Lisa Alther writes about how she became involved in family history and genealogy. Much of the impetus for her hobby is her need to know who she is and find a sense of belonging to a particular group. The book is organized sort of like a memoir. Alther uses memories of wanting to fit in places to introduce various aspects of her research. Her research explores various theories about the Melungeons, a multi-racial group associated with Southern Appalacia.

Genealogy buffs.

Alther has witty, easy-to-read prose. The book moves very quickly. There are many crazy but lovable characters in her family and extended family. This makes the book fun as well. I also love her very accurate descriptions of the South. Having grown up in Georgia (albeit after the Civil Rights movement) much of it sounded familiar.

Sometimes the switches between Alther's autobiographical accounts of her life and the genealogical research aren't that smooth. It makes certain bits and pieces feel awkward. There were times when I wished she had decided to either write a memoir or a genealogy book instead of both.

Continue my own genealogical efforts, including the possibility of getting my DNA tested. I don't have Melungeon ancestors that I know of, but it is neat to think about the possibilities of there being some juicy tidbits I hadn't seen or heard about yet.

Apparently, Lisa Alther is a fiction writer, but I have never read any of her other books. In this book, she talks about her motivations for writing some of her novels based on people she knew and situations that came up in her own life. It was neat to read about how another author comes to write particular stories.

Interested in buying this? Support Writing.Com by making your purchase of Kinfolks: Falling Off the Family Tree - The Search for My Melungeon Ancestors   from Amazon.Com!

Created Aug 31, 2007 at 8:47pm • Submit your own review...