Listening Is an Act of Love

A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project

By: Dave Isay

Narrated by: Dave Isay

Length: 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Drawn from the work of StoryCorps, the largest and most ambitious private oral history project in American history, comes this tapestry of the stories Americans have been sharing from their lives to leave behind to their loved ones.

©2008 Dave Isay (P)2008 Penguin

Critic reviews

"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)

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.

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.

Terrific! But Not Nearly Enough!

Great conversations . . . . only wish there were hours and hours available! Would absolutely buy more.

Heartwarming

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I found it very heartwarming and shared the stories with my family and friends.

What did you like best about this story?

The concept of recording your talks with loved ones to keep for the ages.

What does Dave Isay bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A very soothing and inviting voice. He makes you want to listen to the stories.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It gave me a warm feeling inside making me want to share it with my loved ones.

Any additional comments?

Great!

Awesome Listen

Would you consider the audio edition of Listening Is an Act of Love to be better than the print version?

Oh most definitely! To hear the emotions in the story teller's voices and feel what they were describing was very nice.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Listening Is an Act of Love?

The story of the soldier who wanted to buy a ticket to watch a movie in a theater, that story really touched me.

What does Dave Isay bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His introduction at the beginning, he frames it very nicely and sets the listener up with anticipation and it certainly does not disappoint! I will miss Dave Isay, what a great guy!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I will listen to it again in the future as well.

Any additional comments?

Please continute to offer these kinds of products...they really are priceless! I sincerely hope the program in which this book was based will continue it's good work around the country.

Tears...

Most of the stories brought tears to my eyes. Also smiles. They were all touching sweet stories and I would love to hear more!

Lovely and uplifting little stories to enlighten!

What a lovely collection of uplifting and delightful short stories. Perfect on a winters day to remind you of being grateful for all things. Seeing the beauty in everything.

Compelling - Makes me want to participate

Where does Listening Is an Act of Love rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the most enjoyable audiobooks I've heard so far.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Listening Is an Act of Love?

It is so touching to hear these stories from all sorts of different people. One on the stories perfectly resonates with my own experiences.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me both laugh and brought tears to my eyes.

Any additional comments?

This makes me want to find a location to take my own relatives and collect their tales.

A Perfect Listening Experience

Being that the subject matter is about listening it helps that the stories within are presented in such a "listenable" way. Beautiful, touching vignettes voiced in a pleasant, patient voice. Well done!

These Stories Touched My Heart In So Many Ways

What made the experience of listening to Listening Is an Act of Love the most enjoyable?

Stories told in first person voices.

What did you like best about this story?

The variety and depth of some of the stories.

Which scene was your favorite?

The vision of the Florida church lady makiing the kids go to Sunday School and her fruit. The sweetness of the grandfather and grandson talking about the love of the grandmother.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Everyone Has A Story To Tell