Reviewed by Bev Scott Inheritance by Dani Shapiro, describes her emotional journey when she discovered through DNA testing that she was not related to her older sister, Susie. Susie was the daughter of her father from an earlier marriage. The older sister looked like her Jewish father who Shapiro always revered. Instead, she was different…pale skin, blond […]
genealogy
Sharing the Roots of “Sarah’s Secret”
My grandfather’s hidden life intrigued me. I began a search to uncover the roots of our family secrets. When I couldn’t find answers to all the questions about my grandfather in my genealogy research, the idea of writing the story as fiction began to take hold. Sarah’s Secret is the result. I also wrote a free e-book, Searching […]
Book Review: “The Search for My Abandoned Grandmother” by Mary Ames Mitchell
Reviewed by Bev Scott Mary Ames Mitchell describes in detail her search for her English grandmother’s grave or burial site. The author’s mother, Betty May, last saw her mother, Eileen Maude, when she was seven. In 1932 Betty May boarded a train in London with her brother to spend the summer holidays with her father in […]
“What About Your Mother’s Family?”
“What about your mother’s family?” “…Oliver was a man who knew his own mind. He had two daughters (one was my mother) who were never allowed to attend school. Oliver was sure that they would learn too many things at school that weren’t included in the curriculum. Mrs. Moody was a former school teacher, so […]
History vs. Genealogy vs. Historical Fiction
History vs. Genealogy is about what matters, and to whom. And how does the historical fiction writer use them? History and genealogy…are two radically divergent views on the past. The first says “This matters.” The second says, “This matters to me.” John Sedgwick in the New York Times Historians such as John Sedgwick tend to scoff at […]
