If you’re working on a project about your own ancestors, you might be interested in my latest giveaway—read on or scroll down.
Early in the writing of Ancestor Trouble, in the very first iteration of the introduction, I compared obsessing over ancestors to listening to ghost stories. At lunch later that month, my editor must have sensed both how deeply drawn I was to approaching my forebears in a more mystical way and how tentatively I was expressing that aspect of my interest. She urged me not to be afraid of it. I’ve probably mentioned this before, but acknowledging an editor’s influence is important and I will probably mention it again.
In a way, the writing of the book over the course of seven years was both permission and argument to myself, a pathway toward a willingness to contemplate my ancestors — the gifts they passed down and the burdens and harms — not only through an empirical frame but a spiritual one. I knew this aspect of the book would confound some readers, and I was right. (And while I didn’t expect the New Yorker to devote a piece to an attempt at refutation earlier this year, I’m always gratified when a critic engages thoughtfully with my work.)
Sometimes I experience my habitual scared-rodent feeling when the book doesn’t land well, but I find that when I take a breath and reflect I continue to be filled with gladness, even a kind of glee, that my editor was able to help guide me toward the precise book I wanted to write. Recently I met my friend Jeanna Kadlec and her partner for coffee, and Jeanna mentioned that this more spiritual part of the book, toward the end, was her favorite part. In some ways it’s my favorite part, too. Here’s a small part of it:
This month’s giveaway: If you’re working on a book involving or inspired by your own ancestors, I’m giving away a personalized syllabus and letter (sent by physical mail or email, whichever you prefer) from me about your project. To enter, order a copy of Ancestor Trouble and send the receipt of purchase in reply to this newsletter or as a DM to me at Twitter or Instagram.
Entries must be received by Friday October 1, at 11:59 (Eastern). I’ll do a random drawing on Saturday, October 2, and the winner will be notified by email or DM.
Of interest:
I finished the second season of Undone with Max and my stepdaughter tonight, and there was not a dry eye in the living room. Highly recommended on the approaching-ancestors-outside-the-strictures-of-rationalism front. Here’s the season 2 trailer. See also Russian Doll.
Juliet Patterson, author of Sinkhole, recommends “Eight Books That Investigate Family History with Imagination.” Ancestor Trouble makes the list, alongside Sarah Broom’s important and groundbreaking The Yellow House and quite a few books that are new to me.
Scientists say they have reconstructed the genome of the common ancestor of all mammals, which remains mysterious but is said to have lived around 180 million years ago. And according to current science, our first known common human ancestor dates to around 6 million years ago.
“Fishers or Farmers: What Your Ancestors Did Has a Surprising Influence on Your Wealth.” (I take issue with several aspects of this article, but found the research interesting nonetheless.)
“This article explores kinship from a Native Hawaiian perspective as a binding construct of ‘ownership.’ Kinship with place—and the integrity of the ecologies, wisdom, and people our places hold—stands as a central tenet of ownership often lost in our contemporary nomenclature born of capitalism.”
“It’s the cover-up that angered me. I was angry that my ancestors were part of the white-washing of history.” Sandy Hamilton on learning her ancestor’s role in the Appin massacre.
Carolyn Kellogg on Joan Didion’s memorial service at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (and Marc Chagall’s studio, up for sale in upstate New York).
Upcoming events:
October 15: Southern Festival of Books, conversation on memoir with Isaac Fitzgerald, author of Dirtbag, Massachusetts, and Jami Attenberg, author of I Came All This Way to Meet You. In Person. Nashville, 12 PM CDT.
October 18: To the Lighthouse, conversation with Laila Lalami (Conditional Citizens, The Other Americans, The Moor’s Account). Virtual. Pacific Grove, CA, 5 PM PDT / 8 PM EDT, $10.
October 25: Books Are Magic, launch conversation with Jeanna Kadlec about her debut memoir, Heretic. In Person and Virtual. Brooklyn, 7 PM EDT.
October 28: Six Bridges Book Festival, conversation with Stephanie Maxwell Newton. Virtual, Little Rock, 8 PM CDT.
November 20: Miami Book Fair, with Rebecca Donner (All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days) and Ada Calhoun (Also a Poet). In Person and Virtual. Miami Dade College / Wolfson Campus, Building 1, Second Floor, Auditorium, 4:30 PM ET.
All good wishes until next time.
Sweet! Read and shared that Forbes wealth article with fam, fascinating, and also hope to come see you in Miami!