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Kinfolks: Falling Off the Family Tree - The Search for My Melungeon Ancestors
Traces the author's personal search for the missing members of her family tree, a dark-skinned, six-fingered clan of alleged child snatchers from east Tennessee with mysterious historical origins and descendents she was forbidden to visit.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
December 31, 2008
I expected to love this book, since it's written by a transplanted Southern woman and looks at her family and some of the secrets of her heritage and the way that race plays into that. I was surprised that not only did I not love it, I actively disliked it.
The whole book struck me as an example of self-involved "who AM I?" reflections. If she was looking into the history of her family, and their possible Melungeon ancestry, just because it's interesting or to know more about her family, I would have no problem with that--I've done the same thing. But she seems to really *want* to be Melungeon, and that wish appears to spring from a feeling that it would be neat or would make her family more special or interesting. I don't have a lot of patience with ethnic identification being used to try to make claims to your family's historical significance or to make the person feel unique and interesting. When initial testing doesn't conclude that she'd Melungeon, she doesn't just find that to be an interesting fact, she's disappointed. Being Melungeon seems to have become to her not just because of a connection to her family's past, but because being Melungeon is desireable, in and of itself.
I also find the way she talks about race really annoying. She discusses on several pages the social construction of race, and the way that "race" doesn't exist in a purely biological sense (there's no one gene that determines your race, there's no such thing as a "pure" race of people, the vast majority of human variation is between individuals of the same so-called race, not across racial lines, etc.). But in the rest of the book, she talks about race in this essentialized biological sense, as though we can really define what % of this or that race/ethnicity a person is, and as though these %s are in any way meaningful.
I also felt like it was a really self-pitying book. Boo hoo, I don't know who I am, but if I can find out this history of my family, it will give me an identity and a sense of self. Guess what? Unless she's going to throw herself into being Melungeon (in a way similar to how new religious converts often become super hardcore), finding out one way or the other isn't some magical solution and is unlikely to change anything about her life.
And she uses words like "halfbreed" in a non-ironic, uncritical way at some points that I find very bizarre.
So. I didn't like it.
The whole book struck me as an example of self-involved "who AM I?" reflections. If she was looking into the history of her family, and their possible Melungeon ancestry, just because it's interesting or to know more about her family, I would have no problem with that--I've done the same thing. But she seems to really *want* to be Melungeon, and that wish appears to spring from a feeling that it would be neat or would make her family more special or interesting. I don't have a lot of patience with ethnic identification being used to try to make claims to your family's historical significance or to make the person feel unique and interesting. When initial testing doesn't conclude that she'd Melungeon, she doesn't just find that to be an interesting fact, she's disappointed. Being Melungeon seems to have become to her not just because of a connection to her family's past, but because being Melungeon is desireable, in and of itself.
I also find the way she talks about race really annoying. She discusses on several pages the social construction of race, and the way that "race" doesn't exist in a purely biological sense (there's no one gene that determines your race, there's no such thing as a "pure" race of people, the vast majority of human variation is between individuals of the same so-called race, not across racial lines, etc.). But in the rest of the book, she talks about race in this essentialized biological sense, as though we can really define what % of this or that race/ethnicity a person is, and as though these %s are in any way meaningful.
I also felt like it was a really self-pitying book. Boo hoo, I don't know who I am, but if I can find out this history of my family, it will give me an identity and a sense of self. Guess what? Unless she's going to throw herself into being Melungeon (in a way similar to how new religious converts often become super hardcore), finding out one way or the other isn't some magical solution and is unlikely to change anything about her life.
And she uses words like "halfbreed" in a non-ironic, uncritical way at some points that I find very bizarre.
So. I didn't like it.
July 7, 2009
What a wheeze of a memoir. A young Tenessee woman who feels rather out-of-place no matter where she goes latches on the the Melungeon people of her region as a metaphor for her own identity. Her searches are fascinating, her droll and wonderful family are a delight, and her storytelling--punctuated by the sayings on church signboards she sees on her travels through the South--is so original and just plain fun. Of course, I too have been contacted by researchers wanting to know if anyone in the family had extra thumbs; I think it's inevitable you'll be asked if you have certain last names in your ancestry and your family lived in certain regions of the South. And, like Ms. Alther, I had a grandmother who worked diligently to obscure and tidy the family tree.
December 1, 2007
This is a non-fiction book by a successful fiction writer. She has a nice sense of humor. The book is interesting for its history, social commentary, and also to see how DNA research is helping to clear up some of history's little mysteries.
