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pattydsf's review against another edition
4.0
”’Be careful when you go shaking those family trees,’ Evelyn had warned. ‘You never know what you’ll fine.’ She was sure as hell right about that.”
This is not a book I would have picked up on my own. Although I have been reading more and more about African American history, I had no desire to read any more about lynching. I thought I had read enough. However, I attended a retreat about racial memory and the facilitator recommended that we read Branan’s account of her family.
It has been months since I read Branan’s research into her family, her hometown and the horrible crime that was covered up by both town and family. Although I avoided writing my review, I think about this book on a regular basis. So here I am, trying to write my thoughts about why this book had such an impact.
First of all, I have done some family history research. Not of my own family, but I worked for two years at the Library of Virginia. We answered letters, (remember written letters?) from people all over the country who wanted to know more about their ancestors. I am fairly sure that none of them wanted to discover that their families had participated in the lynching of three men and one woman. I am impressed that Branan was willing to dig up such a painful past. She is a very brave woman.
Next, Branan wrote a book. I realize that writing is her work and passion, but she could have kept this all quiet. She could have shared it with family and, maybe some friends and then let it all alone. Or, maybe, some things to reconcile and repair what happened, but instead she shared her family’s dirty laundry with the world. That also takes guts.
The last reason this book has stuck with me is because of the setting in which I read it. I went to a retreat where the leader, Dr. Paula Parker talked about racial memory. She is an African American, one of many black people whose family suffered terrible fates because of enslavement. Her presentation was about what our bodies remember even if they have never actually experienced the remembered trauma. Branan’s family story along with Parker’s words have seared my brain. Humans do such terrible things to one another and our bodies carry the tale. These tales need to be stopped, but we just keep hurting one another.
I have gotten a bit off topic. However, I believe that Branan has written a book which we all need to pay attention to. We need to stop the violence and to do that we must know the past.
This is not a book I would have picked up on my own. Although I have been reading more and more about African American history, I had no desire to read any more about lynching. I thought I had read enough. However, I attended a retreat about racial memory and the facilitator recommended that we read Branan’s account of her family.
It has been months since I read Branan’s research into her family, her hometown and the horrible crime that was covered up by both town and family. Although I avoided writing my review, I think about this book on a regular basis. So here I am, trying to write my thoughts about why this book had such an impact.
First of all, I have done some family history research. Not of my own family, but I worked for two years at the Library of Virginia. We answered letters, (remember written letters?) from people all over the country who wanted to know more about their ancestors. I am fairly sure that none of them wanted to discover that their families had participated in the lynching of three men and one woman. I am impressed that Branan was willing to dig up such a painful past. She is a very brave woman.
Next, Branan wrote a book. I realize that writing is her work and passion, but she could have kept this all quiet. She could have shared it with family and, maybe some friends and then let it all alone. Or, maybe, some things to reconcile and repair what happened, but instead she shared her family’s dirty laundry with the world. That also takes guts.
The last reason this book has stuck with me is because of the setting in which I read it. I went to a retreat where the leader, Dr. Paula Parker talked about racial memory. She is an African American, one of many black people whose family suffered terrible fates because of enslavement. Her presentation was about what our bodies remember even if they have never actually experienced the remembered trauma. Branan’s family story along with Parker’s words have seared my brain. Humans do such terrible things to one another and our bodies carry the tale. These tales need to be stopped, but we just keep hurting one another.
I have gotten a bit off topic. However, I believe that Branan has written a book which we all need to pay attention to. We need to stop the violence and to do that we must know the past.
readincolour's review against another edition
2.0
The writer got bogged down in family history and who was related to whom. It made it difficult to keep up with what was going on. I understand that it was personal for her as it's told from her point of view as the granddaughter of a sheriff during this incident, but the story could have been better told. There's a lot of going back and forth between present day and the past and it only gets really interesting when she begins to interview people that were alive when the actual lynching took place.
There's a real desire on her part to assuage her white guilt, but it does a disservice to the overall story. The focus of the story shouldn't have been on how she feels about knowing how cowardly & racist her grandfather, mother, aunts, etc. are or how she found out she wasn't as liberal as she thought she was. The story of the actual victims in the story are glossed over. I was reading this for their story, not hers.
Since the name of the book is The Family Tree, and she spent so much time delving into her white family history, I would have liked her to spend as much time talking about her black relatives instead of glossing over meeting them at a reunion.
I had high expectations for this book. Unfortunately, it came up short.
There's a real desire on her part to assuage her white guilt, but it does a disservice to the overall story. The focus of the story shouldn't have been on how she feels about knowing how cowardly & racist her grandfather, mother, aunts, etc. are or how she found out she wasn't as liberal as she thought she was. The story of the actual victims in the story are glossed over. I was reading this for their story, not hers.
Since the name of the book is The Family Tree, and she spent so much time delving into her white family history, I would have liked her to spend as much time talking about her black relatives instead of glossing over meeting them at a reunion.
