Studs Terkel 1912-2008Studs Terkel was one of my heroes. He was an insightful writer who wrote about the real regular working Joe, he stood up for the protection of civil liberties and equal rights. He is what I would describe as a "Good American". He did an excellent op-ed piece for the New York Times last year at the age of 95. Studs was blacklisted from television in 1953 after refusing to give evidence to Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee. It is striking how relevant his story is today, fifty years after the fact. I loved listening to rebroadcasts of interviews Studs did with Artists like Mahalia Jackson, Louis Armstrong and Bob Dylan. I think I'm going to have to find my copy of "Working" and read it one more time.
2 comments:
Excellent post... thanks, from all of us stunned that Studs will not be living long after we are all gone. He would appreciate your words. We appreciated his.
I really liked Studs Terkels books-Working and The Good War are ones that come to mind. I felt like I learned what "real life" history was like from reading them. Maybe time for a re-read.
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