Here is an extract from the publicity blurb.
"In Ancestors, David Hertzel offers an introductory foray into the nature of relationships people today have with their ancestors, and explores the significance of ancestry and ancestral belief in our modern world. Guided by two questions—“who are your ancestors?” and “what is your relationship to your ancestors?”—Hertzel interviewed thirty-five elders and people of prominence within particular social or intellectual communities.
From these interviews, Hertzel identifies common themes to ancestral practices and beliefs, such as the way we sanctify our ancestors, how we create a living narrative of our ancestry, and how experiences like suffering and love are shared across generations and appear to transcend death. Excerpts from interviews ... offer glimpses into the diversity of ways that people think about who they are and where they come from."
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 248 • Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-5381-0436-1 • Hardback • August 2017 • $39.00 • (£24.95)
978-1-5381-0437-8 • eBook • August 2017 • $37.00 • (£24.95)
Thank you for introducing this book on your blog. There are some wonderful insights here not only from the people Hertzel interviews but as Martin Brokenlegs points out, also from the author. I find the paragraph on page 83 about responsibility to future generations is well worth reading, as is the conclusion! Some of the stories are also so interesting, for me one from interviewee Stanley Fuke and one from David Dollahite in particular. Henrietta Mann's affection for her great grandmother who suffered at the hands of the US Cavalry is very moving. I loved reading this book and highly recommend it.
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