I had high expectations for this book. Unfortunately, it came up short.
vanillafire's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
bawright1987's review against another edition
2.0
This was a difficult book to read, which I knew it would be before I had even begun. While I realize this would be a hard subject to look at objectively, especially when one's family is involved, at times it felt as though the basis of this book was the author trying to justify the actions of racist ancestors. The actual victims of the multiple heinous crimes mentioned, it seems, are mentioned as an afterthought. There is no actual justice for any of the victims of the lynching. Regardless of whether they were innocent or not, no one deserves to have their life ended that way, without trial.
It was also difficult to keep not only family members and relations straight, but just general mentions of people who lived in the area. I come from a small town where everyone is seemingly related to everyone else, so on that front, I can relate. However, the mention of all the relations didn't seem necessary to the movement of the story.
The one takeaway from this book is insight into how the effects of Reconstruction and the ridiculous "Lost Cause" movement are still at play today in our beliefs and our judicial system. For that part, I would say this book is a must read for anyone questioning the motives of activist calling for change and equality.
It was also difficult to keep not only family members and relations straight, but just general mentions of people who lived in the area. I come from a small town where everyone is seemingly related to everyone else, so on that front, I can relate. However, the mention of all the relations didn't seem necessary to the movement of the story.
The one takeaway from this book is insight into how the effects of Reconstruction and the ridiculous "Lost Cause" movement are still at play today in our beliefs and our judicial system. For that part, I would say this book is a must read for anyone questioning the motives of activist calling for change and equality.
csutherlin3's review against another edition
4.0
An honest book that not only dives into the history of the author's kinship, but surrounding towns and Georgia as a whole. I found the storyline a bit rough to stick with at first, but Branan truly had a way to tie it all together and make sense of it all. What a fascinating and healing process that still has open wounds and room to grow. We could all read this book as if we are reading our own family story and history. I highly suggest if you are reading this review, this book, or are just looking into opening your mind and heart, I implore you to look for your local Coming to the Table chapter. The more we discuss the past openly, the more we can change our future.
jackie_shimkus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
darthsansa's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: B+
Source: Edelweiss
Some good books are fun to read. You ENJOY them, you laugh, and you smile. Other good books are NOT necessarily fun to read. They are still good books, and often, important books. They are books people SHOULD read. But they are not enjoyable and they are not fun. The Family Tree is one of those books.
As an adult, author Karen Branan learns the horrible truth about her family’s involvement in the lynching of three black men and 1 black woman in a small town in Georgia in 1912. With this backdrop, she discusses race relations and the mistreatment of blacks in the South (specifically, Georgia) from the end of slavery to beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. She focuses on the tangled web of family relations that both bound and separated blacks and whites. Family ties between prominent white families led them to protect each other from prosecution for crimes against blacks. It also intimidated others and kept them from speaking out. White men often kept black mistresses and therefore had “two families”. This further complicated matters.
Branan discusses the shame, remorse, and hurt she felt upon realizing her ancestor’s role in these atrocities. Eventually, she has reconciled with this truth. She writes that many whites do not want to really look at the ways blacks have been treated because we are afraid of knowing the pain our families have caused. It is hard to sit with that knowledge. But, she says, “It’s just that fear of knowing, however, that continues to keep blacks and whites divided.”
This makes sense to me. I have to admit, I know very little about my family ancestors. I know they came to Missouri from Kentucky (and there from Virginia). I know they were poor. But, even so, I don’t know if they had slaves or how they treated blacks. But, I do know I grew up in an area that was not racially diverse. It was mainly white and there were very few minorities. This is partly attributed to a lynching of 3 black men in 1906. After they lynching, most blacks left the area. They have yet to come back.
The only reason I didn’t give this book an A is because I often got confused with all the names and family members. I wasn’t always sure who was being discussed. But make no mistake, even though this book made me uncomfortable, it is a good book. I needed to read it, and I needed to be uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable is not a bad thing. It’s how we learn, how we grow, and how we start to come together to solve problems.
readincolour's review against another edition
2.0
The writer got bogged down in family history and who was related to whom. It made it difficult to keep up with what was going on. I understand that it was personal for her as it's told from her point of view as the granddaughter of a sheriff during this incident, but the story could have been better told. There's a lot of going back and forth between present day and the past and it only gets really interesting when she begins to interview people that were alive when the actual lynching took place.
There's a real desire on her part to assuage her white guilt, but it does a disservice to the overall story. The focus of the story shouldn't have been on how she feels about knowing how cowardly & racist her grandfather, mother, aunts, etc. are or how she found out she wasn't as liberal as she thought she was. The story of the actual victims in the story are glossed over. I was reading this for their story, not hers.
Since the name of the book is The Family Tree, and she spent so much time delving into her white family history, I would have liked her to spend as much time talking about her black relatives instead of glossing over meeting them at a reunion.
I had high expectations for this book. Unfortunately, it came up short.
