Coming of Age: The Story of Our Century by Those Who've Lived It

by Studs Terkel

A Pulitzer Prize-winning author pens a far-reaching panorama that encompasses the lives of seventy aging individuals with wide ranging personal experiences that clearly show how American working lives have drastically changed over the course of the twentieth century. Reprint. Tour.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Sociology, American History, Journalism, American

468 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

Louis "Studs" Terkel was an American author, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for "The Good War", and is best remembered for his oral histories of common Americans, and for hosting a long-running radio show in Chicago.

Terkel was acclaimed for his efforts to preserve American oral history. His 1985 book "The Good War: An Oral History of World War Two", which detailed ordinary peoples' accounts of the country's involvement in World War II, won the Pulitzer Prize. For "Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression", Terkel assembled recollections of the Great Depression that spanned the socioeconomic spectrum, from Okies, through prison inmates, to the wealthy. His 1974 book, "Working" also was highly acclaimed. In 1995, he received the Chicago History Museum "Making History Award" for Distinction in Journalism and Communications. In 1997, Terkel was elected a member of The American Academy of Arts and Letters. Two years later, he received the George Polk Career Award in 1999.

Reviews

[Joel Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a recommendation to read Studs Terkel because I love World War Z, and while Terkels work is all non-fiction interviews the style is similar. This was a great read and filled with really cool stories of post war life, a lot of progressive stories (labor, sexuality, poverty, equality, racism), but also a lot of great slice of life mixed with significant points of life. This was written in the early 90s and Studs interviews folks in their 70s+.

[Galicius · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most positive outlook about the future of the USA, the world, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa in the first third of these historical recollections is from Russell Knapp on page 133. I was uplifted by this entry because there is much pain and distress over how things were in the catastrophic twentieth century with dim outlooks into the next. Alas these pessimisms were proved during the next twenty years after these reflections were published in 1995.

Katherine Kuhn, first curator of modern art at Chicago’s Art Institute has an overview of art during the last 150 years:

Dadaism which she calls “art of negation” was a reaction to WWI. Cubism was seeing “everything at once” and was influenced by Einstein. Marcel Duchamp’s nihilism in painting came after WWII. Surrealism influenced American abstract expressionism like Jackson Pollack. She liked this group. She questions what is “conceptual art.” (I had a similar idea back in the sixties or early seventies—I can find out when exactly—of describing musical compositions by doing reviews of compositions that did not exist and were never heard.) Kuhn saw 100 years of creative art during the second half of the 19th Century and first half of the 20th. After that was a “period of rest” and there are shenanigans going on between what passes for art and financiers look to invest in art for purely financial reasons.

Valerie Taylor, 79, told Terkel she is writing probably her last book “Waiting to Die” which she probably will not finish. It looks like she did not though she lived about 15 more years. But more significant were her comments about staying out of retirement homes. She said in the interview:
“It’s about staying at home and taking care of myself. . . I’ll die before I go into a retirement home, I’ll tell you that. I’ve done volunteer work in some of those homes and they’re terrible. Even the good ones, so called. You leave behind everything that was yours. They expect you to become a nothing, and that’s what you become. I’d just as soon be on my own and then die and be done with it. Independent, you gotta be.” (p. 314)

There are fascinating interviews with people from San Francisco to Maine and some not so interesting at all like those promoting non-traditional relationships. (Am I politically correct?) Some of the most interesting:

“The big moment in my life happened while I was giving a health lecture to nuclear engineers. In the middle of my talk, it hit me! What the hell am I saying? If you don’t know whether low doses are safe or not, going ahead is exactly wrong. At that moment. I changed my position entirely.” (John Gofman, M.D., San Francisco, codiscoverer of uranium-233)

“I grow my own food. Vegetables and fruit. I don’t eat animals. Bernard Shaw was asked why he was a vegetarian. He said, “Why should I explain the normal way I eat? You should explain why you eat carcasses.” (Helen Nearing, Harborshire, Maine, p. 449)

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found myself wanting to meet so many of these people, but it was written some time ago and they are almost certainly all gone by now. Even the stories that were less interesting for their content pulled me in because he doesn't filter it too much- it's like you can actually hear them talking out of the page. Makes me miss my grandmother.

[Mark Fallon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1993-4, Terkel sought our people in their 70s, 80s and 90s to talk about their lives - past and current. This is the sort of project that should be completed every decade. If only there was a worthy successor tp Studs Terkel.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read other books by Terkel. They are all excellent social commentary about different roles of various people in society.

Recommended!

