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Listening is an Act of Love
Listening Is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project
From more than ten thousand interviews, StoryCorps-the largest oral history project in the nation's history-presents a tapestry of American stories, told by the people who lived them to the people they love.
StoryCorps began with the idea that everyone has an important story to tell. And since 2003, this remarkable project has been collecting the stories of everyday Americans and preserving them for future generations. In New York City and in mobile recording booths traveling the country-from small towns to big cities, at Native American reservations and an Army post-StoryCorps is collecting the memories of Americans from all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life. The project represents a wondrous nationwide celebration of our shared humanity, capturing for posterity the stories that define us and bind us together.
In Listening Is an Act of Love , StoryCorps founder and legendary radio producer Dave Isay selects some of the most remarkable stories from the already vast collection and arranges them thematically into a moving portrait of American life. The voices here connect us to real people and their lives-to their experiences of profound joy, sadness, courage and despair, to good times and hard times, to good deeds and misdeeds.
To read this book is to be reminded of how rich and varied the American storybook truly is, how resistant to easy categorization or caricature. Above all, this book honors the gift each StoryCorps participant has made, from the raw material of his or her life, to the Americans who will come after. We are our history, individually and collectively, and Listening Is an Act of Love touchingly reminds us of this powerful truth.
StoryCorps began with the idea that everyone has an important story to tell. And since 2003, this remarkable project has been collecting the stories of everyday Americans and preserving them for future generations. In New York City and in mobile recording booths traveling the country-from small towns to big cities, at Native American reservations and an Army post-StoryCorps is collecting the memories of Americans from all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life. The project represents a wondrous nationwide celebration of our shared humanity, capturing for posterity the stories that define us and bind us together.
In Listening Is an Act of Love , StoryCorps founder and legendary radio producer Dave Isay selects some of the most remarkable stories from the already vast collection and arranges them thematically into a moving portrait of American life. The voices here connect us to real people and their lives-to their experiences of profound joy, sadness, courage and despair, to good times and hard times, to good deeds and misdeeds.
To read this book is to be reminded of how rich and varied the American storybook truly is, how resistant to easy categorization or caricature. Above all, this book honors the gift each StoryCorps participant has made, from the raw material of his or her life, to the Americans who will come after. We are our history, individually and collectively, and Listening Is an Act of Love touchingly reminds us of this powerful truth.
284 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
188 people are currently reading
4503 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 835 reviews
June 20, 2024
A real treasure in more ways than one. As each individual tells their story, we too get to share in their joy, their pain, their story, and for a brief moment, their life. These oral histories capture not only the actual voices of everyday Americans but also of a time gone by. We don’t see it at the time, but these recordings are preserving a slice of life from that particular moment in time. Hearing the voices isn’t just hearing the voices, but also the manner of speaking, along with dialects and colloquialisms that may be unfamiliar decades from now. It really is a wonderful preservation project, not just for the individuals’ loved ones, but really for all Americans. I challenge you to listen to these stories and not find at least one that you personally identify with.
April 28, 2008
*I edited this* Listening is an act of love. Even if I weren't already a huge fan of NPR's StoryCorps, that statement alone would have caught my eye. Nine times out of ten I come into work on Friday mornings sniffly and red-eyed from having listened to StoryCorps during Morning Edition. Just getting 100 pages into the book today during my lunch hour already had me tearing up, so maybe I'll have to restrict reading it to only occasions when I won't look like a lunatic from weeping over a book. What could be more beautiful than shared stories? Even if they're not a direct link to my life and my family's stories, they feel so meaningful to me. In my dream life, I'd interview my Grandpa for StoryCorps -- he's already written his memoirs for our family, but I would love to record his voice. This project is such a treasure, and although I find myself missing hearing the voices, I still love it. It is almost so moving that I can't handle it. Almost. :)
EDIT:
Okay, I've finished the book. Page 146 nearly killed me, but the accounts of 9/11 really did me in. Throughout the book I kept thinking of my favorite StoryCorps account, of Danny and Annie, and wondering why it wasn't in the book. Then I got to the final chapter and read their story and read what I didn't know: that Danny died of pancreatic cancer. That there was one last StoryCorps conversation between them that I never heard. What a way to end my book! In tears, again. Still. I quote: 'Danny was not the type you'd necessarily peg for a great romantic; he was short, bald, nearly toothless, and cross-eyed. But Danny Perasa had more romance in his little pinkie than all of Hollywood's leading men put together.' Could there be a finer legacy?
EDIT:
Okay, I've finished the book. Page 146 nearly killed me, but the accounts of 9/11 really did me in. Throughout the book I kept thinking of my favorite StoryCorps account, of Danny and Annie, and wondering why it wasn't in the book. Then I got to the final chapter and read their story and read what I didn't know: that Danny died of pancreatic cancer. That there was one last StoryCorps conversation between them that I never heard. What a way to end my book! In tears, again. Still. I quote: 'Danny was not the type you'd necessarily peg for a great romantic; he was short, bald, nearly toothless, and cross-eyed. But Danny Perasa had more romance in his little pinkie than all of Hollywood's leading men put together.' Could there be a finer legacy?
