Betsy Rubiner — Our Diaries, Ourselves
Author Betsy Rubiner explores how personal diaries serve as historical documentation and intimate self-expression, moderated by Melissa Block.
Why we picked this
The diary as both confession and historical record — Rubiner makes the case that the most private form of writing is also one of the most revealing about public life.
Betsy Rubiner presents Our Diaries, Ourselves, an examination of how personal diaries function as both intimate self-expression and historical documentation. The book surveys the tradition of diary-keeping from its earliest forms to the present, arguing that these private records offer an irreplaceable window into how people actually experienced their moments in history.
Moderated by Melissa Block, the conversation explores what compels people to write for an audience of one, and what happens when those private pages become public. The talk draws on diaries famous and obscure, from well-known historical figures to ordinary people whose daily observations preserved something no official record could capture.
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