“The Good War”: An Oral History of World War II

Louis “Studs” Terkel (1912-2008) was born in New York City, the son of working-class Russian Jewish immigrants. He personally benefited from the New Deal, which allowed him to work in radio through the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Writers’ Project. Through them, he hosted his own radio show, The Studs Terkel Program, which ran from 1952 to 1997. During the show’s run, he interviewed some of the most famous figures of the 20th century, including Martin Luther King, musician Frank Zappa, civil rights activist and writer James Baldwin, gay writer Quentin Crisp, and poet and short story author Dorothy Parker, among many others.

Unapologetically leftist, Studs Terkel ran afoul of Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist crusade, although he was allowed to continue working on radio. He was also sympathetic to both the civil rights and gay rights movements. His works in oral history were well known for incorporating the voices of working-class and poor individuals.

Along with “The Good War”, Terkel also wrote Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression, Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, and Race: What Blacks and Whites Think About an American Obsession.