The Interview Chain

by Lynn Farley-Rose

Everyone has something interesting to say if you take the time to listen. The Interview Chain is a series of conversations—each interviewee was asked to nominate someone they admire as the next link.

Starting from a casual conversation on a boat on the Thames, the chain wended its way for over 23,000 miles, alighting on three continents and gathering up personal perspectives on issues that really matter in the world today.

The interviewees include a theatre director, a rabbi, a philanthropist, a sculptor, a New York Mayoral candidate, a pioneering documentary maker, and a man who rescues giant trees. Some have worked in challenging places—Kabul in the time of the Taliban, a Romanian orphanage, immigration detention centres, remote Indian villages—while others have found themselves caught up in extraordinary situations such as the Rwandan genocide, the Ferguson uprising, and the UN Climate Change Negotiations.

Paperback

Published June 30, 2021

About the author

Lynn Farley-Rose spent her childhood in Devon and then went to university in London. She spent some years working as a research psychologist before a move to Sussex resulted in a complete change of lifestyle. At one point she was responsible for the welfare of thirty-two animals and eight species including her four children. 31 Treats And A Marriage is her first book and arose out of an interest in ways to cope when life throws up challenges. She's working on her second book and writes a regular blog, treatsandmore.com which includes interviews, treats, travel and trivia.

Reviews

[Rachel Bridgeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that this is one of the most interesting and thought-provoking book which I have read this year. Initially begun from an observation on a train platform, graduating into a podcast and then a selection of connections put together as a book, 'The Interview Chain' contains a singular thread of humanity, hope and heart felt observations.

Out of the 20 people interviewed, there are 14 women and 6 men-this is entirely organic in that each person nominates the next one in the chain, and explains why they chose that individual.

Each person puts forward a connection who they have found inspiring, influential and possible career defining from their association. The sheer world and decades spanning experiences of these 20 individuals , come from a place of awareness of their place in the human race and a sense of community which is sadly lacking in many ways today. Beginning in Wales with a wonderfully creative environmentalist, Kirsti,and ending with an American director, Mun Wah, travelling over the internet, and in real life where possible, Lynn  gives a platform to her subjects , and in doing so, she becomes part of the chain.

She creates a community of stories, something which has always fascinated me and is, I think, why I went into nursing, I love the stories that people tell me. She continues a tradition begun with bards and poets, wanderers and dreamers which is to link us by the stories we tell. However, a story can only be told as long as there is a patient and willing ear waiting to listen.

And what I loved as well is the generosity with which Lynn shares short biographies and links to the projects that these individuals are involved in at the back of the book.

It's a truly outstanding collaboration where questions are asked, and answered, and by reading it I felt enriched, enlightened and educated.

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review is on my website www.bookread2day.wordpress.com

My first thoughts were when I saw the title The Interview Chain, is that it was an unusual title. I was really inquisitive with not really having a clue what to expect.

Well I love surprises to see where an unique book will take me. As soon as I started reading I thought this just the kind of book that I’m going to love, because it’s fresh of the page, nothing like this book has ever been done before.

Lynn Farley-Rose explains how she hit on the idea to name her book The Interview Chain and where she was on observing people.

I found this book really interesting as I love watching the morning shows where presenters interview, an ordinary person with a story to tell or reading a magazine about the lives of ordinary people or if they do a special job. And Lynn Farley-Rose has built her book upon the most interesting, intelligent people that she has met and interviewed.

The reason it’s called The Interview Chain, is that she had, hit on an impressive idea where Lynn would interview one person, that will lead to another person that would be linked to the first person.
For example the first person Lynn interviews is a smart woman Kristi who is an artist, who uses art to communicate messages about climate change and other environmental issues. And Kristi explains about her very first Kew project that was The Incredible Edible Tea Party with a difference that I won’t spill, but it had a fabulous Alice in Wonderland feel to it.

Lynn has a lovely set of questions and answers to Kirsti. And because Kristi was interested in environmental education this leads Lynn Farley-Rose to interview a lady named Megan who is a climate change campaigner and researcher.

Then Megan passed Lynn on to Mala who Megan first met at university but are now housemates.
And here this true-life interview takes on a special lead with each person that is interviewed recommends to Lynn Farley-Rose her next person up for an interview.

The whole book is very interesting with links to all the interviewees website or the ones that have published books of their own.

I recommend this paperback The Interview Chain to anyone who likes to read about true-life interesting things that people do.

[Sophie Narey (Bookreview- aholic) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this was such a hard review to write , not because of the book but its so hard to find a way to not end up with spoilers in it !

It is absolutely wonderfully written and is such a great book to read, it is one of the kinds of books that when you read it, really opens up your mind and has you thinking about new things and things in a different way.

The book is a series on conversations , each person was asked to nominate someone they admire to be the next person in the chain. This book takes you all over , you meet fascinating people and learn alsort of facts and after each person you feel like you know them , there is a wide variety of people that are involved , people from all walks of life .

This is so expertly written and is such a fun to read, I highly recommend it !

[Lynsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book fascinating! First of all as a social project but also just the stories which were told. People like these who have been interviewed in a way make me feel inferior. It makes me realise how small a life I have lived compared to those interview. They will make an impact on the world, whether it is through charity or a performance, or fighting climate change. These peoples stories need to be told and I am so pleased that Lynn has done this. I loved the fact that she never knew who she was interviewing next and whether it would work out for her project. I can imagine that would have made her nervous but I like how it shows a true reflection on people’s connections throughout the world.

Im not going to say too much about the actual interviews as it’s hard not to spoil them. However, I will mention Romania. The scene which haunts the teller of the story will also now haunt me. I studied the USSR and it’s break up at university and although I knew the situation was desperate it’s first person accounts that make it real.

