Listening is an Act of Love

Last week I was worried about the survival of our letters and stories, so it's appropriate that I just read our community's latest selection for One Book One Zip Code, Listening is an Act of Love, which is a collection of the most memorable stories from the StoryCorps collection. StoryCorps is the country's largest oral history project and has collected thousands of stories from people across the country. This is not a book I ever would have read if it weren't for OBOZ. And, to be honest, I've kind of been putting off reading it. I'm not really sure why, but the description just didn't hook me. But almost as soon as I began reading it, I was hooked. When someone participates in StoryCorps, they sit down with someone they love and tell a story. Maybe a story from their childhood. Maybe something about their parents or grandparents. Maybe a story about their career. The stories are very short-usually 3-4 pages, so they read very quickly. Some are humorous, some are sentimental, and some are downright sad. But they are captivating. In the introduction, the editor Dave Isay says that "our stories-the stories of everyday people-are as interesting and important as the celebrity stories we're bombarded with by the media every minute of the day." And in one story, a participant also says "that's the key, I think-listening to the stories of the people who are so essential but not often seen...they don't realize how rich their lives are and how rich their stories are." How true. It's a wonderful reminder that everyone has a story, and regardless of who you are, those stories are important and should be told. A wonderful read.