December 6, 2022
Powerful, memorable story about the journey of The StoryCorps Project, an organization that provides a way for people to speak and share their oral history. A true gift for friends, family, and loved ones. This book is a collection of some of the most poignant stories from across America.
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
January 2, 2012
You need to know somethings about my family and me before I tell you what I thought about this book. We are TALKERS. We are debaters, theorizers, and lamenters. I mean we can REALLY TALK *A LOT*. So much so, that I am considered the down to earth* one because It's not uncommon for me to announce that "I'm not interested in talking about that anymore, that topic bores me, you're being too theoretical for me to follow you anymore" etc, etc, etc
*I'm replacing "down to earth" with the sentiment that could probably be better described as them thinking I'm a ninny headed girl that can't hold her own in their conversations and would occasionally rather tell a light hearted story about my disastrous New Years Eve than continue comparing educational systems the world over, or why Karl Barth isn't more widely read on the internet.
Because after 20 some years of discussing Kierkegaards perspective on aesthetic vs. moral led lives, I just want to make a sandwich and talk about whether butter or dill pickles are better while I'm doing it.
Sooooooo I tend to come to quick conclusions about things and blurt out my opinions without giving it much thought. This extends itself to my work and my personal life as well. It's a flight or fight response and I predominately choose flight!
And now it seems the topic that will not die is "Will paper bond books be irradiated by other technology". Now I have lots of elaborate and deep seeded feelings on this topic but I don't think any of them are original or not already being shared by people far more articulate than myself so when people ask me this, I tend to give the same glib response I gave to my mom a few months ago. I say something along the lines of "maybe, but stories wont die so I'm not too worried".
But here's the problem with that response. It assumes that "stories" and "well written books" are the same. They are not! And this book brought that home.
Now before anyone starts throwing eggs at me or anything (ha! I have to laugh at that because I assume that by now, most of you are more likely to have gotten bored, abandoned this review and decided to scramble some eggs for sustenance than to become so involved and enraged by words that you're willing to "throw eggs")I need to say that this book never claims to be a well written collection of stories.
It's just a collection of stories. Great stories. Stories totally worth hearing! I read all of them and it's a book I'll be keeping and hope that eventually my kids will want to read as well.
But I couldn't help thinking what a huge difference there is between just hearing the story because the story is worth hearing and reading a well written story. It certainly means I should consider revising my standard response from "I'm not worried because stories wont die" to something a little more specific. But more likely I'll probably just try and divert the conversation to the a re-cap of the latest 30 rock episode instead (and then my brothers will morph that into a conversation about the nature of comedic timing/writing and somehow merge that into a conversation that will end up at whether or not indoor plumping is necessary. Meanwhile I'll go do some laundry).
*I'm replacing "down to earth" with the sentiment that could probably be better described as them thinking I'm a ninny headed girl that can't hold her own in their conversations and would occasionally rather tell a light hearted story about my disastrous New Years Eve than continue comparing educational systems the world over, or why Karl Barth isn't more widely read on the internet.
Because after 20 some years of discussing Kierkegaards perspective on aesthetic vs. moral led lives, I just want to make a sandwich and talk about whether butter or dill pickles are better while I'm doing it.
Sooooooo I tend to come to quick conclusions about things and blurt out my opinions without giving it much thought. This extends itself to my work and my personal life as well. It's a flight or fight response and I predominately choose flight!
And now it seems the topic that will not die is "Will paper bond books be irradiated by other technology". Now I have lots of elaborate and deep seeded feelings on this topic but I don't think any of them are original or not already being shared by people far more articulate than myself so when people ask me this, I tend to give the same glib response I gave to my mom a few months ago. I say something along the lines of "maybe, but stories wont die so I'm not too worried".
But here's the problem with that response. It assumes that "stories" and "well written books" are the same. They are not! And this book brought that home.
Now before anyone starts throwing eggs at me or anything (ha! I have to laugh at that because I assume that by now, most of you are more likely to have gotten bored, abandoned this review and decided to scramble some eggs for sustenance than to become so involved and enraged by words that you're willing to "throw eggs")I need to say that this book never claims to be a well written collection of stories.
It's just a collection of stories. Great stories. Stories totally worth hearing! I read all of them and it's a book I'll be keeping and hope that eventually my kids will want to read as well.
But I couldn't help thinking what a huge difference there is between just hearing the story because the story is worth hearing and reading a well written story. It certainly means I should consider revising my standard response from "I'm not worried because stories wont die" to something a little more specific. But more likely I'll probably just try and divert the conversation to the a re-cap of the latest 30 rock episode instead (and then my brothers will morph that into a conversation about the nature of comedic timing/writing and somehow merge that into a conversation that will end up at whether or not indoor plumping is necessary. Meanwhile I'll go do some laundry).
October 20, 2015
Short piece with questions and answers from a variety of individuals. It was interesting to hear what people had to say in their own words but these are really short pieces and I have to admit that I wanted a bit more.
March 13, 2008
People aren't all that bad.
December 23, 2025
Would read again; I plan to read the other Storycorps books. Quick read and very human. This is running alongside the discovery of how much I love hearing strangers’ stories in real life.
