Studs Terkel: Conversations with America (review)

“Describe yourself. Who are you?” Louis “Studs” Terkel (1912–2008) often began interviews with this simple directive. When the question was asked of him, he replied “a busybody” and a “disc jockey.” He insisted that the people he interviewed were the true authors of his books and that his reputation as an oral historian was “something of a joke”:

Oral history was here long before the pen … and the printing press …. The difference is I have a tape recorder in my hand, they didn’t.

His guests usually replied with descriptions of family or work but veered surprisingly quickly into more sensitive territory. In one interview, Oscar Heleen’s voice breaks when recalling the individual struggles of farmers who lost everything in the Great Depression. In another, the voice of a Japanese woman, quietly urgent, describes the horrors of surviving an atomic bomb as her translator breaks off in tears midsentence, pleading, “I don’t think I can say it.” Throughout the interviews, Terkel prompts his guests in that unmistakable “Chicago wiseguy” accent—clarifying and coaxing, but never hindering.

These moments are preserved on the Studs Terkel: Conversations with America Web site ( http://www.studsterkel.org/ ) produced by the Chicago History Museum (CHM). Designed and hosted by MATRIX at Michigan State University (MSU), the site is part of the “Historical Voices” database. When Terkel became CHM’s first Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence in 1998, he donated recordings of The Studs Terkel Program, which ran for more than forty years on Chicago’s WFMT radio. Two years later, he donated oral histories generated while conducting research for his books—more than 7000 h altogether. Conversations represents a selection of recordings from both groups. Rich in content without being flashy, the site includes easy-to-navigate pages containing audio links, photographs, and background information. Links to a free download of Real Player—required to play the audio files—are conveniently, if not prominently, displayed on all pages with audio.

The “Information” and “Bio” pages offer a glimpse into Terkel’s family life, the serendipitous events which led to his successful radio programs and ultimately, to his reputation as an oral historian. The experience is marred, however, by a feature which was surely intended to enhance it. Invitations to “LISTEN” are peppered throughout the Bio page, but clicking the links produces error messages—a big disappointment on an oral history site. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing broken links persist in several areas, most notably in The Studs Terkel Program and Talking to Myself galleries.

But happily, the uncluttered, user-friendly design that greets visitors to the home page is mirrored throughout the site. The bulk of audio files reside in the themed “galleries,” which include groups of interviews focusing on the Great Depression, war, race, Chicago, and poverty. Each gallery includes a theme summary, an image, and selected quotes. Individual interviews include a brief summary, keywords, and identifying information.

A search page allows users to enter more specific criteria in several fields. This feature is effective for pulling together interviews addressing a particular topic or person, but users should be aware that terms entered in fields on the search page will be sought only from within the corresponding field of each interview. For example, the term “student” in the keyword search field will find all instances in the “keyword,” but not the “summary,” section of individual interviews.

The education page hosts aids created by staff at CHM, MSU, and MATRIX. Included are two sources on the practice and mechanics of creating oral histories—including recording and processing—and two sources in which Terkel’s recordings are the focal point for “help[ing] students understand pivotal historical moments, complex social issues, and the roots of protest and conflict as well as lead[ing] them to deeper knowledge of everyday life.” Aids are targeted at grades 6–12 but could easily be expanded to an undergraduate audience. Designed to instill an appreciation of oral history...