Callings The Purpose and Passion of Work By Dave Isay (80’s?). Some of the work Dave has done operating StoryCorps has made its way into books. This one, inspired by Studs Terkel, concerns work. Stories of how people view their work turns out to be both riveting and uplifting! The personalities you encounter -- friends interviewing coworkers or children interviewing their parents -- make a living doing something they love. Their tasks might not be glamorous, but their pride in making the world better is heartwarming. Take Angelo the sanitation worker. He thought of his job as helping the neighbors he greeted by name and cared about. He wishes that everyone could have as fulfilling a career as he had. Many of the interviews show how determinedly folks have pushed away such obstacles as race, gender and disability. A little thing like blindness couldn’t get in the way of Laura Martinez, whose dream was to be a chef. Ronald McNair, an astronaut who was killed in the Challenger disaster, overcame the racist librarian in South Carolina who would not let him take out the books he so longed to read when he was a little boy. Whether a dentist, an ink removal specialist, a subway conductor or a draw bridge attendant, these people love what they do and feel fulfilled by the contribution they are making to the other residents of the planet. Clearly, Dave Isay has found his calling.