February 18, 2008
I am making my way through this extraordinary book - we saw the Storycorps booth in NYC in Grand Central and thought that it was a wonderful idea and then moved on with the crowd. I suppose that is what strikes me as I read this - if we don't consciously sit down and map out the foundation of our roots through the sharing of stories with loved ones then we are lost on the road. I wish I had asked so many more questions of my grandmother. She emanated such light and some striking dark tones. I am most interested in the depth of that darkness and wonder if I gave her enough light to get through that awful inky depression that she bravely covered up with kindness. What has taken me so long in reading this is the stopping and regarding the story within the framework of my own life - there is a grand scaffolding of shared experience and this book, more than some lofty tomes on spirituality settles the dust and has provided me with balm for my own life and its tales. I now wish I'd stopped for a bit with my son and traded stories in NYC, but I can do that now at home. This is a prod to do more than just take videos and shelve them in neat packaging. Talk and write and tape - so much more vital.
January 27, 2012
This book earned 5 stars in my mind for reasons other than the typical ones for which I give a high rating. (I have recently repented of giving too many 5 stars in the past and am now experimenting with being more discrimating in my ratings). Usually a 5 star book for me includes masterful use of the English language (most anything by Nabokov) or incredible insight into human nature and the human condition (Tolstoy or George Eliot) or a wonderful mix of wit, style, brilliant storytelling and incisive insight (who else but Jane Austen). This book doesn't really fit any of these categories. But I still feel like it was an amazing, and thus worthy of 5 stars, book. I think it was the entire concept of the StoryCorps project that really amazed me the most. I already have a real love for oral history, which includes everything from the work of Studs Terkel to the stories of my ancestors to the wonderful experiences I have had interviewing my own grandparents. This project proves that ordinary people have stories worth telling and preserving. The stories recorded here range from funny to romantic to heartbreaking to inspiring to sweet and I enjoyed reading every one of them. Some of my favorites were the love story of the school teacher and the janitor, the 9-11 remeberances, the memories of a favorite aunt, and the story of the boy who had a little league field names after him. God bless Dave Isay.
January 6, 2008
The StoryCorps Project is dedicated to collecting and preserving the stories of ordinary Americans for future generations. People participate by being interviewed at the Storycorps booth in New York City or at one of the mobile recording booths traveling the country - they can choose to be interviewed by a relative or friend, or by a Storycorps facilitator. Selected stories are read on NPR every Friday morning and all are stored in the Library of Congress (subject to the participant's signing a release; thus far about 95% of participants have done so).
This book represents a selection of the submissions so far, and the majority of the stories are truly moving. It's divided into five broad sections:
Home and Family
Work and Dedication
Journeys
History and Struggle
Fire and Water (stories related to the attacks of September 11th and to Hurricane Katrina)
With the exception of those in the first section, the stories are universally powerful and moving, with over 10,000 to choose from, the editor has done a fine job in selecting the best. For me, the 'home and family' stories fell oddly flat, though this just may be an inability to match the power of some of the later contributions.
One could think of this as an oral version of the other NPR Story Project, stories from which are collected in the (awesome) book "I Thought My Father was God", which I have reviewed separately. The stories in "Listening is an Act of Love" match those in that book in their capacity to move the reader. The only think that prevents me from giving it a fifth star is the relative weakness of the first section of the book.
The success of this venture just underscores the lameness of the 'This I Believe' collection, which I also reviewed recently - it's interesting to me that two undertakings, which are fairly similar on the surface, should give such disparate results. What psychologists and social science researchers tell us does appear to be true - it really matters how you ask the questions.
This book represents a selection of the submissions so far, and the majority of the stories are truly moving. It's divided into five broad sections:
Home and Family
Work and Dedication
Journeys
History and Struggle
Fire and Water (stories related to the attacks of September 11th and to Hurricane Katrina)
With the exception of those in the first section, the stories are universally powerful and moving, with over 10,000 to choose from, the editor has done a fine job in selecting the best. For me, the 'home and family' stories fell oddly flat, though this just may be an inability to match the power of some of the later contributions.
One could think of this as an oral version of the other NPR Story Project, stories from which are collected in the (awesome) book "I Thought My Father was God", which I have reviewed separately. The stories in "Listening is an Act of Love" match those in that book in their capacity to move the reader. The only think that prevents me from giving it a fifth star is the relative weakness of the first section of the book.
The success of this venture just underscores the lameness of the 'This I Believe' collection, which I also reviewed recently - it's interesting to me that two undertakings, which are fairly similar on the surface, should give such disparate results. What psychologists and social science researchers tell us does appear to be true - it really matters how you ask the questions.
September 19, 2008
Listening Is an Act of Love is a book of short stories that are filled with slices of everyday life, from normal, everyday people, just like you and me. The only difference between us is that they visited a StoryCorps booth (in New York city or a mobile recording booth) and committed their story to audio CDs. The CDs are then archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Excerpts from their stories (which are in interview format) are played on NPR's Morning Edition. This book is comprised of a selection of those interviews.
Do the stories suffer for being read rather than heard, as was originally intended? Maybe a bit. But they were still powerful enough that I occasionally found myself getting choked up. The first story, in which an impoverished mother goes out of her way to create something special for her daughter (out of basically nothing) was especially touching to me. A section containing two 9/11 stories was also very moving.
