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62 QRCA VIEWS FA LL 2 014 www.qrca.org n BOOK REVIEWS n The INTERVIEW– From Formal to Postmodern Andrea Fontana and Anastasia H. Prokos Left Coast Press, 2007 Reviewed by George Sloan Customer Strategy International n Los Angeles, CA n gdsloan@yourcustomer.com T he Interview – From Formal to Postmodern by Andrea Fontana and Anastasia H. Prokos is written from a social sciences perspective and presents a fascinating read about the history of "the interview." Anyone learn- ing or studying qualitative research needs to read this book. The basic assumption in the book is that the interview is the basic tool of data gathering, whether it is delving into the respondent's story or purely asking for a point on a dimensional scale. The authors do an excellent job of looking at the history of the interview and write a captivating book that never reduces itself to the level of a textbook. This short book informs the reader about the various styles of interviews, and what we have learned from each of those styles over time. As the saying goes, "Knowledge is Power." This short book certainly presents a depth of knowledge about the various styles of interviews and puts all of the styles in perspective. I learned a few ideas about ethnographic interviews from read- ing The Interview. The authors mention mistakes made in the past and how practitioners have han- dled unusual settings with some of their subjects, from learning about poverty among homeless children and having them create the dialogue amongst them- selves, to interviewing an alcoholic sur- rounded by empty bottles and cigarette cartons in a motel room. The authors cover structured, group, and unstructured interviewing, delving into his- torical aspects of each of these styles with references to many written works dating back almost 100 years. To illustrate how thorough this book is, the authors cite 17 pages of reference material they used in creating this book. I never realized so much has been written about something we each do every day in our work. The chapter on "Ethical Concerns" dis- cusses various unethical situations inter- viewers have faced and is probably more applicable to social scientists than quali- tative marketing researchers. Fathering a child with a marketing research respon- dent is highly unlikely to happen in my view, but the authors cite Erich Goode's article in Qualitative Sociology about such an event. In the chapter on "New Trends in Interviewing", the authors make the case that the goals of neutrality in interview- ing are largely mythical, and it is two or more human beings participating that make the interview collaborative. This is an interesting point of view that I will certainly keep in mind in the future. In the "Future Directions" chapter, there is a discussion about declining response rates and the future of technolo- gy in interviewing, surmising that the Internet will be used more and more as the medium for many interviews. In the "Conclusion", the authors talk about the concept of triangulation, put- ting forward the case that a multi-meth- od approach should be used in a project. For example, group interviewing has long been used to complement survey research and now is being used to complement observational research. This is a well-researched and interest- ing look at the interview and the various styles of interviews. It is a quick, yet in- depth, read on the subject. Anyone new to qualitative research should read this book, and those with an interest beyond their primary focus will discover useful insights. www.paramountbooks.com 888-787-8100 You'll always find the best ideas in Qualitative Research and the best prices at Paramount Market Publishing, Inc. Order direct and SAVE! QRAC_01_14.indd 1 1/28/14 2:49 PM

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