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Know Your Family, Know Yourself
I wished I would have had this book before my dad died. He died in 2008 (my mom is in a home in the last stages of Alzheimer's). It was while staying at my parents house clearing out all their belongings I found this unmarked audio cassette tape. It was my dad reading a poem about St. Nick. The tears rolled down my cheeks as I listened. It made me realize how much I missed the sound of his voice.
This book is great to know your family and friends, and to know yourself. In chapter 3, "Ask a Question, Gather a Story, you will find seventy-three pages of questions. Just reading the questions gives you insight not just about the person you would interview, but yourself. The categories of questions alone give insight for painting a picture of one's life. For example, just reading: "The Terrific Twenty questions on page 56-57 is a good way to know people better. There are around forty-three categories and seventy-three pages of questions. There are the usual categories like, Teen Years, Career and unusual categories: "Rites of Passage" category: "Who taught you to ride a bike." "The Wider World," asks, "What kinds of world events were discussed at home." It makes you think about what matters.
This book has everything you need for an oral history, writing a memoir, or just questions to know your family better.
You, or the person being interviewed, may not be famous to the wider world, but I bet you are the heart and world to people who love you, and vice versa. Capture that life, those special moments in a form that can be shared and remembered. Do an oral history of your own life. An oral history is a priceless gift.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Oral History Workshop: Collect and Celebrate the Life Stories of Your Family and Friends
We all know that we should ask now, before it's too late, before the stories are gone forever. But knowing and doing are two different things.Cynthia Hart, author of Cynthia Hart's Scrapbook Workshop, shows exactly how to collect, record, share, and preserve a family member's or a friend's oral history in this practical and inspirational guide. The Oral History Workshop breaks down what too often feels like an overwhelming project into a series of easily manageable steps: how to prepare for an interview; how to become a better listener; why there's always more beneath the surface and the questions to ask to get there; the pros and cons of video recording, including how your subjects should dress so the focus is on their words; four steps to keeping the interview on track; how to be attentive to your subject's energy levels; and the art of archiving or scrapbooking the interview into a finished keepsake.At the heart of the book are hundreds of questions designed to cover every aspect of your subject's history: Do you remember when and how you learned to read? Who in your life showed you the most kindness? What insights have you gained about your parents over the years? Would you describe yourself as an optimist or a pessimist? In what ways were you introduced to music? What is the first gift you remember giving? If you could hold on to one memory forever, what would it be? When the answers are pieced together, a mosaic appears-a living history.