The most amazing thing about this book is that the people recounting their stories are often being interviewed by close relatives or friends, which brings a sense of intimacy and openness that might not otherwise occur. I love the end of this one:
William: Well, it was very special for me, Seth. I just loved doing it. And just looking at you and answering you, with your eyes looking into mine and mine into yours, it's just great.
Seth: I love you, Grandpa.
William: Thank you, Seth. I love you, too.
It reminds us of what we should be saying to our loved ones every day.
This review is quickly going the way of a Hallmark special so I'm going to stop here, before I need to get out the tissues. And you should note that the book is not as hokey as my review. It's uplifting, and a good reminder that there's something special about everyone.
***sobs, and signs off ***
Do the stories suffer for being read rather than heard, as was originally intended? Maybe a bit. But they were still powerful enough that I occasionally found myself getting choked up. The first story, in which an impoverished mother goes out of her way to create something special for her daughter (out of basically nothing) was especially touching to me. A section containing two 9/11 stories was also very moving.
The most amazing thing about this book is that the people recounting their stories are often being interviewed by close relatives or friends, which brings a sense of intimacy and openness that might not otherwise occur. I love the end of this one:
William: Well, it was very special for me, Seth. I just loved doing it. And just looking at you and answering you, with your eyes looking into mine and mine into yours, it's just great.
Seth: I love you, Grandpa.
William: Thank you, Seth. I love you, too.
It reminds us of what we should be saying to our loved ones every day.
This review is quickly going the way of a Hallmark special so I'm going to stop here, before I need to get out the tissues. And you should note that the book is not as hokey as my review. It's uplifting, and a good reminder that there's something special about everyone.
***sobs, and signs off ***
August 3, 2008
Actually, I'm listening to this via audiobook. I wanted to hear the people's voices tell their own stories.
***
I finally sat down and listened to the entire CD. I am in awe of these stories, of the people who lived them, and who were brave enough to tell them on tape and submit them to the Library of Congress.
The story that affected me most was from a Brooklyn man talking about his fiance who died in the World Trade Center towers on September 11th. You can hear the love in his voice for her and the rage and sorrow at her being taken away from him. But it was his final thoughts, that he would see her again because he would be good enough down here so that he would make it to Heaven to be with her, that brought me to tears. I'm crying again just writing about him.
I am a general misanthrope, jaded, angry, tired, and I feel hopeless for our world a lot of the time. But these stories crack this shell in me, making me believe not all is lost. There are good people out there, who have borne greater struggles than I can even imagine, and they go on, with heads up high and hearts full with hope. I want to be like them so much. The stories in this book and the recurring ones I hear on the StoryCorps podcast on NPR make me glad to be here and living in this time, in a world with the people who have lives and stories like these.
***
I finally sat down and listened to the entire CD. I am in awe of these stories, of the people who lived them, and who were brave enough to tell them on tape and submit them to the Library of Congress.
The story that affected me most was from a Brooklyn man talking about his fiance who died in the World Trade Center towers on September 11th. You can hear the love in his voice for her and the rage and sorrow at her being taken away from him. But it was his final thoughts, that he would see her again because he would be good enough down here so that he would make it to Heaven to be with her, that brought me to tears. I'm crying again just writing about him.
I am a general misanthrope, jaded, angry, tired, and I feel hopeless for our world a lot of the time. But these stories crack this shell in me, making me believe not all is lost. There are good people out there, who have borne greater struggles than I can even imagine, and they go on, with heads up high and hearts full with hope. I want to be like them so much. The stories in this book and the recurring ones I hear on the StoryCorps podcast on NPR make me glad to be here and living in this time, in a world with the people who have lives and stories like these.
February 15, 2016
These stories will bring out every emotion in you. They may remind you of your parents or your grandparents, or others, friends, or you may learn things about different places, different life views. Some are heartbreaking. All are worth reading. They all will tug at your heartstrings.
“In some houses maybe there’s music playing in the background. I don’t remember any music ever playing in the background because the music of our lives was the voices.”
“They were able to turn the ordinary into something absolutely splendid. And I think in the end if we asked them ‘Did you have a successful life?’ all of them would shave said ‘Yes.’ They loved. They had friends. They were alive. They didn’t see the world, but they saw their world – which maybe is better than seeing the world.’”
There’s one story of a young man interviewing his birth mother. Another: the NYC Bus driver, performing a most touching act of kindness. A husband and wife share their story of how they first met. The hospital chaplain who shares his “holiest moments.”
Have Kleenex handy before you reach page 145. These stories are too touching and beautiful to not read them.
“In some houses maybe there’s music playing in the background. I don’t remember any music ever playing in the background because the music of our lives was the voices.”
“They were able to turn the ordinary into something absolutely splendid. And I think in the end if we asked them ‘Did you have a successful life?’ all of them would shave said ‘Yes.’ They loved. They had friends. They were alive. They didn’t see the world, but they saw their world – which maybe is better than seeing the world.’”
There’s one story of a young man interviewing his birth mother. Another: the NYC Bus driver, performing a most touching act of kindness. A husband and wife share their story of how they first met. The hospital chaplain who shares his “holiest moments.”
