Once We Were Slaves: The Extraordinary Journey of a Multi-Racial Jewish Family Book Review

The Passover story and the Exodus of the Hebrews from slavery to freedom is a potent one. In one way or another, we can all relate to the idea of breaking free from whatever is holding us back.

Laura Arnold Leibman‘s new book, Once We Were Slaves: The Extraordinary Journey of a Multi-Racial Jewish Family was published back in August. The book traces the ancestry of Blanche Moses. Moses, whose Jewish-American ancestry goes back to the Revolutionary War, tells the story of her biracial ancestors. Both Jewish (mostly Sephardic with a handful of Ashkenazi) and black, her ancestors had to navigate a world in which they could be doubly ostracized while passing as Caucasian. Living in such different places as New York City, London, and the West Indies, it was akin to a game of chess, in which every move must be calculated before proceeding.

I wanted to like this book. The subject is one that is certainly of interest to me. The problem is that it is slow to read and void of the excitement that I should have had while answering the question that the book asks. While I appreciated this deep dive into a part of Jewish history that is not always in the spotlight, the promises laid out by the author are not met.

Do I recommend it? Not really.

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Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love Book Review

In home DNA kits are all the rage these days. Whether they are used for serious genealogy research or just to satisfy one’s curiosity about their family’s past, millions have taken these tests. But what happens when the DNA tests reveal that the person you have referred to as Mom or Dad are not your parents?

This is the basic narrative in writer Dani Shapiro‘s new memoir, Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love. In 2016, Ms. Shapiro decided on a whim to take a DNA test. She was shocked to discover that the man she knew as her father was not her biological father. This revelation led Ms. Shapiro on a journey to uncover decades old family secrets, the identity of her biological father and most importantly, her own identity in the process.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed reading it because it was thrilling to read. It starts with a huge question hanging over the reader’s head and does not let go until the final page.

I recommend it.

Throwback Thursday-Finding Your Roots (2012-Present)

Discovering previously unknown parts of one’s family tree is akin to being a detective.

Finding Your Roots premiered on PBS in 2012. Hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr., each episodes focuses on two or three well-known personalities as they learn about their family trees. The cumulative research of genealogists, historians and genetics experts is then compiled into a book of life. As the subject of each episode follows along, Mr. Gates either reveals their family history or answers questions to long-held family secrets.

Genealogy is a fascinating subject, at least from my perspective. It’s more than knowing where your ancestors came from. It’s about connecting the past to the present and revealing that the human experience is a universal one.

I recommend it.

Flashback Friday-Who Do You Think You Are? (2010-Present)

Genealogy (at least from my perspective) is fascinating. The more information you know, the information you want to know.

Who Do You Think You Are? (2010-Present) aired on NBC for three seasons before moving to TLC. Based on the British show of the same name, the focus of each episode is a performer who goes on a journey to uncover hidden parts of their family tree. Aided by historians and experts in the field of genealogy, the purpose of the journey is for the performer to answer the questions of their family’s past.

I think Who Do You Think You Are? is one of the best shows on television. It has all of the ups and downs of a scripted drama, with an ending that may be unexpected, but ultimately fulfilling.

I absolutely recommend it.

 

Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging Book Review

Alex Wagner is the face of modern America. European on her father’s side and Burmese (modern-day Myanmar) on her mother’s side, Ms. Wagner went on a journey to not only discover her family’s past, but also discover who she is as individual.

Her experience is detailed in the memoir, Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging. Inspired by a family member’s off-hand remark, Ms. Wagner decided to look into her familial history. In the process of exploring her mother’s family history in Myanmar and her father’s family history in Ireland and Luxembourg, the author learned a few things about herself in the process.

This book is a fascinating read. Not just from the genealogy angle, but from the angle of what it is to American, especially if the reader is mixed race.

I recommend it.

It’s All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Family Tree Book Review

Genealogy, to me, is very interesting. While most of the focus of genealogy is our individual family trees, it also speaks of the large family tree that is the human race.

A.J. Jacob’s new book, It’s All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Family Tree, is not just about his three-year journey to put together his own family tree. It is also about finding distant cousins that he would have never even considered previously (a former US President, well-known performers) and the fact that underneath the labels of race, family origin, etc, we are one big human family.

The story was absolutely fascinating.  It is fascinating because he discovered what many in the genealogy community only dream of discovering. Most of us can only go back four or five generations, if we are lucky. But the fact that Mr. Jacobs was able to make familial connections with strangers and go back as far as he did is amazing to me.

I recommend it.