TOUCH AND GO

In Studs Terkel’s memoir, reader Norman Dietz doesn’t try to emulate the author. He becomes him. He doesn’t try to imitate Terkel’s gravelly voice, but his tone and timing are similar enough that only listeners well acquainted with the author will ever guess it’s not Terkel doing the reading. Terkel is a master storyteller, and this shows clearly in his memoir. He takes us back to his childhood in New York and Chicago, the Roaring ’20s, the Depression, his work in the theater, and his life in journalism and politics. Dietz interprets these stories with the conversational tone of a polished raconteur. A warning, though: This seamlessness in the storytelling makes it hard to find a natural place to turn off the book. Some problem, huh? R.C.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]