Have Kleenex handy before you reach page 145. These stories are too touching and beautiful to not read them.
January 10, 2009
This is a very charming companion to the radio series run on NPR that allows two people to interview one another and share their own personal stories (there's a booth in Grand Central Station and many others around the country -- go sign up!).
You can read the individual stories very quickly. This is absolutely a book that can be picked up and put down all the time. I can't say it's quite the same as hearing the on-air segments -- where the power of the human voice can move you to tears. The reality of someone choking up discussing someone they love is much more palpable when you're hearing it, rather than reading it. All the same, this is a very nice document of a beautiful ongoing project.
You can read the individual stories very quickly. This is absolutely a book that can be picked up and put down all the time. I can't say it's quite the same as hearing the on-air segments -- where the power of the human voice can move you to tears. The reality of someone choking up discussing someone they love is much more palpable when you're hearing it, rather than reading it. All the same, this is a very nice document of a beautiful ongoing project.
December 22, 2012
Like my wife wrote after she read it, I'd give it more stars than five if possible. I feel bad for being, oh, NINE years late to the StoryCorps table, but better late than never; this book has been the perfect antidote to much of the sadness, rancor, and lunacy swirling in the American air. And it's given me a TON of ideas that seem easy to get off the ground. I'd like to thank Nicole for pushing me to read it.
June 30, 2017
I love the story of the StoryCorps project and its mission to record the stories of all kinds of people. I always make time to listen to the featured podcasts and this is the second compilation of stories from the project that I have read. They are filled with wisdom and love and struggle and joy. The stories that touched me the most in this book were the ones from the Journeys section. An uplifting read.
July 13, 2012
Wow,
unless you have a heart of solid stone do not attempt to read this in public. The stories people shared with their loved ones and the rest of us are so sweet, so tragic, so simple, so profound...
This is an amazingly uplifting look at the heart of humanity and it is well worth reading.
unless you have a heart of solid stone do not attempt to read this in public. The stories people shared with their loved ones and the rest of us are so sweet, so tragic, so simple, so profound...
This is an amazingly uplifting look at the heart of humanity and it is well worth reading.
July 21, 2025
Few things…first I love this idea. I love hearing the stories of everyday people in the USA. Great idea and really fun to read.
Second this book I found at the thrift store was an advanced copy signed by the author for who I can only imagine is his friend, so that’s pretty cool.
Third Amy Schumer pre-fame in this book!!!!
Second this book I found at the thrift store was an advanced copy signed by the author for who I can only imagine is his friend, so that’s pretty cool.
Third Amy Schumer pre-fame in this book!!!!
May 16, 2024
Such a charming and warm-hearted book! This was a wonderful dose of happiness, kindness, and positivity that I feel folks need now more than ever, given how the news leans towards the dramatic and negative, and the current state of world affairs. Definitely would recommend to others! Also, very excited to start listening to their podcast.
July 17, 2014
When they opened up the first StoryCorps booth they flew in a 91-year-old Studs Terkel to cut the ribbon: "We're in Grand Central Station. We know there was an architect, but who hung the iron? Who were the brick masons? Who swept the floors? These are the noncelebrated people of our country. In this booth the noncelebrated will speak their lives [. . .] And suddenly they will realize that they are the ones who have built this country!"
And see I BELIEVE in that vision. Which is what made my immediate dislike for this book so troubling. Don't be mad at me for not liking this book: I'm mad enough at myself.
But listen: remember that story right near the beginning of the man who was the primary care-taker of his wife for a decade while she struggled with Alzheimers, until her death? He reassures his grandson: "I found it absolutely painless taking care of her, so I guess I did have true love for her. Never for a minute did I think, 'God, when is this going to be over?' I never, ever thought that."
And of course, like with nearly every story in here, I'm sobbing like a croupy baby as I read it -- but also I'm irritated. Absolutely painless? Either 1) this man is lying -- which is depressing; or 2) this man is a different species from me and most people I know. We still have, unfortunately, pain receptors in our brains, which are bound to fire once or twice in the decade watching our life partner sink into oblivion. Either way, why would Isay choose this particular story? We all love sweet grandpas, but I can't do anything with this story except develop an impossible ideal for the emotional experience of end-of-life care for a "true love."
This wasn't an outlier: so many stories in here are about being at peace through tragedy and finding silver linings and ending on a high note. Going to work every day of your life and loving it even though the pay ain't great. There are a few exceptions -- two or three stories in the "struggles" section don't end with pat answers and morals-of-the-story but rather a sense of uncertainty, unsettledness. These are ones I can return to, when the rest feel too close to Chicken Soup for the All-American Soul.
I know this is partly just a human tendency: our mental well-being is tied up in whether we can tell a happy story about our lives. Maybe this is why we need people who are skilled story-tellers, and can allow greater emotional depth and nuance into the narrative.But I mostly fault Isay for the selections chosen for this book. When there are so many stories to choose from, Isay seems to have made his selection predominantly based on which ones would make a person cry the most -- not thinking that anyone would find this emotionally manipulative. And to be fair, he probably made a smart choice -- most people, who aren't unbearable cranks, love this book.
