There are a great many people worth knowing all around us, and hopefully this may remain an inspiration. Having a journalist's hat is a nice convenience to allow one to legitimately take interest in another, but, imagine that coming to turn the stranger into the proverbial neighbor need not require the privilege of an occupational excuse. This is a nice little taste of what that might be like. There are many who wish they could be privy to hear about the life of the any and many they might meet around any corner, mundane or magnificent that it may be. I don't think you can enjoy Studs Terkel unless you are a genuinely curious person who is willing to be surprised by what you discover in any person you might cross paths with. I am a small town reporter myself, and this reminds me of the kind of curiosity and high human regard that can make even the simplest of people seem as though they are also providing of the most profound insight and approach to life. Attention is called to the work life of a variety of different people, but also to Terkel himself as a legendary figure for his ability to elicit candid interviews with just about any kind of person you could imagine. Some interesting snippets are featured, with introductions to each one. A real journalist was given access to Terkel's original interview recording material used for his book about work.

I forget the author of this work, but it sounds like a polished NPR piece. This is a wonderful little window into the kind of work Studs Terkel was responsible for. Radio edit of historical Terkel interview samples Four decades later, we hear from some of these same people as they reflect on their original interviews - and on the startling changes in their lives since. The result is a stunning audio documentary that captures the voices of Americans from vastly different backgrounds, each reflecting on the rewards, the challenges, and the often surprising value of work in their lives. Partnering with the Chicago History Museum and the Studs Terkel Archives, Project& was given exclusive access to the original recordings and spent a year working with Radio Diaries preparing them for the world to hear as part of the national multimedia initiative Working in America. The great interviewer of his day, Terkel celebrated the uncelebrated, and Working elevated the stories of ordinary people and their daily lives.įor over four decades, the Working tapes were packed away in Terkel's home office and remained unheard - until now. The result was the best-selling book Working. In the early 1970s, author and radio host Studs Terkel went around the country with a reel-to-reel tape recorder interviewing people about their jobs. The complete audio documentary as broadcast by NPR, plus exclusive bonus interviews and commentary.

Working book studs terkel