Tuesday, December 31, 2013

All There Is: Love Stories from StoryCorps

All There Is: Love Stories from StoryCorps
by Isay, David
New York : Penguin Press, 2012. 157 p. Nonfiction

Since 2003, StoryCorps has collected and archived more than 45,000 interviews with nearly 90,000 participants. Each story is archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind, and millions listen to their weekly broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition and on storycorps.org. All there is, StoryCorps second publication, is a compilation of stories that carry us from the excitement and anticipation of courtship to the deep connection of lifelong commitment, we discover that love is found in the most unexpected of places--a New York tollbooth, a military base in Iraq, an airport lounge--and learn that the course it takes is as unpredictable as life itself.

The book is separated into 3 sections: Found, Lost, and Found At Last. Though varied in circumstances and details, these stories all have something that makes them universal and deeply touching. This powerful collection bares witness to real love, in its many varied forms. If you get a chance to listen to the audio book, I would take it. It is really neat to hear the voice of each original storyteller in turn.

HB

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