And see I BELIEVE in that vision. Which is what made my immediate dislike for this book so troubling. Don't be mad at me for not liking this book: I'm mad enough at myself.
But listen: remember that story right near the beginning of the man who was the primary care-taker of his wife for a decade while she struggled with Alzheimers, until her death? He reassures his grandson: "I found it absolutely painless taking care of her, so I guess I did have true love for her. Never for a minute did I think, 'God, when is this going to be over?' I never, ever thought that."
And of course, like with nearly every story in here, I'm sobbing like a croupy baby as I read it -- but also I'm irritated. Absolutely painless? Either 1) this man is lying -- which is depressing; or 2) this man is a different species from me and most people I know. We still have, unfortunately, pain receptors in our brains, which are bound to fire once or twice in the decade watching our life partner sink into oblivion. Either way, why would Isay choose this particular story? We all love sweet grandpas, but I can't do anything with this story except develop an impossible ideal for the emotional experience of end-of-life care for a "true love."
This wasn't an outlier: so many stories in here are about being at peace through tragedy and finding silver linings and ending on a high note. Going to work every day of your life and loving it even though the pay ain't great. There are a few exceptions -- two or three stories in the "struggles" section don't end with pat answers and morals-of-the-story but rather a sense of uncertainty, unsettledness. These are ones I can return to, when the rest feel too close to Chicken Soup for the All-American Soul.
I know this is partly just a human tendency: our mental well-being is tied up in whether we can tell a happy story about our lives. Maybe this is why we need people who are skilled story-tellers, and can allow greater emotional depth and nuance into the narrative.But I mostly fault Isay for the selections chosen for this book. When there are so many stories to choose from, Isay seems to have made his selection predominantly based on which ones would make a person cry the most -- not thinking that anyone would find this emotionally manipulative. And to be fair, he probably made a smart choice -- most people, who aren't unbearable cranks, love this book.
May 18, 2015
NPR StoryCorps collected the stories of everyday Americans from across the country recording memories from every walk of life. The project is remarkable and truly supports the phrase that "everyone has a story to tell." I loved this book and the title ~ "Listening is an Act of Love." American's hectic lifestyle and constant distractions rarely allow the time to really sit and listen to one another. People are basically good. We have universal experiences and unique experiences. This book is a beautiful reminder that family history is worth preserving.
One example that I found particularly moving was Martha Conant's story. She escaped death in an accident where other passengers died. A social worker told her "God must have had a reason for saving you. You haven't finished your life's work yet." Her reasoning struck a chord with me. She said, "I was quite troubled. It felt to me like I was saddled with a lot of responsibility. What is this work I'm supposed to be doing that I was saved for? Part of the struggle was "What is this all about? How do I assign any kind of meaning to this traumatic experience when so many people lost their lives and so many people were severely injured and have never recovered? How do I assign any meaning when I walked out scot-free?" If you go with that statement, "Well, God has more work for you to do," then the flip side is "God didn't have any more work for all those other people." And I don't believe that. I don't believe in a God that is arbitrary like that and intervenes in our lives in that "destiny" kind of way. What I came to was that there is randomness. There is chance in our world. It impacts all of us in big ways and small ways...This is your life! Just be grateful for it!"
So many surprising and heartfelt stories. Makes me want to record some of my family's for future generations.
One example that I found particularly moving was Martha Conant's story. She escaped death in an accident where other passengers died. A social worker told her "God must have had a reason for saving you. You haven't finished your life's work yet." Her reasoning struck a chord with me. She said, "I was quite troubled. It felt to me like I was saddled with a lot of responsibility. What is this work I'm supposed to be doing that I was saved for? Part of the struggle was "What is this all about? How do I assign any kind of meaning to this traumatic experience when so many people lost their lives and so many people were severely injured and have never recovered? How do I assign any meaning when I walked out scot-free?" If you go with that statement, "Well, God has more work for you to do," then the flip side is "God didn't have any more work for all those other people." And I don't believe that. I don't believe in a God that is arbitrary like that and intervenes in our lives in that "destiny" kind of way. What I came to was that there is randomness. There is chance in our world. It impacts all of us in big ways and small ways...This is your life! Just be grateful for it!"
So many surprising and heartfelt stories. Makes me want to record some of my family's for future generations.
February 27, 2018
StoryCorps launched on NPR just thirteen years ago? And in that time, the Friday morning feature on Morning Edition settled in as an essential feature. Editors trim the best forty-minute conversations to a four-minute piece for radio. This book includes forty-nine stories, edited for print.
Studs Terkel, in his nineties, flew from Chicago to cut the ribbon at Grand Central Terminal when StoryCorps opened its first booth. Two years later, StoryCorps became a national project when it launched two mobile booths.
StoryCorps, at its inception suspected it would hear the same story frame over and over again. Many stories emerged from the three main themes: birth, love and death, as siblings, children and others talk with their elders and other subjects.
Although it takes a special courage to enter a StoryCorps booth, it is open and accessible to everyone. Each session represents an act of love and respect, writes David Isay.
The StoryCorps project gives gifts between generations. This book gives forty-nine of those gifts, a best-of from the first three years.
