Listening Is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project

My Mother-In-Law loved this book. There are stories that really hit home and make you appreciate what you have in life!

What a wonderful collection of personal stories, some funny and some touching. Enjoyed every minute of it.

This was my favorite thing I read all year. I couldn't put it down. Certain stories spoke to me more than others, but all offered something. It inspired me to talk to members of my family more to hear their stories. It is amazing what every day Americans have experienced. And since each interview is 2-4 pages long it is perfect for quick reads when you're out and about. Although you might want to bring some kleenex.

First discovered the oral histories on NPR, and was interested enough to read more. Listening is a poignant celebration of everyday people, a wonderful reminder of the It Takes a Village proverb, and most importantly, reminds us that we all have value and are worthy of love and respect. I hope there's a sequel.

I first heard about the StoryCorps Project a few years ago and was immediately charmed by the idea of it. Two people important to one another enter a soundproof booth and spend 40 minutes as interviewer and interviewee. The interview is recorded. They are provided with suggested questions, but more often than not it seems that once the conversation gets rolling, it becomes just that - a conversation, and not so much an interview after all. Their stories unfold, and what happens is almost magical. At the end of the session, a high-quality copy of the recording is given to the participants, and another copy is sent to the Library of Congress. The whole point is to give a voice to everyone willing to sound it. A collection of some of these recordings has been compiled by Dave Isay in the amazing book Listening Is an Act of Love.

The stories shared here are conversations between husbands and wives, aunts and nephews, coworkers, friends. The stories are funny, shocking, heartwarming, and heartbreaking. I am haunted by the stories of those closely impacted by 9/11. I cried when I read a story about a daughter asking her father to remember his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp. Some of the "how we met and fell in love" stories made me chuckle. The stories included in this book are from such different people in such different walks of life, yet so many common themes arise. Everyone wants to love and be loved, everyone makes mistakes, everyone hurts.

I borrowed this book from the library and read it in one sitting. It was so moving, so profound, that I want my own copy to keep. I want to hear these voices again and again, to remind myself that we all - all of us - have a story to tell.