Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
comic strip overdue media

Sunday, November 02, 2008

The man whose books introduced me to oral history is dead

Author, activist Studs Terkel dies at 96

Also a story from the Chicago Tribune.

Be sure to check out Studs Terkel: Conversation with America sponsored by the Chicago Historical Society. Then there's Wikipedia's article on Studs Terkel, too.

I first encountered Studs Terkel's work in a history class when I read The Good War: An Oral History of World War Two. His writing and expertise really brought the stories alive. I've had an interest in oral history ever since, both in history classes and one in library school. He must have had a wonderful talent for rapport to have gotten so many people to talk about often harrowing or difficult experiences.

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