March 20, 2008
I like how she focused on parts of life other than her romantic life. And hey--that monster in Lake Champlain is real--her family all saw it while at a family reunion.
October 23, 2022
I enjoyed Alther's delve into her family's (though mostly her Virginian-born, Tennessee-bred, father's) genetic history. Along the way, she met up with crazy/interesting/possibly in-bred/definitely eccentric folk who made her journey, and ours, that much more interesting.
I read both Kinflicks and Original Sin back when they were published, but this is the first book by Alther I've read in, oh, maybe 30 years. I'd love to read her back-list, but much of it seems to be out-of-print. Maybe if this book, her first book of non-fiction, proves popular (and profitable)her back list works will be republished.
And, finally, it was so refreshing to read a memoir of someone who had a - reasonably - happy childhood.
I read both Kinflicks and Original Sin back when they were published, but this is the first book by Alther I've read in, oh, maybe 30 years. I'd love to read her back-list, but much of it seems to be out-of-print. Maybe if this book, her first book of non-fiction, proves popular (and profitable)her back list works will be republished.
And, finally, it was so refreshing to read a memoir of someone who had a - reasonably - happy childhood.
August 3, 2015
....woman searches for her DNA ancestry in Appalachia and discovers roots to Portugal, Jewish, Native American heritage - which is not expected since her family culturally identify as Scottish protestant.
I love the way this is written and the humor. It reads so quickly and comes across as an honest re-telling of her experience at each step of the way. It helps me to find surprises and interesting turns in my own DNA ancestry - and that there is no need to try and figure out "how" or "why" information got lost...just focus on your own findings and mostly this brings joy and satisfaction.
And for Lisa Alther -a book!
I initially picked up this book because there was a review by Doris Lessing and so I knew it had to be good. I was concerned about reading a memoir that was going to drag me into the mud of someone else's confusion (claiming universal insight along the way); but nope! This was enjoyable, fun, and i definitely recommend to others to read this book.
I love the way this is written and the humor. It reads so quickly and comes across as an honest re-telling of her experience at each step of the way. It helps me to find surprises and interesting turns in my own DNA ancestry - and that there is no need to try and figure out "how" or "why" information got lost...just focus on your own findings and mostly this brings joy and satisfaction.
And for Lisa Alther -a book!
I initially picked up this book because there was a review by Doris Lessing and so I knew it had to be good. I was concerned about reading a memoir that was going to drag me into the mud of someone else's confusion (claiming universal insight along the way); but nope! This was enjoyable, fun, and i definitely recommend to others to read this book.
April 11, 2008
I picked up this book because I didn't know anything about the Melungeons and was curious to learn more, so I was impatient with the larger-than-expected portion of the book that was straight (non-Melungeon-related) memoir. I wasn't particularly interested in what club the author was in during high school or whether or not she saw a sea monster in Lake Champlain, and wished she'd stayed more focused on the Melungeon aspect. It felt a little self-indulgent on the author's part, I guess.
April 27, 2017
A fun romp through the genealogical jungles of American society, particularly in the South, more particularly in East Tennessee (where my father's family also originates). Ms. Alther wrote the best-selling novel KINFLICKS, and this is a memoir-ish companion piece, a first-person narration of her attempt to find out if she is a Melungeon. Her voice is droll, funny, and perfect for the topic.
January 19, 2008
Liza with an S! We met at the Appalachian Writers Workshop. A memoir as charming as the author! I laughed out loud at times. A fun read.
February 11, 2022
The brutal reality behind the creation of the “Shining City on the Hill”
I read a library copy of this book when it was published in 2006 and have thought of it many times. Few things give me more pleasure now than buying a Kindle edition of a book I’ve enjoyed in the past and enjoying it again. E-publishing isn’t perfect, but it’s the best gift to readers since Mr Guttenberg’s printing press.
This author writes from a unique perspective because she’s the child of a “mixed marriage” - a union where one spouse is a southerner and the other isn’t. Most of us grow up believing that the culture around us is the norm. It is only as adults that we discover other ways of living. This author grew up in a small town in East Tennessee, but with the constant knowledge that there was another world beyond the mountains. She became the ultimate outsider and sees with the clarity of a stranger at the table.
The “hook” here is her suspicion that both of her paternal grandparents (who were cousins) were Melungeons - a secretive group of dark-skinned people based in isolated areas of East Tennessee. It was a closely guarded secret until this century, when our new-found fascination with multiculturalism made residents of that area eager to identify as Melungeon and to learn the origins of that shadowy group.
