Twenty-five years of world history are presented in brief interviews in this collection recounting the first 25 years of National Public Radio's history. From the 1971 May Day demonstrations against the U.S. participation in the war in Vietnam -- the first day of broadcasting for All Things Considered -- to 1994's ushering in the start of a new era of American prosperity, Listening to America gives first-hand accounts of history in the making.
The interviews reproduced in this book are fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the interview with the Americans freed after two years being held hostage in Iran, as well as the interviews with the engineers for the Space Shuttle just days following the catastrophic explosion of the Challenger, which was launched against the advice of the engineers.
Listening to America also gives a good overview of the feelings of the "men-and-women-on-the-street" on issues such as elections, the Gulf War, and the trial of Patty Hearst.
My only disappointment with this book was their super brief mention-in-passing of the fall of the Berlin Wall. I would have liked to see more detail of the emotion that many American's on NPR's call-in shows would have had when that news was announced.
Reading Listening to America is a good way to brush up on the important events of the latter part of the 1900s. I'm glad that I took the time to read this. I found myself learning a lot more about events that happened while I was too young to bother with the newspaper or evening news. The 1970s pictures of Cokie Roberts, Robert Siegel, Linda Wertheimer, Ira Flatow, Bob Edwards and Nina Totenberg are also a treat!
