| Abstract | The author edited Sandy Polishuk's Sticking to the Union and Catherine Fosl's Subversive Southerner, and in this article discusses the rocky terrain that oral history–based biographers navigate with their editors, subjects, and perhaps most importantly, their own voices and agendas. The editor's primary responsibility is to ensure that the book offers more than just a compelling collection of transcribed interviews; the editor needs to work with the author to convince readers—many of whom may have never heard of the subject—that the life at the center of the book did not only influence history, but that it is history. The author, when editing these two manuscripts, had to juggle the sometimes contradictory challenges of making judicious cuts and drawing out historical contexts, while retaining the personality of the subjects. When all three sides of this triangle—subject, author, and editor—recognize that negotiation is an essential component of researching, writing, and publishing an oral history–based biography, it can lead to proactive, dynamic conversations, grounded in mutual respect and fueled by the shared goal of using the subject's life story to inspire and teach readers about how individuals can influence our world by taking enormous risks.
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