What Our Clients Say About Personal History Productions
After I gave my mother a copy of her family history book, which I researched and wrote, her friend said, "That is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen one human being do for another!" I have had the pleasure of working with Personal History Productions for the past three years on a comprehensive book about my mother's California pioneer history. Andi and her team were absolutely amazing! With an eye for detail, they made sure that every aspect of the book—design, maps, text and headlines, images and captions, graphics, and more—was perfect. The end result was even better than I could have imagined!
Melissa Kelley, author of From Migrants to Mermaids: The California Pioneer Ancestors of Norma Fox Kelley
Words seem inadequate to express our absolute delight and deep appreciation for the incredible job you did on our life story book. . . . Thank you, thank you, thank you for making this happen for us. It’s one of the best decisions we feel we’ve made in our 50 years together!
Ernest and Margaret Clark, authors of Margaret Leaves With Ernest: The Clarks' Life Stories in Celebration of Our 50th Wedding Anniversary
My book is spectacular. What I enjoy most are the memories that come back to me in living color, page by page, when I read and reread it. Life goes by so fast, and 80 years has seemed to pass in a flash. The book helps me remember everything I did in my life and the people I was close to along the way. Every page brings back a memory. That’s what I like about it.
Joe Garbarino, author of La Voglia: Recollections of a Recycling Trailblazer
It was a delight to work with Personal History Productions on my father’s book. I don’t think we can ever thank them enough for capturing my father’s story and his magnificent work ethic for future generations. Our appreciation has only grown as we've distributed the book to family and friends. We are ever grateful that this opportunity came our way—and would suggest that others quickly take up the opportunity themselves.
Patty Garbarino, daughter of Joe Garbarino
Writing my book was a labor of love, and now that it’s done, I can’t say enough about how pleased I am with the final product. I keep it out on my coffee table and take much delight in it. Working with Personal History Productions on the manuscript, design, and printing went great—like clockwork! And now I have a history of my life to share with my children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and friends. And I have the real satisfaction of having accomplished something highly meaningful. If someone is considering a project like this, I’d say go for it!
Bill Hewes, author of Navigating a Lifetime
I thoroughly enjoyed working on my book with Personal History Productions. When they interviewed me about my life, I got the chance to reminisce about the good times in my past and to reflect on how I handled the challenges in my life. My interviewer was a sensitive, perceptive listener. I felt understood. I’m extremely pleased with the book they created for me.
Bob Gimlin, author ofOur Great, Ongoing Journey
My father never wanted to share his personal story. Born in Germany in 1924, he survived concentration camps and deportation while his sisters and father and many family members were murdered at the hands of the Nazis. Over the years, my father told my brother and me little snippets from his time in the concentration camps, his deportation, and what he learned about the extermination of his sisters and father and many others. But he refused to tell his story in its entirety because he was reluctant to speak about this horrific and miserable period of his life.
However, after my mother passed away, I realized a part of our family history had passed silently because she, too, had been a Holocaust survivor and her story had never been documented. I was determined that would not happen with my father’s life and journey.
When I asked my father to meet with Personal History Productions to share his life’s story, he again refused. Finally, I arranged a meeting between them and my father. This brief meeting went on for hours and days! Many interviews later, the interviewer, Susan, had captured my father’s story of pre-war Germany, his time in the camps, escape from the camps, arrival to America, and locating and marrying my mother, who had escaped the Nazis just four months before the war broke out. If it weren’t for Susan’s compassion and interview style, this book would have never materialized. People who have read The Bornstein Identity tell me they can’t put it down. My father started showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease shortly after completing his interviews. Had we delayed this project, we would have completely lost the opportunity to record his remarkable life’s journey and share it with the grandchildren and future generations. My words can never do justice to how grateful I am for the superb and timeless book Personal History Productions created for our family. If you, or someone dear, would like their life’s story preserved, you would be in excellent and caring hands with Personal History Productions LLC.
Dan Bornstein, son of Walter Bornstein, author ofThe Bornstein Identity
I absolutely love the book that Personal History Productions produced for my father. They were so skillful in capturing his voice and helping him recount stories about the experiences and relationships that most influenced him. In his book, my father tells some stories about our family that I’d never before heard! And now his stories can be passed on to future generations of our family. I am so glad that I initiated the project.
