History. We watch TV shows and movies with historical themes. (Remember Forrest Gump and Glory?) We read textbooks in school. But TV shows and movies may not be accurate. Textbooks may make events of the past seem distant and dry. In this project, we wanted to bring history to life. We decided to talk with people who had lived through 'history.' We approached eight elders in our community of Ann Arbor, Michigan. We asked them to talk about their lives. They told us stories and showed us photographs. The stories and photographs became the basis for this website.

This project was designed by the students from the Ann Arbor Girls Middle School and two graduate students at the University of Michigan's School of Information. The girls from the Middle School conducted the interviews, and the graduate students created the website. The interviews were videotaped. You can watch video clips, listen to sound bites, and read quotes from the interviewees. You can also read brief histories on a few of the topics and explore links to relevant websites. You can read reflections by the Ann Arbor Girls Middle School students about how they think about the lives of those they interviewed.