My American Century

Great book! Timely delivery! Wonderful condition!

Typical Terkel

This book was sent promptly and was in excellent condition, like brand new....makes me want to buy all my books through Amazon as I saved sooo much $!!!

As I have done on other occasions when I am reviewing more than one work by an author I am using some of the same comments, where they are pertinent, here as I did in earlier reviews. In this series the first Studs Terkel book reviewed was that of his "The Good War": an Oral History of World War II".Strangely, as I found out about the recent death of long time pro-working class journalist and general truth-teller "Studs" Terkel I was just beginning to read his "The Good War", about the lives and experiences of, mainly, ordinary people during World War II in America and elsewhere, for review in this space. As with other authors once I get started I tend to like to review several works that are relevant to see where their work goes. I have thus read and reviewed individually the six oral histories that make up this book elsewhere. In the present case My Century serves rather nicely to put in one place the best of Terkel's interviews, or at lest the ones of continuing interest. Thus from the approximately one thousand interviews that have seen the light of day in those six books here we have about fifty to marvel at again.As part of my reflecting what to write for this review I was struck by the range of subjects, although in some places tied together and repeated, that interested Studs. Most famously, that of the what makes people tick and get out of bed each day of "Working"; the strong sense of social solidarity that binds those who fought World War II in "The Good War"; that same sense of solidarity and grit for those who survived the Great Depression in" Hard Times"; the unstated but ever present sense of class that animates "Division Street"; the not so unstated sense of race that clouds the fight for a just society in "Race"; and, the sense of longing and lost of his fellow survivors of the Depression and World War II expressed in "Coming Of Age". What a mix and what a masterful job of having the ear and eye to put it together.As always, the one thing that I noticed immediately after reading this book, and as is true of the majority of Terkel's interview books, is that he is not the dominant presence but is a rather light, if intensely interested, interloper in these stories. For better or worse the interviewees get to tell their stories, unchained. In this age of 24/7 media coverage with every half-baked journalist or wannabe interjecting his or her personality into somebody else's story this was, and is, rather refreshing. Of course this journalistic virtue does not mean that Studs did not have control over who got to tell their stories and who didn't to fit his preoccupations and sense of order. He has a point he wants to make and that is that although most "ordinary" people do not make the history books they certainly make history, if not always of their own accord or to their own liking. Again, kudos and adieu Studs.

A collection of interviews from Terkel's other books. A lot of normal people from all walks of life in our century talking about their points of views on various things. Very cool stuff. Just goes to show that everyone, no matter where they're from or what they do or how much education they have, has a story and some wisdom to share.

After reading Mr. Terkel's book, I realized our great country is shaped by the average folks next door (unless you live in Beverly Hills!). I was drawn to this book in a desire to read about how average Americans live their lives and make decisions that affect us all. I get tired of hearing about the rich and famous (athletes, entertainers, etc.) who really add little to our lives. How can they relate to parents who do their best to raise children without obscene amounts of money at their disposal? I showed this book to my 80-year mother who loved it! She relayed some WWII stories of her own when she worked in Long Beach at an aircraft manufacturing firm (McDonnell-Douglas). A wonderful book...do your mind a favor and read it.

No one tells history like the people who lived it, and Terkel is a master at getting "ordinary folks" to share their perspectives with the world. If you are looking for grand re-rellings on broader issues, this is not for you. If you want to know how people reacted to what was happenening immediately around them, then you're in business, here.This is a fine compendium, almost a "best-of" type collection, and serves its purpose well. Another strong point is that this is not a book one feels compelled to pick up and complete in a sitting or three. Rather, one can easily pick it up, put it down and then return to it weeks later, as I did.

Terkel's genius is in letting others speak. This book is an amalgam of his other books, all "written" by average Americans who have had ordinary, yet unique, American experiences. It blends the best of his other works, including stories of the American workforce from CEO's to auto assembly line workers; oral histories of the Depression from people who remember bread lines and hunger pangs; thoughts on the division between poor and rich from the "haves" and the "have nots"; remembrances of WWII from front line soldiers and the loved ones they left behind; and reflections on racism from Black, White, and mixed race people. This book makes for excellent bedtime reading, as it is separated into five to ten page vignettes. At times, it can be infuriating, at others, it can move you to tears. This is an authentic record of being American in the twentieth century, put together by a man who shows great sympathy and affection for his subjects.