Voices from the Depression: Studs Terkel Interviews

Not long after Studs Terkel, the historian of the everyman, died in October, This American Life featured a series of interviews that Terkel once conducted with Americans who lived through the Depression. (Listen to the mp3 here.) The tapes would eventually provide the material for his book, Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression. And, as you’ll see, these recordings make this transformational moment real in a way that few other historical sources can. You’ll hear the voices of real people, recounting their daily experiences and remembering the race and class divisions that ran deep in America. You’ll also hear about the humiliations and acts of kindness that were part of everyday life. (NOTE: The interviews start about 6 minutes into the recording.)

You can access more of Terkel’s audio recordings over at the web site, www.studsterkel.org. The site notably features more interviews from the Hard Times recording sessions.

Thanks Robin for sending these clips our way.

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