Recommend your favorite oral histories, please!
March 20, 2015 9:11 AM Subscribe
Which oral histories should I add to my reading list?
I love reading oral histories. Of course I've read (and own!) EVERYTHING by Studs Terkel and I've also liked the Story Corps collections--but I've also really enjoyed Live From New York, Gig, I Want My MTV, Making Gay History, Those Guys Have All The Fun, Voices of Freedom. . . I'm sure I'm forgetting some favorites here. So--what great oral histories do I need to add to my reading list?
I love reading oral histories. Of course I've read (and own!) EVERYTHING by Studs Terkel and I've also liked the Story Corps collections--but I've also really enjoyed Live From New York, Gig, I Want My MTV, Making Gay History, Those Guys Have All The Fun, Voices of Freedom. . . I'm sure I'm forgetting some favorites here. So--what great oral histories do I need to add to my reading list?
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk
Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psych
posted by Juliet Banana at 9:18 AM on March 20, 2015
Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psych
posted by Juliet Banana at 9:18 AM on March 20, 2015
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson.
posted by ubiquity at 9:41 AM on March 20, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by ubiquity at 9:41 AM on March 20, 2015 [3 favorites]
Nothing, Nobody: The Voices of the Mexico City Earthquake
posted by Monsieur Caution at 10:03 AM on March 20, 2015
posted by Monsieur Caution at 10:03 AM on March 20, 2015
Seconding "Please Kill Me" -- terrific book, and often very funny.
Also by Legs McNeil, The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry
posted by holborne at 10:13 AM on March 20, 2015
Also by Legs McNeil, The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry
posted by holborne at 10:13 AM on March 20, 2015
AIDS Doctors: Voices from the Epidemic: An Oral History
Generation on Fire: Voices of Protest from the 1960s
Red Scare: Memories of the American Inquisition
Swansong 1945: A Collective Diary of the Last Days of the Third Reich - this is a mixture of oral history excerpts and written anecdotes, presented oral-history style - I couldn't put it down.
And, since you listed Live from New York, a worthwhile show business biography and autobiography that weave in oral history to amplify or challenge the main narratives:
In Heaven Everything Is Fine: The Unsolved Life of Peter Ivers and the Lost History of New Wave Theatre
Long Time Gone: The Autobiography of David Crosby - even if you don't especially care about his music, this is an interesting and sometimes cringe-inducing experiment in confronting and owning up to horrible, selfish behavior by allowing the people you've worked with - and in some cases, screwed over - interject in your telling of your life's story.
posted by reedbird_hill at 10:47 AM on March 20, 2015
Generation on Fire: Voices of Protest from the 1960s
Red Scare: Memories of the American Inquisition
Swansong 1945: A Collective Diary of the Last Days of the Third Reich - this is a mixture of oral history excerpts and written anecdotes, presented oral-history style - I couldn't put it down.
And, since you listed Live from New York, a worthwhile show business biography and autobiography that weave in oral history to amplify or challenge the main narratives:
In Heaven Everything Is Fine: The Unsolved Life of Peter Ivers and the Lost History of New Wave Theatre
Long Time Gone: The Autobiography of David Crosby - even if you don't especially care about his music, this is an interesting and sometimes cringe-inducing experiment in confronting and owning up to horrible, selfish behavior by allowing the people you've worked with - and in some cases, screwed over - interject in your telling of your life's story.
posted by reedbird_hill at 10:47 AM on March 20, 2015
Is fiction/future history okay? World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. Don't let the movie influence your judgment on the book; they're different creatures almost entirely. The audiobook has a full cast, so it's a pretty great way to enjoy the book.
Also, seconding "Underground" by Murakami, as mentioned above. That last word in the subtitle should be "Psyche."
posted by Sunburnt at 11:56 AM on March 20, 2015
Also, seconding "Underground" by Murakami, as mentioned above. That last word in the subtitle should be "Psyche."
posted by Sunburnt at 11:56 AM on March 20, 2015
If you're in the market for shorter form, Vanity Fair has published some enjoyable ones online.
posted by gnomeloaf at 2:11 PM on March 20, 2015
posted by gnomeloaf at 2:11 PM on March 20, 2015
If you liked 'I Want My MTV', I recommend 'The Kennedy Chronicles: The Golden Age of MTV Through Rose-Colored Glasses'
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 4:55 PM on March 20, 2015
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 4:55 PM on March 20, 2015
If you like reading television histories, I highly recommend The Box: An Oral History of Television, 1920-1961. It's what it says in the title, going back to the very beginnings of television.
posted by Ampersand692 at 6:40 PM on March 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Ampersand692 at 6:40 PM on March 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by latkes at 9:13 AM on March 20, 2015 [2 favorites]