List Price: $24.95 Details

Save: $12.23 (49%)

FREE delivery April 25 - 26. Details

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. Want to listen? Try Audible.

[{"displayPrice":"$12.72","priceAmount":12.72,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"12","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"72","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"LicFPYZnTqgdxBznhqMaVCJv6CckXIXgiWJK0VXQZi5SvQRuEMqZJvoQNuHDasMo4JKxg250QzYWkSeSC%2Bp3gQmPSSO%2Fvay9u8Y3gBHdiTA1bMqL3u0wW84vPYsccgUY5fH9yQWlG8TGyUwnHspfi0SkR91XNzrrplqSD%2BFWVUlX0JXq05HRp%2FFpKCzfMiTD","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"},{"displayPrice":"$9.10","priceAmount":9.10,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"10","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"lXEZQgdmbU4jbQ8w3NmaIv1ibZSsDERpCS3cFVYVKApC57ajNlwq911X%2Buo3Xaz0gLq5oDIuIq%2Bk%2BuXKoANNxLL6lJYElfohpLU9XvXz%2B4pGyquger6FVz2KXB97IPpWGOK1rbMO0rMQ4ub58maULk0E1iku5PrVOluW3x%2B1f5KosTnTSw8cA9yP%2BL6q7Mvk","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED"}]

$$12.72 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from

Orion LLC

Sold by

Orion LLC

Details

Ships from

Orion LLC

Sold by

Orion LLC

Return policy: Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Friday, April 22 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon. Order within 23 hrs 50 mins

Or fastest delivery Thursday, April 21

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Jenson Books Inc

Fulfilled by Amazon

Share <Embed>

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$7.99
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: scholarpoet2

Added

Not added

$12.72
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: Gulf Coast Books LLC

Added

Not added

$9.95
+ $3.47 shipping

Sold by: Poverty Hill Books

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

Follow the Author

Studs Terkel

Touch and Go: A Memoir Hardcover – Illustrated, November 30, 2007

by Studs Terkel (Author)

28 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$10.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$24.76

$24.75

Hardcover, Illustrated, November 30, 2007

$12.72

$7.99

$0.08

Paperback

"Please retry"

$6.30

$2.25

Preloaded Digital Audio Player, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$59.99

$25.99

Enhance your purchase

The extraordinary life and times of an American icon—the Pulitzer Prize-winning oral historian's long-awaited memoir—a major publishing event.

At nearly ninety-five, Studs Terkel has written about everyone's life, it seems, but his own. In Touch and Go, he offers a memoir which—embodying the spirit of the man himself—is youthful, vivacious, and enormous fun.

Terkel begins by taking us back to his early childhood with his father, mother, and two older brothers, describing the hectic life of a family trying to earn a living in Chicago. He then goes on to recall his own experiences—as a poll watcher charged with stealing votes for the Democratic machine, as a young theatergoer, and eventually as an actor himself in both radio and on the stage—giving us a brilliant and often hilarious portrait of the Chicago of the 1920s and '30s. He tells of his beginnings as a disc jockey after World War II and as an interviewer and oral historian—a craft he would come to perfect and indeed personify. Finally, he discusses his involvement with progressive politics, leading inevitably to his travails during the McCarthy period when he was blacklisted and thrown out of work despite having become by then one of the country's most popular TV hosts.

Fans of Studs Terkel will find much to discover in these remarkable reminiscences. Others will be captivated to learn of the unique and eclectic life of one of America's greatest living legends.

Print length

269 pages
Language

English
Publisher

New Press, The
Publication date

November 30, 2007
Dimensions

6.46 x 1.11 x 9.34 inches
ISBN-10

1595580433
ISBN-13

978-1595580436
See all details

Studs Terkel
537
Paperback
100 offers from $2.04
Studs Terkel
21
Paperback
53 offers from $1.49
Studs Terkel
393
Paperback
123 offers from $1.80
Studs Terkel
398
Paperback
110 offers from $2.75
Studs Terkel
14
Paperback
39 offers from $2.06
Studs Terkel
55
Paperback
77 offers from $1.68

Studs Terkel
393
Hardcover
14 offers from $13.19
Studs Terkel
24
Hardcover
53 offers from $2.49
Studs Terkel
53
Paperback
28 offers from $4.50
Studs Terkel
14
Paperback
39 offers from $2.06
Studs Terkel
31
Paperback
65 offers from $1.75
Studs Terkel
537
Paperback
100 offers from $2.04

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. After a lifetime of interviewing others, Terkel finally turns the tape recorder on himself. At least, that's what he would have us think. Terkel's memoir is more a medley of all the extraordinary characters he's encountered through his career, from the adult loners of his youth in Chicago's Wells-Grand Hotel, to New Deal politicians. Terkel details his long journey through law school, the air force, theater, radio, early television, sports commentary, jazz criticism and oral history. Surprisingly, a 12-time author who has built a career on emerging media is a hopeless Luddite. Unskilled with his tape recorder, the bread and butter of an oral historian, Terkel modestly attributes his knack for getting people to open up about their lives to his own ineptitude and slovenliness. This memoir, however, is a fitting portrait of a legendary talent who seeks truth with compassion, intelligence, moxie and panache. Never one to back down from authority, Terkel cracks jokes in law school classrooms and filibusters FBI visits by quoting long passages from Thoreau and Paine. He pogos between decades, reminding the reader that knowing history doesn't mean memorizing chronologies so much as it does attending to the lessons and voices of the past. He laments the national Alzheimer's afflicting this country, and fears the consequences if we don't regain consciousness. Americans might get to know their collective past a lot better if all history lessons were as absorbing and entertaining as this one. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Born in 1912, Studs Terkel is the bestselling author of twelve books of oral history, including Working, Hard Times, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Good War" (all available from The New Press). He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a Presidential National Humanities Medal and the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Chicago.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Press, The (November 30, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 269 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1595580433
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1595580436
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.46 x 1.11 x 9.34 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,533,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #18,243 in Author Biographies
- #24,460 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies
- #105,312 in Memoirs (Books)

Customer Reviews:
28 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Studs Terkel

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Studs Terkel (1912-2008) was a free spirit, an outspoken populist, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a terrible ham, and one of the best-loved characters on the American scene. Born in New York in 1912, he lived in Chicago for over eight decades. His radio show was carried on stations throughout the country.