The problem is that those origins are difficult to determine at this distance, even with new technology. And the older generations of Melungeons took their secrets to the grave with them. Today we celebrate our ancestors of all stripes and colors, secure in the knowledge that we will be admired for doing so. But past generations didn’t have that luxury. They lied because their possessions and even their lives depended on secrecy. What’s trendy today was fatal only a few years back.
The author points out (correctly) that the Melungeons were simply one of many genetic groups formed by the mixing of Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans - both the English, French, and Spaniards we learned about in school and others who were left out of the history books. It was a brutal battle for good farm land, control of ports, and (of course) political power. The strong and unscrupulous thrived and the weak or unlucky suffered and died. It’s a story that many Americans still don’t want to be told.
I was interested in the author’s historic research, but even more in her stories of growing up in a small town not too far from my own medium-size town. Change came even to that conservative region and more quickly than outsiders may realize. When the author was in high school, there were no girls’ sports teams - the theory being that paricipating in active sports made girls “unwomanly.” By contrast, her sister (youngest in a large family) was on several sports teams, including the Ski Patrol that practices at the new ski resorts in neighboring North Carolina. Profit is always the most powerful force in over-coming resistance to change.
The author and her siblings left their calf country to go to college, marry, and have families, but all are drawn back to the mountains where they grew up. The “values” that chaffed when they were younger are strangely comforting in middle age. Just one of the many humiliations life has in store for us if we live long enough. Also interesting to me is that her father’s personality comes through loud and clear, but she seems to have little understanding of her mother. Did her mother submerged her natural personality in the need to fit into her husband’s world? If so, she wouldn’t be the first.
I skimmed some of the discussions of DNA technology, which is in its infancy. I’ve no objection to its use, but it’s wise to remember that what it reveals to us today may be reversed tomorrow. The rest of the book is outstanding. The author is a talented writer and she tells her stories with humor and style. If you love history and family memoirs, this is one you shouldn’t miss.
I read a library copy of this book when it was published in 2006 and have thought of it many times. Few things give me more pleasure now than buying a Kindle edition of a book I’ve enjoyed in the past and enjoying it again. E-publishing isn’t perfect, but it’s the best gift to readers since Mr Guttenberg’s printing press.
This author writes from a unique perspective because she’s the child of a “mixed marriage” - a union where one spouse is a southerner and the other isn’t. Most of us grow up believing that the culture around us is the norm. It is only as adults that we discover other ways of living. This author grew up in a small town in East Tennessee, but with the constant knowledge that there was another world beyond the mountains. She became the ultimate outsider and sees with the clarity of a stranger at the table.
The “hook” here is her suspicion that both of her paternal grandparents (who were cousins) were Melungeons - a secretive group of dark-skinned people based in isolated areas of East Tennessee. It was a closely guarded secret until this century, when our new-found fascination with multiculturalism made residents of that area eager to identify as Melungeon and to learn the origins of that shadowy group.
The problem is that those origins are difficult to determine at this distance, even with new technology. And the older generations of Melungeons took their secrets to the grave with them. Today we celebrate our ancestors of all stripes and colors, secure in the knowledge that we will be admired for doing so. But past generations didn’t have that luxury. They lied because their possessions and even their lives depended on secrecy. What’s trendy today was fatal only a few years back.
The author points out (correctly) that the Melungeons were simply one of many genetic groups formed by the mixing of Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans - both the English, French, and Spaniards we learned about in school and others who were left out of the history books. It was a brutal battle for good farm land, control of ports, and (of course) political power. The strong and unscrupulous thrived and the weak or unlucky suffered and died. It’s a story that many Americans still don’t want to be told.
I was interested in the author’s historic research, but even more in her stories of growing up in a small town not too far from my own medium-size town. Change came even to that conservative region and more quickly than outsiders may realize. When the author was in high school, there were no girls’ sports teams - the theory being that paricipating in active sports made girls “unwomanly.” By contrast, her sister (youngest in a large family) was on several sports teams, including the Ski Patrol that practices at the new ski resorts in neighboring North Carolina. Profit is always the most powerful force in over-coming resistance to change.
The author and her siblings left their calf country to go to college, marry, and have families, but all are drawn back to the mountains where they grew up. The “values” that chaffed when they were younger are strangely comforting in middle age. Just one of the many humiliations life has in store for us if we live long enough. Also interesting to me is that her father’s personality comes through loud and clear, but she seems to have little understanding of her mother. Did her mother submerged her natural personality in the need to fit into her husband’s world? If so, she wouldn’t be the first.
