Studs Terkel, a giant in American social and investigative journalism, lets his subjects talk for themselves, though usually with some judicious prompting and prodding. His interviews, or "oral histories" as they have been called, add up to a broad cross-section of American life. This volume brings together material from various collections over the years - Terkel, from Chicago, has been busy since the early 1930s. The subjects include gangsters, immigrants, policemen, professional sportsmen, waitresses, even Vietnam veterans. To add interest and variety, Terkel's introductions from previous volumes have been added. The book, I find, reads best when dipped into rather than read through like a novel; some of the case histories are more interesting than others.
Brian Fallon