Pulitzer Prize-winning oral historian Studs Terkel's "greatest hits." Terkel's oral histories have been enjoyed by millions of Americans, and have earned him a Pulitzer Prize, induction into The American Academy of Arts and Letters, The National Humanities Medal, and The National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, among other honors. My American Century collects the best of his interviews and the introductions from each of his eight classic books, along with a major new introduction to Terkel's work by Robert Coles. It is a both stellar collection of portraits and a panoramic chronicle of America from the 1920s onward.
Amazon.com Review
Now in his eighties, Studs Terkel brings us My American Century , a collection of his most memorable interviews from all eight classics. Robert Cole's foreword lays out a brief history of America's economic power, from the Great Depression on. The details that remain unchanging are the insecurities endured by working men and women. "Such a vulnerability informs the life of even those lucky to be hard at work, as anyone interested in talking with ordinary working people will soon enough learn. But precisely who has had such an interest?" Fans of Studs Terkel know the answer. A writer supremely in touch with his world, Terkel's gift is in transforming the raw clay of people's lives into a simultaneously respectful, curious, and kind narrative.
"My turf," says Terkel of this latest volume, "has been the arena of unofficial truth--of the noncelebrated one on the block, who is able to articulate the thoughts of his/her neighbors, inchoate, though deeply felt. I confess to never having been privy to highly reliable sources." And what an amazing and impartial approach to subject matter. This informative volume, full of personality, is a wonderful introduction to the work of Studs Terkel, a writer who, time and again, gives voice to the querulous, difficult questions--the ones that always threaten to get swept away in the rapids of the American Dream.
From Library Journal
This book is a collection of Terkel's encounters over his long career as the nation's premier oral historian. Described by Terkel as a "jazz work," it is made up of material taken from the author's major books: Hard Times (LJ 4/15/70), Working (LJ 3/1/74), The Good War (LJ 9/1/84), Chicago (LJ 1/87), and The Great Divide (LJ 1/88). Turkel's greatest accomplishment in all his books is his ability to concentrate on the individuals telling their story, a technique that leads to a deeper understanding of history as seen through the eyes of ordinary people. The packaging of Terkel's work in one volume makes for a convenient and accessible title that recognizes the human side of history. Recommended for all libraries.?Robert J. Favini, Bentley Coll. Lib., Waltham, Mass. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
Studs Terkel shows a keen sense of history and a great deal of compassion and loyalty to the radical populist tradition in My American Century, an anthology from his eight oral histories.... He is concerned with people who fight stacked decks. -- The New York Times Book Review, Milton Garrison
The cumulative effect of the book is nostalgic--distilled essence of union halls, folk ballads, protest marches, farms and factories, a vanished pre-celebrity popular culture. The Depression-era stories of a con artist-gangster, a former hobo, a tycoon, an Iowa farmer, and a society photographer, for instance, convey the American of the 1930s with a cinematic vividness that tells you more than a shelf of standard history books. -- Entertainment Weekly
About the Author
Studs Terkel's first love was acting. He has played gangsters on radio, appeared in theater, and acted in such films as John Sayles's Eight Men Out. He has also found time to write eight books of oral history, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Good War." His most recent book, My American Century, is a collection of his best interviews. He is a member of The American Academy of Arts and Letters and has received a Presidential National Humanities Medal as well as a National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
Description:
Pulitzer Prize-winning oral historian Studs Terkel's "greatest hits." Terkel's oral histories have been enjoyed by millions of Americans, and have earned him a Pulitzer Prize, induction into The American Academy of Arts and Letters, The National Humanities Medal, and The National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, among other honors. My American Century collects the best of his interviews and the introductions from each of his eight classic books, along with a major new introduction to Terkel's work by Robert Coles. It is a both stellar collection of portraits and a panoramic chronicle of America from the 1920s onward.
Amazon.com Review
Now in his eighties, Studs Terkel brings us My American Century , a collection of his most memorable interviews from all eight classics. Robert Cole's foreword lays out a brief history of America's economic power, from the Great Depression on. The details that remain unchanging are the insecurities endured by working men and women. "Such a vulnerability informs the life of even those lucky to be hard at work, as anyone interested in talking with ordinary working people will soon enough learn. But precisely who has had such an interest?" Fans of Studs Terkel know the answer. A writer supremely in touch with his world, Terkel's gift is in transforming the raw clay of people's lives into a simultaneously respectful, curious, and kind narrative.
"My turf," says Terkel of this latest volume, "has been the arena of unofficial truth--of the noncelebrated one on the block, who is able to articulate the thoughts of his/her neighbors, inchoate, though deeply felt. I confess to never having been privy to highly reliable sources." And what an amazing and impartial approach to subject matter. This informative volume, full of personality, is a wonderful introduction to the work of Studs Terkel, a writer who, time and again, gives voice to the querulous, difficult questions--the ones that always threaten to get swept away in the rapids of the American Dream.
From Library Journal
This book is a collection of Terkel's encounters over his long career as the nation's premier oral historian. Described by Terkel as a "jazz work," it is made up of material taken from the author's major books: Hard Times (LJ 4/15/70), Working (LJ 3/1/74), The Good War (LJ 9/1/84), Chicago (LJ 1/87), and The Great Divide (LJ 1/88). Turkel's greatest accomplishment in all his books is his ability to concentrate on the individuals telling their story, a technique that leads to a deeper understanding of history as seen through the eyes of ordinary people. The packaging of Terkel's work in one volume makes for a convenient and accessible title that recognizes the human side of history. Recommended for all libraries.?Robert J. Favini, Bentley Coll. Lib., Waltham, Mass.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
Studs Terkel shows a keen sense of history and a great deal of compassion and loyalty to the radical populist tradition in My American Century, an anthology from his eight oral histories.... He is concerned with people who fight stacked decks. -- The New York Times Book Review, Milton Garrison
The cumulative effect of the book is nostalgic--distilled essence of union halls, folk ballads, protest marches, farms and factories, a vanished pre-celebrity popular culture. The Depression-era stories of a con artist-gangster, a former hobo, a tycoon, an Iowa farmer, and a society photographer, for instance, convey the American of the 1930s with a cinematic vividness that tells you more than a shelf of standard history books. -- Entertainment Weekly
About the Author
Studs Terkel's first love was acting. He has played gangsters on radio, appeared in theater, and acted in such films as John Sayles's Eight Men Out. He has also found time to write eight books of oral history, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Good War." His most recent book, My American Century, is a collection of his best interviews. He is a member of The American Academy of Arts and Letters and has received a Presidential National Humanities Medal as well as a National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.