This woman’s life should be made into a book. Imagine living through so much.
npr.org: 'This I Believe' [Eve Birch on 'The Art of Being a Neighbor
Anyways, I saw my boyfriend browsing though this page though I can’t remember why he was, and it caught my attention. The ‘This I Believe’ collection of essays — though they’ve stopped producing them, unfortunately — are personal accounts of morals and values, why people live life they way they do. The show was originally aired in the 1950s and hosted by Edward R. Murrow. Public figures, including Helen Keller, Jackie Robinson, and Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as people cab drivers, secretaries and other members of the community shared their personal philosophies, according to thisibelieve.org.
In 2004, This I Believe, Inc. was founded as a non-profit organization. And personal essays were shared each week until its last broadcast was aired in April of this year. Still, archives are online of recent stories and interviews from when the show was originally aired, from an author sharing how he’s inspired to write; to Eve Birch’s story on how she lost absolutely everything, made a home for herself in an abandoned shack, and relied on the love of her neighbors; and how a 12-year-old girl took comfort in The Beatles after the loss of her father.
npr.og: Macklin Levine shares her belief in The Beatles.
The Beatles/ Getty Images -- npr.org
What I like so much about this page of NPR’s site is that they encourage educators to use these essays in their curriculum. There’s an middle school, high school, and college guide for educators. Also, each story has a radio broadcast and a print copy of the essay. And if visitors to the site would like, they can click through old archives of the show. The only thing about going through the archives is that I can’t seem to figure out a way to search to find an interview, though they’ve put very interesting ones on the first page. Also, of course it would add more to the story if more pictures could be available. Most of the time there’s just a mug of the person telling the story.
This is a wonderful idea for community journalism. Allowing members of the community to share their beliefs can unite them. It brings us closer to understanding each other — which I believe is one of the goals the media should have within a community. I think any community newspaper could truly benefit from a series like this one.
I wish this series was still going on, and I’m sad I discovered it so late. But if you have the time to browse through these stories, I think you might really enjoy it.
