Coming of Age: The Story of Our Century by Those Who've Lived It Hardcover – January 1, 1995 by Studs Terkel 
 
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Working traces the transformations in vocation and lifestyle in America during the twentieth century through the experiences of a very diverse group of fascinating elderly men and women. 100,000 first printing.
 
From Library Journal
Youth, so goes the cliche, is wasted on the young; likewise, it could be said that old age today is wasted on a younger generation with no sense of the past and willfully ignorant of a wisdom accumulated by years of experience. In his latest oral history, 83-year-old Terkel asks grumpily, "With our past become so irrelevant..., is it any wonder that the young feel so disdainful of their elders?" To reclaim our lost sense of history and to renew respect for our elders, Terkel interviewed 69 individuals who have come of age in the latter part of the 20th century. The youngest is 70, the oldest, 99. Some are well known (artist Jacob Lawrence, actress Uta Hagen, economist John Kenneth Galbraith); others live out of the limelight (a farm workers' organizer, a retired bank president, a librarian). But they all cling to life tenaciously and courageously, acting as "living repositories of our past, our history." For all social science and history collections and where Terkel's books are popular.?Wilda Williams, "Library Journal"Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Whippersnappers of 53 or 64 are too young to qualify for the indefatigable Terkel's new book: in addition to age (70 or older), his 69 confidantes share a willingness to "do battle with dragons." Most readers will recognize some names: economist John Kenneth Galbraith, jazzman Milt Hinton, Victor Reuther of the UAW, retired admiral Gene LaRocque, artist Jacob Lawrence, Rep. Henry Gonzalez, actress/teacher Uta Hagen, former Beatrice Foods CEO Wallace Rasmussen, environmentalist David Brower, dancer Katherine Dunham, or Marvin Miller, who put the Baseball Players' Association on the map. Chicagoans will come across more names they know, like former representative Charles Hayes, Dr. Quentin Young, ex-alderman Leon Despres, and Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz. But Terkel's conversations with less well known folk are just as fascinating: we're grateful to have met Kit Tremaine, Wallace and Juanita Nelson, Olga Companioni, Erskine Moore, Aki Kurose, Hank Oettinger, Bresci Thompson, and the other lively people who share their memories and wisdom here. The 83-year-old Terkel's sources remember each year of this century and vividly describe critical times in their own lives. Equally nourishing, however, is the fact that these are thoughtful people, who haven't stopped puzzling over history's trajectory, wrestling with the mixed blessings of technology, and worrying about their families'--and their nation's--future. Though some are pessimistic, most would echo a saying Jessie de la Cruz cherishes: "La esperanza muere al ultimo" (Hope dies last). Superb oral history. Mary Carroll
 
For Coming of Age, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Peabody Award-winning radio host Studs Terkel - himself an octogenarian - interviewed several very different men and women ranging in age from 70 to 99. Some are powerful celebrities (Maggie Kuhn of the Grey Panthers, economist John Kenneth Galbraith); others are obscure people in small towns. Together they represent an extraordinary panorama of American life and work throughout this century and the ways in which the times have changed.
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