Keeping Family Stories Alive: Discovering and Recording the Stories and Reflections of a Lifetime [Paperback]

Vera Rosenbluth (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This oral family history handbook takes a different approach from similar books by including new material on memory and advice on jogging memories for the interviewer and the interviewee. There are also examples from real interviews. As do the standard books, this also gives practical advice on handling microphones and audio and videotape, interviewing techniques, suggested interview questions, and preserving and using tapes. For the standard topics, the best available work is William Fletcher's Recording Your Family History: A Guide to Preserving Oral History with Videotape, Audiotape, Suggested Topics and Questions, Interview Techniques (Ten Speed Pr., 1989). On balance, however, Rosenbluth's book could be useful in libraries and for the home market.
- Judith P. Reid, Library of Congress
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Hartley & Marks; Revised edition (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881791490
• ISBN-13: 978-0881791495
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,033,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeping Family Stories Alive, October 4, 2001

By 

Myrna B. Liddell (Langley, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keeping Family Stories Alive: A Creative Guide to Taping Your Family Life & Lore (Paperback)

Excellent book! I reviewed several books found on an annotated bibliography regarding doing oral history interviews. This one was by far the best.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book I recommend to anyone interested in family stories., June 2, 2006

By 

CityGirl1020 (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Keeping Family Stories Alive: Discovering and Recording the Stories and Reflections of a Lifetime (Paperback)

As president of the Association of Personal Historians (an international network of professionals who help others preserve their life stories and family history), I was often asked to recommend books for people interested either in preserving their own family history or in getting into the business of doing this for others. There are many books on this topic, but Vera Rosenbluth's excellent book was always my number one recommendation. It is well-written, easy to understand and filled with helpful information.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still a classic, May 1, 2006

By 

Joella Werlin (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Keeping Family Stories Alive: A Creative Guide to Taping Your Family Life & Lore (Paperback)

Numerous oral history guides have come out since Vera Rosenbluth wrote the first edition of, and then expanded (2nd edition, 1997) Keeping Family Stories Alive, but Rosenbluth's book still is tops for what it aspires to do. Her approach works for any caring person who seeks to preserve the treasury of family lore. She also outlines solid oral history technique and gives careful attention to sensitive issues, making this book an equally valuable resource for the professional personal historian. Speaking as a seasoned professional, this is the book I would aspire to write if Vera Rosenbluth hadn't already done it.