We Are Nantucket is a collection of thirty-three oral history interviews covering almost a century of different experiences on Nantucket. While many of the people interviewed are natives of Nantucket and have lived on the Island all their lives, a few trace their roots to the original settlers, some came as small children with their parents, others came to work and live, and some have been summer residents for decades. All love the Island and each has enjoyed a special intimacy with the community. Taken together, they reflect the character of Nantucket. Common themes of a hearty work ethic, Yankee thriftiness and simplicity, and a value for family and community run throughout the histories. This collection of interviews preserves these memories and some of the stories of what life on this special Island was like. The Nantucket experiences of these individuals reflect the richness of the variety of people who have formed the character of the Island in the past and present, and represent an important aspect of Nantucket's remarkable legacy. Interviewees include: Eileen P. McGrath Francis "Frannie" Pease William Allen Alice Graves Dejonge Nancy Chase Martha Holdgate Butler Manny Dias Mrs. Ripley Nelson Ruth Chapel Grieder Walter Beinecke
Nancy Anne Newhouse is a fifth-generation summer resident and has lived on Nantucket year-round for the past thirty-one years. She is a graduate of Rosemont College and received an MA in education from George Washington University. After twenty-three years of teaching in Washington, DC, she became a permanent resident of Nantucket in 1991. She was a member of the Town Finance Committee. Over the years, she served as a trustee/director/governor on the Boards of the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, Nantucket Island Community Sailing, the Nantucket Atheneum, Palliative and Supportive Care of Nantucket, the Nantucket Yacht Club, and the Hospital Thrift Shop. Nancy has been a volunteer at the Hospital Thrift Shop, Meals on Wheels, Palliative Care, and Our Island Home. She is the author of Voices of the Village: An Oral History of 'Sconset and Affordable Nantucket, A History of the Hospital Thrift Shop. Her work is included in The Little Grey Island. Most recently, she has collaborated with Betsy Tyler on a book of the history of the Nantucket Land Bank. Mikki Ansin is a Cambridge-based photojournalist who specializes in film, politics, and people. She has worked for the Kennedy family, President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter, Merchant Ivory Productions, and most of the Hollywood studios. Her work is collected by The Bibliotheque Nationale (Paris), The Deauville Film Festival, the Kennedy Library, the United States Information Agency (USIA), and numerous private collectors. Ansin also held a White House appointment to the Board of Governors of the USO. She is quoted as saying that Nancy Newhouse took her by the hand to meet the real Islanders: those who had been born there, at least ninety years before.
"A must-read for all of us who wish to cling to a piece of the old Nantucket and for newcomers who want to understand the essence of what our Island means to us. This is a book for all Nantucket lovers."--Mimi Beman, Nantucket bookseller "Much more than nostalgia, these oral histories offer intimate glimpses into an island community with hardy roots, where people have coped admirably with the cyclical forces of nature, the economy, and tourism. Here is the story of Nantucket as they lived it, told with warmth and revealing insight."--Donald A. Ritchie, author of Doing Oral History; associate historian of the United States Historical Office "This is a fascinating contribution to the history of Nantucket and an indispensable guide for all who want to know what the Island was like in the mythic past before Big Money hit town."--Russell Baker "We Are Nantucket captures the words and life of the Island in the twentieth century, and does it in a lively and captivating style which can never be duplicated. Nantucket was a town of walkers and talkers, and this book shows, in a series of interviews with veteran Islanders, how the Nantucket people, both natives and other residents, loved the Island. The talents and versatility of the Islanders have never been better shown than in the words of these people."--Robert Mooney, author of Nantucket Only Yesterday "For anyone wanting to know what Nantucket used to be like, this is the book. Nancy Newhouse has assembled a superb collection of oral histories."--Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Heart of the Sea
