logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2021
44m 28s

Levittown: Where the Good Life Begins

NPR
About this episode
In this episode from WNYC's La Brega, Alana Casanova-Burgess traces back the story of the boom and bust of the Puerto Rican Levittown. For many Americans, Levittown is the prototypical suburb, founded on the idea of bringing Americans into a middle-class lifestyle after WWII. But while the NY Levittown was becoming a symbol of American prosperity, there was a parallel story of Levittown in Puerto Rico during a time of great change on the island. Casanova-Burgess (herself the granddaughter of an early PR Levittown resident) explores what the presence of a Levittown in Puerto Rico tells us about the promises of the American Dream. It's a story that reflects and reveals how la brega has defined so many aspects of life in Puerto Rico.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Apr 23
The billionaires' utopia blueprint
Starbase. Prospera. California Forever. Mars. From private cities to interstellar colonies, tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel have backed experiments designed to operate beyond the borders — and laws — most of us live by. So we wondered: has this happened before? I ... Show More
48m 34s
Apr 21
Why the wall was built
As the United States expanded into a global superpower, it simultaneously strengthened its national borders and began to limit who could come in and out of the country. In this week’s episode, the story of how one of the very first walls meant to divide people was built on the US ... Show More
13m 13s
Apr 16
The original clickbait king
When we call something "clickbait," we don't mean it as a compliment. But let's be real: we also click. It's hard to resist a spicy story, and 19th-century newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst knew it. At a time when most papers merely reported events, his papers created them ... Show More
48m 11s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2021
La Brega in Levittown
On the show this week, we’re bringing you an episode of a new podcast called, La Brega. And to tell us all about the series is Alana Casanova-Burgess. Casanova-Burgess traces back the story of the boom and bust of Levittown, a massive suburb that was founded on the idea of bringi ... Show More
51m 58s
Jul 2022
Puerto Rico is decolonizing - with food
Sandy beaches, amazing wildlife, Caribbean blue seas—Puerto Rico is known as the Island of Enchantment for a reason. But it’s also one of the oldest colonies in the world. And as a U.S. territory, Puerto Ricans have very little say in the U.S. government. The island has a complic ... Show More
33m 15s
Feb 2024
L'Histoire du Jazz : Sweet Home Chicago - 2/7
tail spinning
5 m
Jun 2023
New York's Chinatown Through the Eyes of a Family That's Been There for Generations
New York City's Chinatown is arguably one of the most famous neighborhoods in the world—and perhaps one of the most storied, too. Ava Chin, whose memoir, Mott Street: A Chinese American Family’s Story of Exclusion and Homecoming, came out this spring, chats with Lale about the ap ... Show More
29m 2s
Nov 2020
Episode #121- What is Ghost River?
In 1763 twenty indigenous people in the colony of Pennsylvania were murdered by an armed gang. The victims had been a peaceful group of Conestogas, who had been wrongfully accused of aiding in violent raids against the settlers. The infamous attack would go down in history as the ... Show More
1h 21m
Jun 2021
Black Joy in the Summertime
<p>In a world where being Black and free are not always congruent, Black folks in America have always found ways of escaping the strictures of this country’s racial boundaries. </p><p>In the summer, that meant leaving town, with kids getting sent South to visit relatives, road tr ... Show More
29m 51s
May 2023
Dreamtown… A Primer.
Sometimes out here in the West, a stranger comes to town and saves the city from whatever peril is threatening it. But sometimes a stranger comes to town disguised as a savior and turns out to be a grifter. From Crooked Media, this is Dreamtown: The Story of Adelanto. Coming June ... Show More
2m 34s
Aug 2021
Sobre Puerto Rico - About Puerto Rico
<p>Puerto Rico is fascinating place with a complicated history and unique culture. For whatever reason, it’s not often a topic that’s covered in schools in the U.S… even though it’s a U.S. territory. As part of a new “country overview” series on the podcast, we share a brief rund ... Show More
28m 48s
Jan 2023
Sounds of the city: Los Angeles
In a new series of Sounds of the City Peter White, who has been blind since birth, uses the sounds to guide him as he explores new parts of the globe.In Los Angeles the sea quickly beckons and although it's a struggle, Peter dons a wetsuit and prepares for his first surfing lesso ... Show More
27m 38s