Having read Fannie Flagg's Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, students will conduct research through an interview with an elderly person from the community (a field trip to local nursing home facility) to determine the validity of the author's message (setting, cultural, and historical observations). They will develop interview questions derived from observations and events from the book as a large group. Small student groups will use iPods/MP3s, laptop computers with webcams, or digital cameras to capture pictures, videos, or audio clips from their interview, as well as take notes. On their return, groups will compare facts from the book to findings during interview and collaborate to create a presentation that finds Flagg's depiction of the Alabama of the Great Depression days credible or not.