Customer reviews

5 star		71%
4 star		16%
3 star		11%
2 star		3%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Timothy J. Bazzett

Choppy and uneven - didn't work for me

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2011

Verified Purchase

I read Terkel's oral histories "THE GOOD WAR" and WORKING many years ago, but none of his work since. I decided to try his memoir, TOUCH AND GO, after reading Roger Ebert's new memoir, LIFE ITSELF, because Ebert seemed to hold Terkel and his work in such high regard.

The truth is TOUCH AND GO simply did not engage me. I found myself skimming large parts of the first hundred pages or so. All of the "inside dope" on the political scene of Chicago from the 1920's and 30's was not at all interesting to me, although the too-brief parts about his parents and brothers were. And I especially enjoyed the brief chapters about his wife, Ida, and his "limited service" during WWII. And a chapter on Nelson Algren was mildly interesting too.

There was something too "cobbled together" about the book that created a choppy sort of read, as excerpts from a few of his other books were interspersed here and there. Perhaps the task of writing a comprehensive autobiography at the age of ninety-something was just a bit too much for Terkel, because I sensed the sometimes obtrusive hand of an editor trying to squeeze one last book out of him. Even the FBI investigations and surveillances of Terkel's left-wing lifestyle and friendships didn't quite work for me.

Perhaps the part, albeit extremely brief, that moved me most was Terkel's heartfelt tribute to his brothers and his son in the book's Postscript.

I know Studs Terkel is gone now, and I do have a tremendous respect for all he accomplished with his wonderful oral histories, so I'm not going to bad-mouth him. But maybe this is more of a book for Chicagoans, because - sorry, Studs - it just didn't work for me.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir BOOKLOVER

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

P. Boddy

His book, "Touch and Go: A Memoir" got me goin'

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2011

Verified Purchase

I'm from Chicago's Northside. N. Clark Street, Diversy, Division, and running around Fullerton in the 50's was a wonderful time. His book, "Touch and Go: A Memoir" was like a family reunion with the neighbors and merchants combined. The dialogues made me homesick as EVERYONE talked like Studs. However, he's the one who WROTE it up to give a glimpse to the rest of the world why a Chicago native may move (kidnapped by parents will do here) away but that luscious black loam soil from the city is still inside our galoshes. The blasts of frigid gusts "venturied" between the buildings could slide a kid across the icy street. Yet, walking up the blocks could still transport you to a myriad of cultural origins from the various homemade aromas from kitchens. Those gracious and loving Black Grandmas serving up the best damned BLT's in the world at the Woolworth downtown... His style brings it all home to me. I was primarily interested in his own descriptions of how and why he wrote. Although I ordered the book for creative writing class, I got a time machine. I also got my money's worth.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Alexandra Levitas

A Storyteller tells his own Story

Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2015

Verified Purchase

Studs Terkel, the voice of American radio, has a magical gift of telling the stories of ordinary people, but this time he tries to tell his own! And it soon becomes clear that for him even his own life is defined by the stories of those around him! This book is a marvel of storytelling: touching, hilarious, light, and meaningful all at the same time, and it gives us an insight into the life of a man who spent that life on listening to the stories of others.
A wonderful read for anyone who loves Studs, but also to those who enjoy a good story!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

sammick

I love Studs

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2007

Verified Purchase

I'm a bit prejudiced, I love Studs--I love listening him on WFMT, and I love reading his books.

He really loves and respects people and they respond to him--he is great listener and storyteller---this book is sort of a conversation with a really interesting guy over a couple of martinis in a noisy bar--

I really liked this book, and if you like Studs, and are interested in people, you will like it too,

13 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Mike's opinion:

Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2008

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed the book. It brought back memories of times past, I love Chicago. While not as liberal as Studs, I appreciate his passion, kindness and thoughtfullness for those less fortunate. Studs has always been fun and so interesting. I always feel enriched, after reading his books.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

RICHARD SCHEIBERLE

touch and go

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2016

Verified Purchase

as good as talking to myself.wish you still with us.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Mark D C

Fantastic -- just the preface is better than most books

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2014

Fantastic book, even the preface is wonderful.

If you want to learn a LOT of interesting details, I know of no book better.

Studs was 94 when he wrote this -- so it's disjointed, he jumps around a bit, but SO WHAT. He jumps to insights, and great stories. It's like a wonderful history lesson. Everyone should do a book like this -- as best they can -- and leave it for posterity

In this book, Studs was not limited to focus on one topic, or 10, just whatever he wanted you to know. Im sure, at 94, he had a little help, but that's fine, Im glad he got the help.

This is the PERFECT book for a long drive to pick up your kid at music camp. I just ordered the book here book AND already have the CD, I like it that much, I have never done that before. I want the hard copy to go look up things, names, index, and that marvelous preface. Oh what a guy we lost, when we lost him.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful