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Listening Is an Act of Love
- A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project
- Narrated by: Dave Isay
- Length: 54 mins
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Listening Is an Act of Love
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Publisher's Summary
What the critics say
"Dave Isay's vision of collecting the everyday stories of Americans is so simple and yet so powerful. Listening Is an Act of Love will make you laugh, cry and think. These stories come from the souls of individual Americans. Collectively, they are who we are as a people. You cannot read this book without feeling proud of your country." (Former US Senator Bill Bradley)
"Here are the observations and memories of a giant, diverse nation's citizens. In its sum, StoryCorps asks Americans to reflect upon their experiences, their times of travail, their achievements. In so doing, these individuals create an encompassing national narration: a people's hopes, fears and aspirations, all rendered poignantly to attentive listeners whose respect has enabled, finally, a presentation of a people's mind, heart, soul." (Dr. Robert Coles, James Agee Professor of Social Ethics, Harvard University)
"This book is absolutely remarkable. Listening is an Act of Love is history in the richest sense of the word, the kind that makes people feel like they count. It's a celebration of the lives of the uncelebrated. In our world today people feel helpless, but once they speak of their lives they become alive! This is what our country is all about. Never has a book been more timely or necessary." (Studs Terkel)
What listeners say about Listening Is an Act of Love
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Darwin8u
- 2012-11-21
Nice Collection of StoryCorps Vignettes
An abridged collection of some of the best StoryCorps inteviews. If you are an NPR "Morning Edition" listener, you've probably caught a couple of Isay's StoryCorps recordings. My favorite aspect of this project is the relationship between the interviewer and interviewee. With most 'professional' journalism there is a structural distance between the two participants. StoryCorps quickly allows this distance to melt, because it is often a daughter interviewing a grandma, a son interviewing a mother, a father speaking with his daughter.
There are many aspects of this project that remind me of Studs Terkel (Isay seems to be a 21st century extention of Terkel in many ways). It is a people's history and narrative of the ordinary that is made extraordinary in its ability to communicate truth without being overly sentimental.
Thanks Isay and Audible for the Thanksgiving gift.
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27 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adele in CBus
- 2012-11-22
Thank you, Audible
This 1-hour gem was a "gift" from Audible--a free selection offered on Thanksgiving Eve. Because I was between books the day I received this, I listened to it that evening. What a wonderful concept Isay introduces, of making studio-quality recordings of oral histories for generations to come. I enjoyed every story. If this is, or will be offered in unabridged format or as a continuing series, I'll be first in line for all that come. Thank you Audible. What a thoughtfully timed gift to your customers.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- K
- 2012-11-21
Heartfelt stories
I listen to NPR every morning during my commute to work. The 4-minute Storycorps segment is a favorite: Two people who are connected in some way (e.g., parent - child) share a heartfelt story with the other. Without exception, I enjoy the story and am touched by the listener's response. I often ponder the story long after the segment ends.
This audiobook is a delightful collection of Storycorps stories. The stories are moving and the dialects diverse. The production values are outstanding. I recommend it highly.
Thank you, Audible, for gifting this lovely audiobook to your listeners. It's a gem.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Debra
- 2012-11-23
Touching
What did you love best about Listening Is an Act of Love?
What a beautiful, touching idea, tears with every story. thank you, I would love to have something like this in Australia.
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa
- 2012-11-21
Thank you Audible....
Lovely gift to listen to during the holidays. Everyone should have a listen; to this audio book and to the people around them during the holidays. Thank you Audible and David Isay.
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dataman
- 2012-11-21
What Happened in Your Life?
A signifcant effort by StoryCorp to collect the lives of ordinary people. Something to reflect on during our USA Thanksgiving holiday. A big thanks to Dave Isay and to Audible for offering these segment for free.
If you found this review helpful, please let me know. Cheers!
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Keri
- 2012-11-21
Beautiful
Any additional comments?
Thank you Audible for this beautiful collection of stories. I found it very moving and well timed- I listened to it while baking pumpkin pies in preparation for Thanksgiving. It made for a lovely prelude to the holidays and spending time with loved ones. Thank you!
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9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael Cavacini
- 2012-11-23
Beautiful & Touching
This audiobook is unlike any other I've listened to and a wonderful Thanksgiving gift from Audible. The collection of stories contained within are funny, sad and heartwarming. It's a wonderful reminder of why we should be thankful for what we have and those that love us. I highly recommend it.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christel
- 2012-11-22
Listen to this, the stories are heartfelt
What made the experience of listening to Listening Is an Act of Love the most enjoyable?
I think this is one of my favorite books, the real stories of normal people are very easy to listen to but they show how diverse people really are.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Harley
- 2012-11-25
loved it!
This is the nicest idea. What a lovely gift from audibles, thank you. I really enjoyed everything about this listen.
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5 people found this helpful