Studs Terkel died. He mastered the “oral history” form of writing. He would take a subject, then interview people who could address the subject from life experience. And he would just let them talk. His books gave tremendous insight into everyday America and the life of the common man.
Terkel was a listener. He didn’t interview aggressively. He just sat down with people and let them talk, and then masterfully edit a mass of material into a fascinating whole.
His books typically had simple titles, with subtitles that explained what the book was about.
- Working: People Talk About What They Do all Day and How they Feel About What They Do.
- Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession.
- Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression.
My favorite book was The Good War, in which he interviewed people about their experiences during World War II, whether on the home front or on the front lines. A remarkable book which strikes the same cords as Tom Brokaw’s much-later The Greatest Generation.