Nonetheless, while these tales make interesting reading, they work better as spoken word radio pieces, which adds the pathos, pacing, inflection and emotion that the printed page cannot convey.
(About twenty-five years ago, I began developing a service that would record family histories. Genealogy is one thing, revealing our roots as a family tree. But to build on that graphic, I wanted to tape old folks who would tell their stories, guided by good questions that gave shape, form and narrative. I taught workshops at UWM and taped bright residents at a good assisted-living home. The oral-history project project garnered some news coverage. But the demands and rewards of my day job prevented me from pursuing the family history service. The path not taken. …)
Studs Terkel, in his nineties, flew from Chicago to cut the ribbon at Grand Central Terminal when StoryCorps opened its first booth. Two years later, StoryCorps became a national project when it launched two mobile booths.
StoryCorps, at its inception suspected it would hear the same story frame over and over again. Many stories emerged from the three main themes: birth, love and death, as siblings, children and others talk with their elders and other subjects.
Although it takes a special courage to enter a StoryCorps booth, it is open and accessible to everyone. Each session represents an act of love and respect, writes David Isay.
The StoryCorps project gives gifts between generations. This book gives forty-nine of those gifts, a best-of from the first three years.
Nonetheless, while these tales make interesting reading, they work better as spoken word radio pieces, which adds the pathos, pacing, inflection and emotion that the printed page cannot convey.
(About twenty-five years ago, I began developing a service that would record family histories. Genealogy is one thing, revealing our roots as a family tree. But to build on that graphic, I wanted to tape old folks who would tell their stories, guided by good questions that gave shape, form and narrative. I taught workshops at UWM and taped bright residents at a good assisted-living home. The oral-history project project garnered some news coverage. But the demands and rewards of my day job prevented me from pursuing the family history service. The path not taken. …)
November 30, 2007
"...if we take the time to listen, we'll find wisdom, wonder, and poetry in the lives and stories of the people all around us. That we all want to know our lives have mattered and we won't ever be forgotten. That listening is an act of love."
"One of the things that has accompanied me, followed me, surrounded me, wrapped me, is that feeling of gratitude for whatever happens. The event was like beig picked up by the scruff of the neck and shaken. And God says, "This is your only life! Just be grateful for it. Just be grateful that you've got these days and these hours and these wonderful people in your life. Just be grateful for that."
"You have not breathed a single breath when you were not the most important thing in my life."
"Grief is when you get up the next day and you see the sun, and you say 'Will I ever think the sun is beautiful again?'"
"One of the men looked at his story, took it in his hands, and literally danced through the halls of the old hotel shouting, 'I exist! I exist!' I was stunned. I realized as never before how many people among us feel completely invisible, believe their lives don't matter, and fear they'll someday be forgotten."
"I see this vision of purple coming down the street. She was so glamorous, and I thought, 'What the hell is she going to see in me, a two-bit farm boy?' That's when I tried to duck out. I turned and tried to get in the door. But it was locked. And I often think if that door was open, it would have ended there. It was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me."
"One of the things that has accompanied me, followed me, surrounded me, wrapped me, is that feeling of gratitude for whatever happens. The event was like beig picked up by the scruff of the neck and shaken. And God says, "This is your only life! Just be grateful for it. Just be grateful that you've got these days and these hours and these wonderful people in your life. Just be grateful for that."
"You have not breathed a single breath when you were not the most important thing in my life."
"Grief is when you get up the next day and you see the sun, and you say 'Will I ever think the sun is beautiful again?'"
"One of the men looked at his story, took it in his hands, and literally danced through the halls of the old hotel shouting, 'I exist! I exist!' I was stunned. I realized as never before how many people among us feel completely invisible, believe their lives don't matter, and fear they'll someday be forgotten."
"I see this vision of purple coming down the street. She was so glamorous, and I thought, 'What the hell is she going to see in me, a two-bit farm boy?' That's when I tried to duck out. I turned and tried to get in the door. But it was locked. And I often think if that door was open, it would have ended there. It was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me."
September 8, 2008
I have not been a StoryCorps listener, but after reading this book, I'm planning to become one!
My book club selected this book, but there actually wasn't much to discuss, unlike other books we've read. I'd say it's a great book to read, not a great book for book club.
I had several favorite stories, but the interviews in the last portion of the book ("Fire and Water") were the most moving and memorable. Four of them were very touching: a story from a survivor who made it out of one of the WTC Towers alive, an interview with a man whose fiancee (an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald) was killed on 9/11, an interview with a man who lost his entire family during Hurricane Katrina, and a story from a nurse working at a hospital during Katrina.
I really liked hearing about how StoryCorps was founded, and getting a peek into the lives of so many different people. I do wish there were some funny stories included. The book made me think about how my family starts telling stories around the dinner table, and we have a few funny favorites. Now I just need to remember to record one of those family dinners some time!
My book club selected this book, but there actually wasn't much to discuss, unlike other books we've read. I'd say it's a great book to read, not a great book for book club.
