NPR Story Project

In my car I have been listening to a fascinating audio book called I Thought My Father was G-d. It is a compilation of tales written by everyday people for the NPR National Story Project. What makes this book so incredible is that it was a simple idea by someone to pool nationwide tales without pretense or any particular subject qualification and read them on the air. I’m so glad that I have the opportunity to listen to them at my leisure (my special thanks to the Public Library, a holy and incredible temple to literature and equality-since most anyone can obtain a library card). These small glimpses into people’s lives are at time joyous, painful, ironic, shocking, and magnificent. There are morality plays, passionate love stories, agonizing reflections on losing a loved one, and strange cicumstances of unbelievable coincidence. For a moment I become each and every author, taken in by the simplicity of the language. Seduced by the voyeuristic quality of the “I” narrative.

It is because of this that I’m looking at people a little differently. Wondering what small life experiences they would write about if asked. Or is each person waiting to tell their story and they have merely been unaware that there is an audience waiting with open ears to hear it. “Inquiring minds want to know!” With so many people experiencing life in vastly different ways, how can anyone not be intrigued and indeed captivated by this book.