Kim Clement, daughter of Bob Anderson, author ofJourney from San Leandro to Berkeley and Points in Between
Telling my story was like talking to a close friend. The interviewer helped me open my mind to memories I hadn’t thought about for years. Personal History Productions started the project with nothing but the memories in my head and created, in a short period of time, a real work of art. Bill Fisher, author ofLiving Again
I see the value in hiring someone who has training in interviewing, writing, and editing. A project like this is hard to do yourself. When it’s somebody in your family, you are too close to them to think about asking certain questions. When you get somebody who is skilled in interviewing and writing and editing and who is more objective, you end up with a product different than you could have ever anticipated. What we have is a beautiful family history that will be passed down for generations. Darien Duke, daughter of Bill Fisher
I decided to record my personal history because I wanted to share the story of my life in depth and from my perspective. In my book, I talk about my passions and tell stories about my childhood and my experiences with life and marriage and motherhood—stories for my children to read and learn from. It’s my legacy to them and a gift I hope they will cherish forever. I had a wonderful experience working with Personal History Productions. They are professional, easy to communicate with, and offer great advice! I cannot imagine taking on this project on my own. And the end result . . . awesome!!
Kathy Van Riper,author ofA Race Worth Running
I gave copies of my book to my children and grandchildren on Christmas Eve. That very night, my 21-year-old granddaughter stayed up late reading it. She called me first thing the next morning to tell me how much she enjoyed it. She said she was crying so hard when she read the story of how I met her grandpa that she barely could wait for morning to talk to me about it.
Sophie Filippetti, author ofSophie’s Journey
When one of my sons encouraged me to take on this project, I thought it would be a real chore. Instead, the whole process turned out to be a delightful experience! I had a great old time going through boxes of photos. It was so satisfying bringing into the present old memories. The whole project was made easy by my interviewer’s perceptive questions and the design team’s aesthetic decisions. I feel good that my personal history will now be passed down to my sons and their children.
Initially, I gave my mother a certificate to record her personal history as a gift to celebrate her 88th birthday. As it turned out, her book also has been a gift for me and the rest of our family. My mother enjoyed reminiscing about times that frankly were more pleasurable than the stage of life she’s in now. For me and the rest of the family, it was illuminating and eye-opening to see where she came from and to read about the experiences she had growing up. I am really pleased with how it all worked out, and my mother is very proud of her book. She’s shown it to relatives and friends, and the people who read it are moved by it.
Andy Fleming, son of Betty Fleming, author ofFrom Scotland to Sonoma
My experience working with Personal History Productions LLC was wonderful. The team was easy to work with and very thorough. They really know their stuff. I’m extremely satisfied with my book. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Joseph Mengali, author ofAngel on My Shoulder
I am so grateful to Personal History Productions for helping me fulfill my dream of writing a book about my life. I knew my story would inspire others to pursue their dreams, and I wanted to write it, but I couldn’t do it on my own.
I am extremely proud of the book. People all over the world have read my story, and many have written to tell me how much my story moved and motivated them. Without the help of Personal History Productions, I never would have been able to accomplish my goal.
Martha Lovejoy,author ofMy Mother’s Daughter: From a Mud Hut in Zimbabwe to Business Success in America
We are very pleased we decided to record my mother’s personal history. This was a long process, interrupted by illness. My advice to anyone considering recording a parent’s life story is this: take the plunge! My mother’s book is a keepsake for all of us.
Linda Bornstein,daughter of Ruth Turner, author ofMemories of an Optimist
When you read the book Personal History Productions did for my grandmother, you hear Grandma’s voice. That’s what I appreciate most. Grandma really enjoyed the process of being interviewed about her life. The whole process lifted her spirits and energy level. Reminiscing about her past gave Grandma a goal to work toward, and she looked forward to seeing the end product. I gave Grandma a copy of her book for Christmas the year it was published. By then she no longer could turn the pages herself, so every night after work I’d stop by the nursing home on my way home for dinner and read four or five pages from her book to her. We’d look at the photos together. It always brought a smile to her face, and it got us talking about her life. I’d read her stories about her brothers as young boys, and she’d start laughing. You could see in her eyes how pleasurable it was for her to go back in time and remember her younger days. Now that Grandma is gone, we have her book to remind us of her. Both my daughters (aged 10 and 13 at the time it was published) have read Grandma’s book, and they loved it. One day, they’ll share it with their children.
Greg Apostle, grandson of Shirley Wright, author ofMy Life