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spaceodditee 's review for:
Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation
by Maud Newton
An engrossing read touching on a whole pile of related topics (genetics, family history, family mythology, wider historical accounts, various cultural and religious practices, white supremacy, colonialism, misogyny, all kinds of abuse, sociopolitical commentary, memoir) with a mix of serious scholarship, wry humor, curiosity and spiritual hunger. That last was not my favorite part; her explorations of personal practice around ancestor veneration and the like are not topics I am intellectually comfortable with (as opposed to the other forms of discomfort I felt around other topics) - sometimes really troubled by on one level or another.
Although speaking of other forms of discomfort (the kind I ... appreciate, I guess? this is a weird line to draw), one aspect of the book that I completely didn't expect in a personal connection sort of way was that, while all Newton's recent ancestry is rooted in the American South (via North/Western European colonizers), she's also related to some of the founders/colonizers of my very own New England hometown, and spends some critical thought on their/its history and the way that history is currently treated by local institutions. Lots of food for thought there.
It's the kind of book that leaves me with the strong desire to meet the author for a cup of tea, or possibly a beer, and ask follow-up questions, pick her brain, have an exchange of ideas both intellectual and more personal with. Which is a good read, in my book.
Although speaking of other forms of discomfort (the kind I ... appreciate, I guess? this is a weird line to draw), one aspect of the book that I completely didn't expect in a personal connection sort of way was that, while all Newton's recent ancestry is rooted in the American South (via North/Western European colonizers), she's also related to some of the founders/colonizers of my very own New England hometown, and spends some critical thought on their/its history and the way that history is currently treated by local institutions. Lots of food for thought there.
It's the kind of book that leaves me with the strong desire to meet the author for a cup of tea, or possibly a beer, and ask follow-up questions, pick her brain, have an exchange of ideas both intellectual and more personal with. Which is a good read, in my book.