archive

June 28, 2012 Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang has written extensively on Asian immigrants' assimilation into American culture. The American dream, he says, is defined by the ability to imagine a future, and then have hope of fulfilling it.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

June 21, 2012 Comedian Charlie Hill has been doing standup for more than three decades. Considered a hero in the Native American community, Hill says that he's achieved his dreams — but that the American dream is still out of reach for many Native Americans.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

June 19, 2012 American movies have been telling stories that idealize hard work, strong character and the rise of the little man for decades. But there's always a catch. NPR's Bob Mondello looks at what Hollywood means when it talks about the American dream.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

June 18, 2012 Hua Hsu listened as his dad moved between America and Taiwan, making mixtapes at every stop.

Summary

June 14, 2012 The idea of an "affordable manicure" was once an oxymoron. That's before Vietnamese immigrants arrived in the U.S. and cornered the market for inexpensive nail-care salons. The industry has offered a path to self-sufficiency for many Vietnamese-Americans in California and around the nation.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

June 14, 2012 The idea that anyone can make it in the U.S. is personified by immigrant success stories. But what if you came to America for a better life, worked hard and made it — but now face an increasingly anti-immigrant environment? One South Carolina family continues to have faith that the next generation will have it better.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

June 14, 2012 Miles Marshall Lewis draws a line from Prince's concern for his community to the Hip-Hop Nation.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

June 13, 2012 If "Jack and Diane" isn't your American dream, what song is?

Summary

June 6, 2012 Growing up in the South Bronx, Juan Carlos Reyes' dream was to be a doorman in Manhattan. A college degree has helped him achieve much more, but Reyes is convinced his success is an aberration — and that few of his peers will ever achieve the American dream.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

• We Want To Know: What Is Your American Dream?

June 6, 2012 For singer Merrill Garbus, the idea that hard work leads to success in America is deeply suspect.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

June 4, 2012 In the wake of the housing crisis, many felt that homeownership — long a key element of the American dream — had moved out of reach. Now, many Americans still aspire to own their own home, and home sales are slowly ticking up around the country.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

May 31, 2012 In the conservative view, reinvigorating the American dream means lowering the floor below which government won't let people fall. It also means raising the ceiling on successful people.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

May 30, 2012 From the moment he burst on the national scene, Barack Obama has served as a living example of the American dream — proof that in this country, anyone can succeed. But what sets him and other Democrats apart from Republicans is the idea of the American dream as a collective enterprise.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

May 30, 2012 We celebrate the deeply embedded ideal of the American dream every day, and yet the phrase has always been fraught. For many, there is no dream, so here, we give you "A Brief Diary of the American Nightmare."

Summary

• Sizing Up The American Dream