America’s humanist: Studs Terkel

Just finished watching a wonderful tribute to Studs Terkel on C-SPAN2’s BookTV which is introduced here at their website. Studs Terkel died on October 31, 2008, at age ninety-six, having lived long enough to see much of his humanistic hopes for the U.S. re-energized by the campaign and election of Barack Obama as our 44th President. Here’s a resourceful website dedicated to Terkel’s life and work which is an integral part of the Chicago History Museum’s online media. Studs Terkel’s person and productive dedication to the humanity of neighbors and citizens continue to remind me and others to listen for the voices of people who live and love and dream in common ways most often drowned out by the pronouncements of presidents, generals, and other proponents of the ways of the mighty among us. In today’s many troubled world, his message of social solidarity is at a premium.

BookTV on C-SPAN2 and on the Web

Although I have cable access and do watch when I’m able at least some of the many hours of the great weekend program on C-SPAN2 titled BookTV, I want to encourage you to bookmark the program’s accompanying website on which you’re able to freely view at your convenience videos of nearly all of the presentations of non-fiction authors and interviews with them which are broadcast on cable TV.

I just finished watching a presentation on BookTV (unfortunately not a video on the website yet) by Nancy Rubin Stuart, author of The Muse of the Revolution: The Secret Pen of Mercy Otis Warren and the Founding of a Nation. Because of Ms. Stuart’s wonderful introduction to and Q&A about the book, I intend to reserve a copy from my local library to read. I may then take a look at Ms. Stuart’s other books about remarkably influential women in history; her accomplishments as a social historian impress me.