This book has inspired me to make my own chain - I’m going to pass this onto my friend Karina and then ask her to do the same again. I like the idea of the book making it’s way round the world. I have also purchased a pouch from Love Welcomes, one of the charities mentioned in the book as I was so impressed with what they do over in America and beyond. This section of their work takes strips of material left over by migrants life vests etc and weave them into goods for sale.

[Terri (BooklyMatters) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who inspires you?

The author of this fascinating collection of non-fictional stories asked this very question to twenty people, beginning with one author-selected subject, and then following the chain organically by meeting with each interviewees inspirational choice in sequence. The result is a wonderful compendium of insights into how we find connection, inspiration and motivation in others, and the impact one individual can have on the life and accomplishments of another.

The sharing of this incredibly diverse set of heart-wrenching stories and the glimpses provided into the worlds of those compelled to take action could not help but make me see the world differently and perhaps, as the author suggests, takes us all one step closer to making our world “a kinder and more connected place”.

Each story is powered by values seen reflected in another and decisions made to honor those values - ranging the gambit from:

-A life devoted to performance and community arts targeted to raise awareness on environmental issues and climate change.

-A lawyer practicing human-rights law affecting the treatment of detainees and asylum seekers

-A nurse who has seen “some things just too powerful to leave you” in her work with malignant melanoma patients.

-A physiotherapist inspired to volunteer in India and the profound influence this had on her life

-A reconciliation worker in Rwanda helping traumatized genocide survivors discover new meaning

-An Episcopal minister providing support, life-skills and hope for abused women on the streets and in prison

It’s impossible not to feel a touch of your own inspiration as you take away this books overarching message of love and hope.

In the words of one of my favourite stories, that of a sixty-six year old female rabbi:

“Once you know, you have to do something, you have to act.

I want to live in a world where we can trust each other and not have to be the same.

I want to respond to what’s in front of me,but I also want to honor those who will come after me, and those who’ve come before me - my mother and those other wise women whose shoulders I stand on.

How do I take what I’ve learned and make space for the next generation and find ways to support them as we continue to fight injustice.

I’m still trying to figure it all out.”

And so are we all.

A great big thank you to the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought the concept behind The Interview Chain was a fascinating one. The author had the idea for the book in a railway station one day. She was looking at the other people around her and reflecting on how they all had their own different experiences of life and their own circle of people they knew, people and experiences she knew nothing about. It’s something I’ve often thought about myself and it can really start to mess with your mind! She decided to run a series of interviews on her blog with each person nominating someone else they knew who inspired them as the next interviewee. The book is the result of these interviews, with twenty very diverse people taking part. Their occupations or passions were equally varied with a midwife, a minister, a rabbi, environmental activists, political activists, a musician, a vineyard owner and a theatre director all amongst those taking part.

I won’t say much about the content of each interview as that would be to tell the participants’ stories and they can do that far better that I can. I found this to be such an engaging and interesting read. The participants’ willingness to be so open about their experiences was both humbling and inspiring. To read about the difficult, indeed sometimes horrific, situations some of the interviewees have gone through was difficult at times and the self-effacing way they speak about their responses to the situations was very moving.

Another thing that was really interesting was to see just where in the world the chain would stretch and it made me think where a chain would go if I was the starting point. The chain in this case began in London and ended in California with New York, Rwanda, Leeds, India, Kabul all places which were significant to the people taking part.

The Interview Chain is a book I definitely recommend. I learned about situations I wasn’t familiar with from some of the interviewees and they were all such interesting people to read about. I found it a very uplifting read, seeing how good can come from negative situations. It is such a great idea for a book, a really absorbing read. I think the author has accomplished what she set out to do which was to share ‘interesting, inspiring and surprising stories’.

[Renata · Rating 5 out of 5]

The innovative format of the book was what intrigued me to pick it up: a series of interviews where one interviewee recommends the next person on the list. Every candidate was asked to suggest the name of the person whom they admired the most or were inspired by, and it was interesting to see how the thread unraveled. From college friends and colleagues, to parents and friends of children; from the neighborhood to another continent; Farley-Rose travelled within the city and country to meet people personally, and conducted interviews virtually since the pre-pandemic era. The Interview Chain has been in production since a while, with the author entirely dependent of her interviewees for steering the chain forward. Theatre artists, documentary filmmakers, religious leaders, politicians, students; youngsters and nonagenarians - the reader is treated to a range of personalities who are everyday people unassumingly inspiring those they have connected with in some way/form/place. The Interview Chain serves as a lesson in humanity - just like the African concept of Ubuntu, every individual is connected to another, who is connected to someone else, and the chain loops and knots and winds around the world.

[Caroline Venables · Rating 5 out of 5]

love reading about people and their individual experiences and therefore it is a given I loved this book.

Each interview is absolutely fascinating and gives you such an insight into different lives and cultures. That person then gives the name of somebody else who should be interviewed, hence how you get a chain.

There are twenty interviews in the book and you get to hear such varied topics from nursing to drama. The one theme that links everyone in this book is how they are trying to make the world a better place, not just for themselves but for those who come after. You really get to see how the world’s big events filter down to the people living through them. A minute segment on the news is forgotten by those it doesn’t directly effect.

That minute is somebodies reality and their stories are shared here.

Highly recommended.

[Donna Morfett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really excited by the idea of this book. It is such a unique premise. It is overwhelmingly uplifting, as well as being funny, poignant and heartbreaking.
It is quite a difficult book to review without spoiling anything. Therefore I can only really say, add this to your TBR immediately, and give it a go. Even if its out of your comfort zone, not your normal genre, it is so worth reading.

[Holland House Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most lovely approach to tell social change stories that I have read about ever, and it is an overwhelming honor to be part of this book.

Ruth Messinger, Global Ambassador to the American Jewish World Service and former New York City political leader.