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Studs Terkel was eighty three years old when he gathered and published this collection of interviews with people we kindly refer to as “elders” or less reverentially as “those in their dotage”. Some are as “young” as septuagenarian and a few qualify as centenarian but what impressed me was that although their voices and views were mixed there was little expression of nostalgia or remorse but rather an amazingly positive view of their present and even hope for the future; if not their own, then for the youth of the world. Published in 1995, those interviewed were often looking back on the early parts of the twentieth century but their experiences and viewpoints are just as applicable today as they were then. Although the specifics of events may have changed the underlying causes and solutions to life's ongoing problems remain the same. Even with a certain sadness for some things that have been lost, change is part of living and views from the past are simply replaced by new vision. Seeing the relentlessness of change was occasionally even viewed as humorous. With all of the drama and exciting experiences relayed by some who lived it, the ability to see the irony in being human captivated me. Henry Oettinger, an eighty year old political activist from Chicago said it best: “There is only one more thing I want to do as the time is running out. I want to win the lottery, buy three ships, man them with American Indians, and send them over to discover Italy.”

[dirt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I miss reading this book already.

[Blox · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 stars if you skip 70% of it and only read the interviews that interest you. The sections on education, criminal justice, incredible. But many of the subjects I did not care about at all.

[Izzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book as an audible version; I think it was abridged; according to the review there may have been a couple of tales I missed; I agree with the reviewer that the old folks were mostly rather lefty, and the questioning, as she says, was rather pedestrian; I knew Quentin but didn’t learn too much form the interview. It was interesting to hear about the Wobblies, and the CIO’s sitdown strike in FLin at the end of 1936.

[Bingustini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy it as much as Working or Hard Times. Maybe that's because the people interviewed tend to be people who are recognized as having accomplished a lot, so you don't feel like you're listening to unsung heroes or villains as with some of his other work. That said, it's great, and I really loved the interview with J. K. Galbraith.

[Pete Papagiannis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life affirming stuff here, folks. My first real deep-dive into oral histories and this one was incredibly uplifting despite some intense stories. Hundreds of reflections on life itself and what it means to grow old. I found it more impactful to not have photos or audio from any of the subjects - you melt into their life story via your imagination.

Overall takeaway: retirement is a scam!

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of 70 oral histories of people over 70. Each oral history is condensed into 5-8 page chapters. The book was much better than I anticipated. One recurring theme from the different oral histories is that younger generations do not learn their history and this prevents them from understanding current events and political frameworks.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of stories, with a good mix of famous and non-famous. One gets the sense it's supposed to be representative, and while it's not bad that Terkel emphasizes old lefties, it feels overly optimistic to be omitting the racists and reactionaries.

[Gregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Terkel who offers an unapologetic snapshot of Americana - highlighting both the common and "not so" common American citizen. Wonderful stories of triumph and tragedy. Both inspiring and heartbreaking as his characters look back on lives well-lived and not so well-lived.

[david · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only wish it were longer. Terkel was a national treasure and the interviews featured here are some of his finest. The one with especially Harry Hay is beautiful and moving.

[Rob Pritts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpiece. Studs Terkel is America!

[Greg Akins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some fascinating and moving stories.

[Laine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really great to read short bios of amazing folks in labor towards the end of their lives. A bit repetitive after a while, I didn't enjoy it as much as some of his other books.

[Jenny Dallas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed many of the interviews in the book

[Bruce Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely set of thoughts and remembrances of people - saying the same sorts of things most of us will think or say as we age.

[Lisa]

Audio, abridged.

[Nicole Mckairnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its funny that these interviews occurred 30 years at this point and yet nothing has changed.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed books by Pulitzer Prize winning writer, journalist and oral historian Studs Terkel because they often give amazing insights into the lives of ordinary people who have lived through extraordinary times (Hard Times) or circumstances (Division Street and Working). Coming of Age: The Story of Our Century Through Those Who've Lived It contains interviews with a wide variety of people whose lifetimes spanned almost the entire 20th Century, people in my mother's and father's generation (she was born in 1906; he in 1911) who experienced the Great War as children and teens, came of age in the Roaring Twenties, lived through the Depression, World War II and Cold War as adults, experienced the social upheavals of the 60's and 70's, and endured the political and economic changes of the 80's and most of the 90's as senior citizens on limited incomes and often with decreasing health. The book was published in 1996 and asked them to reflect back on their near century of life, discuss the present, and anticipate the upcoming century.

For the most part the interviews were as varied as the people who gave them, but a few interesting similarities emerged. For one thing, most of the subjects ended up saying that over the long haul they had few regrets -- they had had regrets once, some of them said, but now they could see there was no reason to regret even what they once regretted. " What would be the point?, " one of them said. "In the end, whatever it is you did, you did -- whatever you should have done or could have done, you didn't. And now, it doesn't matter because what happened, happened and you and the world have survived." In its own way, I found that very comforting!

