"Like It Was" and some insight on oral history

“Like it was” is a book geared towards, high school students and above, teachers who want to teach about oral history, and any person who picks up the book can learn how to record the right way. For a while, oral history was not something taught in schools because of the expense of having a recorder. By the 60’s tape recorders had become accessible and allowed many people to record historical events that we can listen to or remember today. Before World War II, most of the stories that were recorded were from those who were wealthy and not from the average person. After the war, “history is now open to everyone.” People’s whose voices have never been heard (prisoners, young children, slaves, immigrants, workers) were able to tell those who were not present at that time, how life was for them.

Although we can try our best, we can never completely write an accurate account because each person has a different view or was in a different situation than the next. Not only would oral history benefit our class and us as students, it affects those around us and those who we are questioning.

The following are a few reasons as to why we should want to write oral history which are taken from the book:

• You would be helping to put the people into history who belong there. You would be learning the history that is not available anywhere or any other way.
• You would be serving the people you chose to interview and record.
• You would be explaining and celebrating your community’s values, presenting its history as seen from the inside.
• You would be learning about the moral decisions that people have to make.
• You would be meeting special, wonderful people with whom you might form a deep human bond.
•  You would be honing your skills as a writer, which will enable you as an adult to play a more powerful role in creating history of your community and the world.