STUDS TERKEL, 1912-2008

Legendary Chicago writer and radio show host, Studs Terkel died today at the age of 96. Many Chicagoans were familiar with his distinctive voice and laid-back interviewing skills from his WFMT radio talk show for over 40 years. He was also noted for his oral history books, constructed from interviews with ordinary people, not celebrities. In 1985 he won the Pulitzer Prize for one of them, The Good War, An Oral History of World War Two (940.548 TER). His book Working: People Talk about What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do (1974) (331.2 TER) was even made into a musical. ([American Playhouse VHS] 812 AME Working).

Other works by Mr. Terkel held at the Elk Grove Village Public Library include:
Hope Dies Last: Keeping the Faith in Difficult Times (2003) (920.073 TER)
The Spectator: Talk about Movies and Plays with the People Who Make Them (1999) [with Garry Wells] (791.092 TER)
Coming of Age: The Story of Our Century by Those Who've Lived It (1995) (305.26 TER)
Hard Times; an Oral History of the Great Depression (1970) (973.917 TER)
Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession (1992) (305.8 TER)
Division Street: America (1993) (977.311 TER)
My American Century (1997) (920.073 TER)
American Dreams, Lost and Found (1980) (920 TER)
Will the Circle Be Unbroken?: Reflections on Death, Rebirth, and Hunger for a Faith (2001) (128.5 TER)
And They All Sang: Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey (2005) (780.922 TER)
Talking to Myself: A Memoir of My Times (1977) (BIO TERKEL)
Touch and Go: A Memoir (2007) [with Sydney Lewis] (BIO TERKEL, S.)
P.S.: Further Thoughts from a Lifetime of Listening (2008) [Newly Acquired]
Studs Terkel's Chicago (VHS 917.7311 STU)

Books about Studs Terkel include:
Studs Terkel: A Life in Words (1996) by Tony Parker (BIO TER)
Studs Terkel (1992)by James T. Baker (BIO TER)

TONY HILLERMAN, 1925-2008

Western mystery writer, Tony Hillerman, died Sunday in New Mexico after struggling with declining health in recent years. His most renowned books were those of the mystery series set in the area of the Navajo Nation of Arizona and New Mexico and featuring Native American tribal policemen Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. His writings earned many awards, as well. It will be disappointing to no longer be able to discover what is happening to these beloved characters.

Of course, the Elk Grove Village Public Library has many, if not most, of these books, as well as others he wrote or edited--there are 66 entries listed. Some are audio books, too. One bibliography of his works can be found on Fantastic Fiction.