In this Book
- Stories of Our Lives: Memory, History, Narrative
- Book
- 2013
- Published by: Utah State University Press
summary
In Stories of Our Lives Frank de Caro demonstrates the value of personal narratives in enlightening our lives and our world. We all live with legends, family sagas, and anecdotes that shape our selves and give meaning to our recollections. Featuring an array of colorful stories from de Caro’s personal life and years of field research as a folklorist, the book is part memoir and part exploration of how the stories we tell, listen to, and learn play an integral role in shaping our sense of self.
De Caro’s narrative includes stories within the story: among them a near-mythic capture of his golden-haired grandmother by Plains Indians, a quintessential Italian rags-to-riches grandfather, and his own experiences growing up in culturally rich 1950s New York City, living in India amid the fading glories of a former princely state, conducting field research on Day of the Dead altars in Mexico, and coming home to a battered New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Stories of Our Lives shows that our lives are interesting, and that the stories we tell—however particular to our own circumstances or trivial they may seem to others—reveal something about ourselves, our societies, our cultures, and our larger human existence.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Title Page, Copyright
- pp. 2-5
- Acknowledgments
- pp. vii-9
- 1. The Golden-Haired Maiden
- pp. 1-15
- 2. 7002 Ridge
- pp. 16-25
- 3. Foreigners Arrive
- pp. 26-41
- 4. The Lake
- pp. 42-66
- 5. Beyond 7002
- pp. 67-89
- 6. Becoming the East Village
- pp. 90-112
- 7. Tinkly Temple Bells
- pp. 113-141
- 8. Life in a Cornfield
- pp. 142-151
- Contexts and Meanings: A Brief Afterword
- pp. 210-214
- About the Author
- pp. 215-234
Additional Information
ISBN
9780874218947
Related ISBN(s)
9780874218930
MARC Record
OCLC
867739714
Pages
234
Launched on MUSE
2013-10-21
Language
English
Open Access
No