on Chicago's South Side.

1993 / David Isay / Sound Portraits + WBEZ , USA

In 1993, LeAlan Jones (age 13) and Lloyd Newman (age 14) collaborated with public radio producer David Isay to create an audio diary of life on Chicago's South Side.

The boys taped for 10 days. The candor of Ghetto Life 101 brought listeners face to face with a portrait of poverty and danger and their effects on childhood. The story became one of the most acclaimed programs in public radio history, winning almost all of the major awards in American broadcasting, and has been broadcast worldwide.

Additional Credits:
Ghetto Life 101 was edited by Gary Covino. The lead engineer was Caryl Wheeler with additional engineering by Rick Karr. Funding was provided by the Chicago Community Trust as part of WBEZ's Chicago Matters series.


produced by

David Isay

David Isay is the founder of Sound Portraits Productions and StoryCorps.


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