I skimmed some of the discussions of DNA technology, which is in its infancy. I’ve no objection to its use, but it’s wise to remember that what it reveals to us today may be reversed tomorrow. The rest of the book is outstanding. The author is a talented writer and she tells her stories with humor and style. If you love history and family memoirs, this is one you shouldn’t miss.
June 15, 2017
One of the most interesting books I've ever read.
August 27, 2022
I read the book because of the connection the author had with East Tennessee. I was born and raised there as well. I enjoyed the parts related to East Tennessee and I actually had a friend in elementary school who had six fingers. The whole time I was reading this book, I wondered if she was Melungeon.
August 11, 2014
Lisa Alther's memoir explores her family roots, as she goes on a exploration to discover what her grandparents wouldn't tell her and what other family members never knew. Alther discovered that she likely had Melungeon ancestors, and set out to find out exactly who the Melungeons were. Multiple theories about Melungeon origins abound - members of Sir Walter Raleigh's Lost Colony, descendants of shipwrecked Portuguese, descendants with mixed race including Native American and African ancestors.
I chose this book to read because of an interest in learning more about the Melungeons. Although the book does deal with the Melungeons, it's not solely about this aspect of Alther's family tree. Alther spends the first half of the book relaying childhood anecdotes and describing her family. I particularly enjoyed reading about her experiences facing prejudice as a Southerner in a very Northern college. However, that is not what I anticipated from this memoir going in, and I felt somewhat led astray by the book jacket.
It was interesting reading about traits peculiar to Melungeons - dark skin, blue eyes, oftentimes with extra fingers. However, because of the many theories as to Melungeon origins, at times I felt the narrative and historical pondering became too vague and open ended. Alther throws in summations of major historical events including colonization, slavery, Native American populations, and racism in America. At times the thread of the narrative felt a bit overboard in its scope, and also elementary in trying to quickly summarize vast and complicated issues. Yet this is a memoir, and it is Alther's family story, so it's her history to tell.
Alther repeatedly references her feeling that she isn't a "fun" person, yet this is ironic to me because her memoir is written in a pithy and witty manner. For example, "What I was growing up, we split a cow with them every year for meat. I remember the year we ate the cow named Lisa. So do my therapists" (54). I suspect that Alther is a funny conversationalist, and one who isn't afraid to poke fun at herself. I also appreciated her candid summation of childhood in a Southern culture, and her bravery in defying her grandmother's wish to not look into her family heritage. Like Alther, I would absolutely want to know where I had come from. I liked that the memoir concluded with Alther and her father finding out their genetic ancestry, because I felt like it finally gave some conclusions about where the Melungeons originated from. Although we're unlikely to ever know the full story, it appears that they likely represent a true American melting pot, albeit one shrouded in mystery, suspicion, and prejudice for generations.
I chose this book to read because of an interest in learning more about the Melungeons. Although the book does deal with the Melungeons, it's not solely about this aspect of Alther's family tree. Alther spends the first half of the book relaying childhood anecdotes and describing her family. I particularly enjoyed reading about her experiences facing prejudice as a Southerner in a very Northern college. However, that is not what I anticipated from this memoir going in, and I felt somewhat led astray by the book jacket.
It was interesting reading about traits peculiar to Melungeons - dark skin, blue eyes, oftentimes with extra fingers. However, because of the many theories as to Melungeon origins, at times I felt the narrative and historical pondering became too vague and open ended. Alther throws in summations of major historical events including colonization, slavery, Native American populations, and racism in America. At times the thread of the narrative felt a bit overboard in its scope, and also elementary in trying to quickly summarize vast and complicated issues. Yet this is a memoir, and it is Alther's family story, so it's her history to tell.
Alther repeatedly references her feeling that she isn't a "fun" person, yet this is ironic to me because her memoir is written in a pithy and witty manner. For example, "What I was growing up, we split a cow with them every year for meat. I remember the year we ate the cow named Lisa. So do my therapists" (54). I suspect that Alther is a funny conversationalist, and one who isn't afraid to poke fun at herself. I also appreciated her candid summation of childhood in a Southern culture, and her bravery in defying her grandmother's wish to not look into her family heritage. Like Alther, I would absolutely want to know where I had come from. I liked that the memoir concluded with Alther and her father finding out their genetic ancestry, because I felt like it finally gave some conclusions about where the Melungeons originated from. Although we're unlikely to ever know the full story, it appears that they likely represent a true American melting pot, albeit one shrouded in mystery, suspicion, and prejudice for generations.
