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All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians, and Artists |
Author: Terry Gross
Published: 2005-10-05 |
List price: $14.95
Our price: $10.01
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As of: November 20th, 2008 05:08:37 AM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 all i did was ask by terry gross
very good, excellant. if you are a fan of terry gross and npr, you will enjoy this book.
 Entertaining
Not as enjoyable as her live show (but, then, what COULD be), but still a fun look back at some interesting people.
Earns Among The Highest Praise Someone Can Offer A Book: "It Was A Darn Good Read!"
The ever intelligent, inviting, and capable Terry Gross is someone I'll always listen to if I happen to be in the car when Fresh Air is on the radio. This book is both a meaningful read-thru of some of Terry's personally-selected (mostly early) interviews out of the thousands she's done since Fresh Air went national on NPR in 1987, and a nice private tour of how Fresh Air really works. It's also a little like enjoying a candid conversation with Terry Gross about her life and career and views on radio as a whole. Recently, if I may note this, Terry's website has mentioned that a number of the tapes storing Fresh Air have begun to deteriorate with age (Fresh Air's archives pre-date digital) and a call has gone out to help preserve these truly significant bits of our cultural heritage. Fresh Air gives a chance for those who helped define our age to voice themselves, and surely that's worth preserving for posterity. But that's going off track a bit. In this review I mainly just wanted to say I read this book, it was a nice read, and I recommend it!
 The Perfect Book for Reading Buffs and Fresh Air Fans
If you love Fresh Air and Terry Gross, but can't catch all of the interviews, this is a great way to catch up on some of the most significant. This book covers writers, actors, musicians, and artists, and includes figures as diverse as Gene Simmons from Kiss to Eric Clapton to John Updike to Conan O'Brien. Keep in mind that the interviews are edited for inclusion in this book, so some are shorter than others, and some are combined with other interviews Terry has conducted with the person.
The best thing about the interviews chosen is that every one offers fascinating information, whether it is about a trade, like writing or acting, or about the figure, like Jodie Foster's feelings on her childhood stardom. Another added bonus to this book is Terry's introduction to each interview. In some, she adds some context around the interview, such as what she thought about the guest or newspaper reports about the interview. In others, she offers personal information on her preferences and passions, and in others, she provides further biographical information about the guest.
I greatly enjoyed reading this collection and read every interview. This is a book that I will keep for years to come, but I am hesitant to give it five stars because I can't imagine getting anything additional out of it if I reread it. Perhaps some of the interviews would be more meaningful at one time in my life or another, but they aren't as in-depth or complex as a novel, memoir, or biography, so I don't feel that this book, as enjoyable and fascinating as it was, is multi-layered.
A Fascinating Glimpse into Well-Known Lives
Terry Gross has one of the best interview programs on radio called Fresh Air. As a journalist, I can appreciate her prepared questions but also her flow with the interview to ask follow-up questions and find the undiscovered gems of conversation.
This book is the equivalent of the Fresh Air programs yet it's in a printed format and portable to read any place and any time. I loved every chapter and recommend this book.
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