07/01/2008
Jeff Kisseloff's Oral History of the 60's
Studs Terkel is in his 90's. Let us all hoist a dry martini in his honor. While Terkel's produced a dozen or more stunning books of oral history, it's unlikely he'll be doing many more. It behooves us to see where the next oral historians are coming from; allow me to direct you towards the works of Jeff Kisseloff.
So far, Kisseloff has produced 3 excellent oral histories: You Must Remember This was reminiscences of life in Manhattan by people who'd lived there from the late 1800's to the beginnings of WWII. The Box is a history of television from its many inventors (1920's - 1930's) to the early 60's, told by the participants.
Kisseloff's most recent book is Generation On Fire: Voices Of Protest From The 1960's, An Oral History. I recommend this highly. Kisseloff interviewed original Freedom Riders, various militant leaders, vets, writers, musicians, feminists, early gay rights advocates, and most wrenchingly, the boyfriend and mother of Allison Krause, one of the four students shot in the back by National Guardsmen at Kent State on May 4, 1970.
In a time when the dialogue in the media is moving slowly and inexorably to the right, and the radical movements of the 1960's are generally dismissed as dope-addled aberrations best forgotten while we tend to our P&L statements, this book is a testimony to clear thought and commitment.
Kisseloff is also involved in writing a book on the Alger Hiss case, a fascinating and shameful episode of US history.