Another common theme: most were happy to be at this end of their lives. Whether they were generally optimistic or pessimistic about the 21st Century, most felt they didn't want to go there. Overall they concluded that life had become too frantic; the culture, too materialistic; and common courtesy, too absent. Not that life had been simpler or any less difficult in their times past (indeed, for many of them, life had been extremely hard all along), but that current realities projected forward made them happy (in some cases, downright giddy) that they weren't going to live much longer! (I have to admit, I had to keep looking at the publication date to keep remembering that this book was written over a decade ago, the descriptions of the closing down of the social contract, the excessive greed of the wealthy elite, and the general boorishness of every day interaction was so current.) I liked the book very much and did not find it depressing or hopeless, but very encouraging, particularly as someone entering the "golden years" myself. I found their memories of many of the key event of the 20th Century very interesting and their conclusions about their own lives, extremely rich. "I feel so wise," one woman said. "Even though my body is falling apart and I can't remember nearly as well as I once did, nothing much about myself bothers me anymore. I know who I am and I no longer have to worry about who I am becoming. Now it's just a matter of trying to make the world a more just place before I go."

[Nara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish they had Working on audiobook, because it turns out this is the perfect listen for gardening. The narration was awesome and really lit up the individual voices even more than you “hear” them on the page. I love Studs Terkel and would re-read all his books if I could do it on audio. A+

[Stephen Terrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This autobiography is up-close look at our American society and its battles for fairness and justice over most of the 20th century. Terkel was there with a front row seat for most of it.

Terkel was the son of boardinghouse owners who grew up on the streets of New York and Chicago, eventually graduating from the prestigious University of Chicago Law School. But he never practiced law a single day of his life. Instead, he took a weaving course through newspapers, radio, and the infancy of television, to become one of the iconic voices of Chicago. Along the way he was fired, discharged from the Army, tailed by the FBI, and blacklisted all for his liberal political views in defense of equal rights and justice for common working people.

If Terkel didn't invent the concept of oral history, he certainly perfected it. He had the knack for capturing the stories of common people in their own words, and doing so in a way that reflected on many of the major issues that faced the nation for the better part of the century. And he used that same skill in telling his own story.

If you are intrigued with recent American history, or just by fascinating people, you owe it to yourself to check out Coming of Age.

[Ruth]

I loved the two previous Terkel books I've read, The Good War and Working, and was looking forward to another engrossing read in this one. Sadly it just didn't take. Here, he's talking to people who've lived through a major part of the 20th century. (The book was published in 1996.) Most of the interviewees are 70-90 years old and are probably long gone now.

I so enjoyed his previous books for the clear, sympathetic look at ordinary Americans. The untold millions of us who go on with our lives through thick and thin, unstoried and unsung.

This time, however, he seemed to zone in on people who have "accomplished something," people whose names are often familiar to anyone my age, people who've been active in some kind of public life or powerful position.

True, the ordinary people are there, too, but it's the "names" that dominate. I wearied of their litanies--"and then I did this, and then I established/wrote/sold/enacted that..."

I laid aside the book about 3/4 of the way through. It's been a while now. I don't think I'll pick it up again.

What a disappointment.

[Nanto]

Tentengan usai datang ke acara di cipete yang disangka di radal hari ini :D. Punggung terasa berat saat menggendong tas berisikan buku ini. Tali tas pun harus dikendurkan. Tapi saya tahu, selepas bermotor, dengan beban saya tumpahkan di jok belakang, saya akan menuai bacaan yang bermutu. Cerita dari Oma-Opa berumur tentang jaman mereka dan tentunya tentang mereka sendiri. Oma-opa jadi jubir bagi jamannya. Tetap saja harus sabar kayaknya. Serasa datang ke pantri wreda dan merasakan zaman berputar ke belakang.

Menembus lorong waktu dalam tuturan personal.

[David Marriott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first listened to this audiobook fifteen years ago, when I was 50, and found it interesting. Now that I am closer to the age of those who were interviewed to make the book, I decided to listen again. I was affected even more profoundly by the stories that these people had to tell, and the impact that they had on their communities. The issues that they fought for throughout their lives are still very much issues today: the environment, health care, women's rights, minority rights. The wisdom of elders is profound, and too often overlooked in today's society.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book at a garage sell about a year ago, paid a whole 25 cents & it sat on my self. I'm glad I ran out of things to read because this was actually very interesting. There are about 76 interviews of people over the age of 70, most in their 80s. Terkel bunched them around topics but it was inspiring to read how these people lived through some very tough times and made such a difference. It's great that their lives can be remembered in this book long after they are all gone.

[Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, as usual, by Mr. Terkel.

It's like talking to your grandparents, but you get a larger sample than the ones you actually have.

It contains inspiring stories, and it gave me some perspective on my life. Listening to how they remember their life as they are looking back, helped figure out what is important in my.