June 2, 2012
Yet another dollar store purchase that I was pleasantly surprised by. I only picked it up since it had a genealogy/history slant. She writes about her decades long search for "melungeons" that she supposedly belongs to. Thankfully she keeps her very liberal opinions short & few as she travels to discover what she calls an American history that she didn't learn in school (I did so I don't know how she didn't know that this continent was already heavily populated pre-Columbus). Yet I did learn lots about how 'races' really intermingled prior to the 1880's. It reinvigorated my interest in figuring out how my mother's side has Algonquin in it since this book gives a good overview of how that might of happened. But the best part of the book are the last 3 chapters: First she really condenses the history of names and words to give a good argument of the source of the melungeons, and the modern day way of tracing your ancestors: DNA. IF you like memoirs, history or genealogy give this book a read.
May 6, 2014
I didn't like this book too much. The search seemed disconnected, and it never really went into why the author was so curious (if it was I must of missed it).
I did learn about the ties of the Moors/Turks to American Indians, and that was interesting-as I didn't know that.
I also didn't like the author. Growing up in Tenn/Vir, and moving to Vermont, she seemed real intent on proving herself as a intellectual northerner who escaped from the southern Hillbillies she grew up with.
I did learn about the ties of the Moors/Turks to American Indians, and that was interesting-as I didn't know that.
I also didn't like the author. Growing up in Tenn/Vir, and moving to Vermont, she seemed real intent on proving herself as a intellectual northerner who escaped from the southern Hillbillies she grew up with.
February 7, 2018
An entertaining read about one woman's search for her roots. I found it very close to my own search. My Melungeon ancestors are listed in her book. It is very interesting to see just how diverse our culture was from the very beginning.
January 30, 2008
Really wonderful and funny exploration of self-discovery and identity.
July 30, 2019
It's a pleasure to read a memoir that has me laughing on one page, then learning so much about the diversity of our earliest residents, many unwillingly, pre-Jamestown and Plymouth Rock.
August 31, 2019
It's non-fiction, but it grabbed me from the start. I love the digging into family history and this voyage into the "unknown" of the family was very amusing.
January 24, 2020
This is the second time I've read this book. It includes tons of well-researched information.
March 5, 2023
Lisa Alther explores her Melungeon ancestors in this light hearted but deep dive into what her Melungeon roots suggest. Alther's family is part northerner and part southern. She describes the feeling of not belonging to either group as she embarks on an effort to better understand the southern (Virginia and Tennesee) side of her family tree. She does a great job of explaining the many mysteries associated with being Melungeon. She covers a lot of ground. Early European explorers and settlers (Spanish, Turkish, Portuguese and English) native American (Pocahontas and others) and enslaved dark skinned Africans all contribute their DNA. The term Tri-racial Isolatel doesn't capture the complexity that Alther describes. Kinfolks is a personal journey, written in a breezy and often funny manner but does a wonder job at exploring the complexity of the term Melungeon - six fingered, spade shaped incisors and all.
Barbara Kingsolvers 'Demon Copperhead' was published about 3 months ago and the protagonist is of Melungeon heritage. My curiosity about this term lead me to Kinfolks. It is an informative read.
Barbara Kingsolvers 'Demon Copperhead' was published about 3 months ago and the protagonist is of Melungeon heritage. My curiosity about this term lead me to Kinfolks. It is an informative read.
September 19, 2017
Author Lisa Alther never quite felt like she fit in. Not in Tennessee where she grew up, as did her father. Nor in New York/New England where her mother came from. So she decided to find out more about her ancestry, especially since she wondered why they never visited her father's relatives who lived only twenty miles away across the state border in Virginia. Hints and comments made her wonder if any of her forbears might belong to the mysterious Melungeons, but to begin with any mention of them stopped conversation cold. They are many theories about their origins, and Alther examined all of them, including enlisting her father into an early DNA study. As time went by, however, many people became more receptive to the possibilities of mixed-race ancestry, not matter what races might be included. This is an interesting and intriguing account of the author's search and her discoveries. However, since it was published ten years ago (2007), more discoveries may have been made since (I have not checked).