I had several favorite stories, but the interviews in the last portion of the book ("Fire and Water") were the most moving and memorable. Four of them were very touching: a story from a survivor who made it out of one of the WTC Towers alive, an interview with a man whose fiancee (an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald) was killed on 9/11, an interview with a man who lost his entire family during Hurricane Katrina, and a story from a nurse working at a hospital during Katrina.
I really liked hearing about how StoryCorps was founded, and getting a peek into the lives of so many different people. I do wish there were some funny stories included. The book made me think about how my family starts telling stories around the dinner table, and we have a few funny favorites. Now I just need to remember to record one of those family dinners some time!
May 19, 2018
A beautiful reminder of the importance of stories and what's important to most people: each other.
August 1, 2015
I love StoryCorps. This book has some very good stories from the series, and in a variety that shows the kinds of stories that have developed. At the end of the book, Dave Isay adds information on doing interviews that every family should make part of their family reunions!
I'm not a short story reader. Dave Isay says at the end of the book that the StoryCorps stories included in this book vary from the original format because instead of being listeners, we become readers. The stories still have power and emotion in written form, but this book cries out to be an audio book! Which, of course, is what StoryCorps is, in its original format.
I give StoryCorps itself five stars. GoodReads' three star rating means "I liked it" and that's all I can say about the printed form of the stories. I miss the voices!
I'm not a short story reader. Dave Isay says at the end of the book that the StoryCorps stories included in this book vary from the original format because instead of being listeners, we become readers. The stories still have power and emotion in written form, but this book cries out to be an audio book! Which, of course, is what StoryCorps is, in its original format.
I give StoryCorps itself five stars. GoodReads' three star rating means "I liked it" and that's all I can say about the printed form of the stories. I miss the voices!
January 28, 2008
(Thanks, Kate!)
A selection of narratives from the StoryCorps Project that were compartmentalized into chapters based on what the person was talking about. This book does seem to make truth of the idea that every ordinary and even extraordinary person has something worthwhile to say. My favorite chapter was "History & Struggle", particularly the story within the chapter about the young woman and her "odiferous" year in North Dakota. Of course, the stories in the chapter "Fire & Ice" surrounding Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 were heartwarming and heartbreaking and sometimes at the same time--but the more subtle stories in the book, recollections that you might forget if they weren't written down, were the ones that I found most fulfilling.
A selection of narratives from the StoryCorps Project that were compartmentalized into chapters based on what the person was talking about. This book does seem to make truth of the idea that every ordinary and even extraordinary person has something worthwhile to say. My favorite chapter was "History & Struggle", particularly the story within the chapter about the young woman and her "odiferous" year in North Dakota. Of course, the stories in the chapter "Fire & Ice" surrounding Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 were heartwarming and heartbreaking and sometimes at the same time--but the more subtle stories in the book, recollections that you might forget if they weren't written down, were the ones that I found most fulfilling.
March 26, 2008
First of all, let me say that StoryCorps could very well be one of my most favorite things about NPR.
It feels like a gift to read these intimate moments in peoples' lives.
Who would think that opening up to another person and recording it for prosperity could be such a captivating thing. Maybe it just goes to show in this hectic world how seldom we really do listen to one another or share stories about what is important to us.
Most of all this book makes me happy that personal accounts of all types of people can be so moving. It really shows how individuals can impact other people's lives. Maybe just one or a few, but that has meaning.
So what are you waiting for.....go read this book...and keep a few tissues nearby.
It feels like a gift to read these intimate moments in peoples' lives.
Who would think that opening up to another person and recording it for prosperity could be such a captivating thing. Maybe it just goes to show in this hectic world how seldom we really do listen to one another or share stories about what is important to us.
Most of all this book makes me happy that personal accounts of all types of people can be so moving. It really shows how individuals can impact other people's lives. Maybe just one or a few, but that has meaning.
So what are you waiting for.....go read this book...and keep a few tissues nearby.
February 26, 2012
I've only discovered public radio in the past few years, as I began making the bi-monthly drive to-and-from South Jersey. As with the other great things in life -- becoming an avid library user, learning to operate a motor vehicle -- I'm pretty late to the game.
I love the idea of the Storycorp, but I'm not sure what I was looking for when I picked up this book. It has a wide range of stories from all different strokes of life, including a section on 9/11 and Katrina that reduced me to tears on the PATH train. In hindsight, I wish I had heard these stories instead of read them, but I did appreciate getting to know a little bit more about the non-profit's history.
I love the idea of the Storycorp, but I'm not sure what I was looking for when I picked up this book. It has a wide range of stories from all different strokes of life, including a section on 9/11 and Katrina that reduced me to tears on the PATH train. In hindsight, I wish I had heard these stories instead of read them, but I did appreciate getting to know a little bit more about the non-profit's history.
November 26, 2012
I am a huge fan of StoryCorps on NPR! I'm making my way through the three collections. I gave this book four stars because while there are many incredibly powerful stories that touched me deeply, there were just as many with which I just couldn't connect, and it takes away from the experience a little bit when you're not drawn into the story. The Journey and the Fire & Water sections are tearjerkers, and my favorite sections. The Work section was pretty dynamic too. Be sure to check out the StoryCorps on NPR every Friday morning if you haven't yet. You can even stream it if you miss it. The stories are always more powerful hen you can hear them in their own voice.
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