BuzzFlash Reviews
Remembering Studs Terkel. Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression (Paperback)
By Studs Terkel
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Here is an excerpt from a eulogy of Terkel printed on November 1, 2008, by Roger Ebert:
"So there wasn't a World Series in Chicago, and Studs missed the 2008 Presidential election. Other than that, Louis (Studs) Terkel did everything possible in 96 years.
Was he the greatest Chicagoan? I cannot think of another. For me, he represented the joyous, scrappy, liberal, generous, wise-cracking heart of this city. If you met him, he was your friend. That happened to the hundreds and hundreds of people he interviewed for his radio show and 20 best-selling books. He wrote down the oral histories of those of his time who did not have a voice. In conversation he could draw up every single one of their names."
And as we traverse these daunting economic times of hardship, there is no better book to read than "Hard Times" to remember how our parents and grandparents had the courage to forge through the depression.
From the publisher, the New Press:
A huge anthem in praise of the American spirit.
�Saturday Review
In this unique re-creation of one of the most dramatic periods in modern American history, Studs Terkel recaptures the Great Depression of the 1930s in all its complexity. The book is a mosaic of memories from those who were richest to those who were most destitute: politicians like James Farley and Raymond Moley; businessmen like Bill Benton and Clement Stone; a six-day bicycle racer; artists and writers; racketeers; speakeasy operators, strikers, and impoverished farmers; people who were just kids; and those who remember losing a fortune.
Hard Times is not only a gold mine of information�much of it little known�but also a fascinating interplay of memory and fact, showing how the Depression affected the lives of those who experienced it firsthand, often transforming the most bitter memories into a surprising nostalgia.
As one online reviewer noted:
"Understanding history helps us understand the future.
Studs Terkel's book is a recounting of the past, but is also a story of our coming future.
Read it!"
When "Hard Times" was first published, Arthur Miller heaped praise upon it:
"'Hard Times' doesn't render the time of the depression -- It is that times, its lingo, its tragic and hilarious stories."
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