April 7, 2022
Like a detective personally connected to and obsessed with a cold case, Lisa Alther searches for answers about her ancestry. While doing so, she taught me more about the rich history of the southeastern US and introduced me to a people group, the Melungeon. I could relate to tackling thorny problems of genealogical research—where no records were kept or saved, and where some members of a family hid or not claimed their heritage for reasons that range from pride/shame to fear of persecution/survival. It’s an amateur genealogist’s quest through tantalizing if frustrating clues and irreconcilable theories. Alther adds interesting observations and her wry sense of humor is usually unoffensive. For instance, at the end of her book acknowledgements, she quips, “A few names and locations have been changed to protect me from the guilty.”
August 6, 2023
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book and ended up thoroughly enjoying it. Being familiar with the area where she grew up and some of the history of the Melungeons made this a fun read. Plus, she takes the reader on a world tour, not only through her travels, but also through her extensive descriptions of the movements of people groups over the centuries. There are so many mysteries of history that I wish we could solve, but without written records, it’s difficult to do. Her research on pre-colonial American history was fascinating and a bit macabre at times when she shares the stories of many groups that are abandoned on isolated shores or places inland in an effort to eradicate “undesirables”.
I loved her stories of her family and friends. And several times I laughed out loud at her assessments of her own reactions.
I’m really glad I stumbled across this book.
I loved her stories of her family and friends. And several times I laughed out loud at her assessments of her own reactions.
I’m really glad I stumbled across this book.
May 1, 2024
I picked up this gem in the Moonpie and Book Warehouse in Pigeon Forge, TN on vacation. I had not read any of her previous work, but I loved this memoir and the deep dive into her ancestry despite her grandmother warning her against it because it might change her (grandmother's) standing in the Virginia Ladies Club should something unexpected surface. I enjoyed the history of the southeast from Virginia to Florida, the many Native tribes and traditions, the forts and settlements by English, French, Portuguese and Mexican, and the introduction of slaves and indentured servants and how they expanded the gene pool. She also did a wonderful job explaining DNA and HLA results and what they can tell us so far and what they can't. Both her seriousness about pursuing her ancestry and her sense of humor over results as she got them came through. A wonderful, informative read!
February 1, 2019
Interesting with a tendency to ramble around. I have lived in this area for several years and am familiar with some of the people she mentions. This appears to be a semi autobiographical sketch. I know some melungeons personally and like all of us, some good and some not so good. If you are familiar with the area, you will get a laugh out of some of the characters. The Nellie she mentioned (now deceased) wrote a column for the local paper and was always threatening to leave the country, if a politician she didn't approve of was elected. Since I am a Southerner and with family ties to Alabama going back to the early 1800's, I often pictured her as a Scarlett O'Hara wannabe. If you are in to DNA you might wish to give this a whirl.
March 18, 2022
I learned quite a bit of pre-America history reading this book. There were many facts I was never taught in school. My husband, who loves history and has studied the subject much more than I, indicated the author is correct.
I am a direct descendant of a Melungeon family, the Gibsons. I truly enjoyed reading about the author’s search for her Melungeon ancestors. There are so many theories about the identity of Melungeons. We probably will never learn the truth. I was told that my mother, her brother, and my mixed raced grandfather weren’t considered to be “as human”. My white grandmother was ostracized for marrying someone of color. (They married in 1920.)
Trying to trace my grandfather’s ancestry introduced the term Melungeon to me. Now I read everything I can find on the subject.
I am a direct descendant of a Melungeon family, the Gibsons. I truly enjoyed reading about the author’s search for her Melungeon ancestors. There are so many theories about the identity of Melungeons. We probably will never learn the truth. I was told that my mother, her brother, and my mixed raced grandfather weren’t considered to be “as human”. My white grandmother was ostracized for marrying someone of color. (They married in 1920.)
Trying to trace my grandfather’s ancestry introduced the term Melungeon to me. Now I read everything I can find on the subject.
November 16, 2022
I really thought I would love this book much more than I did. Many reviewers praised the author’s humor - and I totally agree - it was a great part of her book! For example, I thoroughly enjoyed how she incorporated clever and humorous church signs posted outside of churches that she saw while traveling in her ancestor search. And her wry sense of humor would pop out in other places when you least expected it, leading to an enjoyable read up to a certain point. But my gracious, did I ever get overwhelmed with all the in-depth DNA explanations that seem to take up the last third or fourth of the book. The author lost me there and I have to admit I skimmed through all that scientific Mumbo- jumbo. So I’d give the first two thirds of her book a much higher rating than the last third.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews