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A review by sshabein
Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation by Maud Newton
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This book is an outstanding mixture of memoir and research. Coming from a family who has roots in both the South and New England (and also Miami, though my parents are not the same generation Newton is), parts of this felt familiar to me. Both sides of my family also have an appreciation for family history, though in recent memory, we do not have full-on dedicated genealogists. There are the oft-repeated stories, and lots of people in my ancestry liked to travel around, and I think some of that comes from an urge to see what's out there. So even though I don't know the names/dates of everyone off the top of my head, I definitely understand the urge to sift through one's past looking for insight about the present.
I also appreciated Newton's willingness to confront both her own family's racism and relate it to broader histories of how the U.S. came to be. She also contemplates how she might begin to make amends for her ancestor's behavior. I don't know that a lot of other people, particularly those doing it from a more, let's say, church-affiliated perspective, are willing to do that hard work. White people, in general, are good at what Newton identifies as willful naiveté about our history, both personal and cultural. I hope that this book leads to a lot of good discussion and thoughtful change in how we handle our histories, that we can't ignore the more troublesome things in exchange for some charming anecdotes. Genetics and upbringing are complicated subjects for anyone, but by seeing a throughline, we can better understand ourselves, and we can aim toward some form of peace.
I also appreciated Newton's willingness to confront both her own family's racism and relate it to broader histories of how the U.S. came to be. She also contemplates how she might begin to make amends for her ancestor's behavior. I don't know that a lot of other people, particularly those doing it from a more, let's say, church-affiliated perspective, are willing to do that hard work. White people, in general, are good at what Newton identifies as willful naiveté about our history, both personal and cultural. I hope that this book leads to a lot of good discussion and thoughtful change in how we handle our histories, that we can't ignore the more troublesome things in exchange for some charming anecdotes. Genetics and upbringing are complicated subjects for anyone, but by seeing a throughline, we can better understand ourselves, and we can aim toward some form of peace.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Animal cruelty