There's a real desire on her part to assuage her white guilt, but it does a disservice to the overall story. The focus of the story shouldn't have been on how she feels about knowing how cowardly & racist her grandfather, mother, aunts, etc. are or how she found out she wasn't as liberal as she thought she was. The story of the actual victims in the story are glossed over. I was reading this for their story, not hers.
Since the name of the book is The Family Tree, and she spent so much time delving into her white family history, I would have liked her to spend as much time talking about her black relatives instead of glossing over meeting them at a reunion.
I had high expectations for this book. Unfortunately, it came up short.
pattydsf's review
4.0
”’Be careful when you go shaking those family trees,’ Evelyn had warned. ‘You never know what you’ll fine.’ She was sure as hell right about that.”
This is not a book I would have picked up on my own. Although I have been reading more and more about African American history, I had no desire to read any more about lynching. I thought I had read enough. However, I attended a retreat about racial memory and the facilitator recommended that we read Branan’s account of her family.
It has been months since I read Branan’s research into her family, her hometown and the horrible crime that was covered up by both town and family. Although I avoided writing my review, I think about this book on a regular basis. So here I am, trying to write my thoughts about why this book had such an impact.
First of all, I have done some family history research. Not of my own family, but I worked for two years at the Library of Virginia. We answered letters, (remember written letters?) from people all over the country who wanted to know more about their ancestors. I am fairly sure that none of them wanted to discover that their families had participated in the lynching of three men and one woman. I am impressed that Branan was willing to dig up such a painful past. She is a very brave woman.
Next, Branan wrote a book. I realize that writing is her work and passion, but she could have kept this all quiet. She could have shared it with family and, maybe some friends and then let it all alone. Or, maybe, some things to reconcile and repair what happened, but instead she shared her family’s dirty laundry with the world. That also takes guts.
The last reason this book has stuck with me is because of the setting in which I read it. I went to a retreat where the leader, Dr. Paula Parker talked about racial memory. She is an African American, one of many black people whose family suffered terrible fates because of enslavement. Her presentation was about what our bodies remember even if they have never actually experienced the remembered trauma. Branan’s family story along with Parker’s words have seared my brain. Humans do such terrible things to one another and our bodies carry the tale. These tales need to be stopped, but we just keep hurting one another.
I have gotten a bit off topic. However, I believe that Branan has written a book which we all need to pay attention to. We need to stop the violence and to do that we must know the past.
This is not a book I would have picked up on my own. Although I have been reading more and more about African American history, I had no desire to read any more about lynching. I thought I had read enough. However, I attended a retreat about racial memory and the facilitator recommended that we read Branan’s account of her family.
It has been months since I read Branan’s research into her family, her hometown and the horrible crime that was covered up by both town and family. Although I avoided writing my review, I think about this book on a regular basis. So here I am, trying to write my thoughts about why this book had such an impact.
First of all, I have done some family history research. Not of my own family, but I worked for two years at the Library of Virginia. We answered letters, (remember written letters?) from people all over the country who wanted to know more about their ancestors. I am fairly sure that none of them wanted to discover that their families had participated in the lynching of three men and one woman. I am impressed that Branan was willing to dig up such a painful past. She is a very brave woman.
Next, Branan wrote a book. I realize that writing is her work and passion, but she could have kept this all quiet. She could have shared it with family and, maybe some friends and then let it all alone. Or, maybe, some things to reconcile and repair what happened, but instead she shared her family’s dirty laundry with the world. That also takes guts.
The last reason this book has stuck with me is because of the setting in which I read it. I went to a retreat where the leader, Dr. Paula Parker talked about racial memory. She is an African American, one of many black people whose family suffered terrible fates because of enslavement. Her presentation was about what our bodies remember even if they have never actually experienced the remembered trauma. Branan’s family story along with Parker’s words have seared my brain. Humans do such terrible things to one another and our bodies carry the tale. These tales need to be stopped, but we just keep hurting one another.
I have gotten a bit off topic. However, I believe that Branan has written a book which we all need to pay attention to. We need to stop the violence and to do that we must know the past.
readincolour's review
2.0
The writer got bogged down in family history and who was related to whom. It made it difficult to keep up with what was going on. I understand that it was personal for her as it's told from her point of view as the granddaughter of a sheriff during this incident, but the story could have been better told. There's a lot of going back and forth between present day and the past and it only gets really interesting when she begins to interview people that were alive when the actual lynching took place.
There's a real desire on her part to assuage her white guilt, but it does a disservice to the overall story. The focus of the story shouldn't have been on how she feels about knowing how cowardly & racist her grandfather, mother, aunts, etc. are or how she found out she wasn't as liberal as she thought she was. The story of the actual victims in the story are glossed over. I was reading this for their story, not hers.
Since the name of the book is The Family Tree, and she spent so much time delving into her white family history, I would have liked her to spend as much time talking about her black relatives instead of glossing over meeting them at a reunion.
I had high expectations for this book. Unfortunately, it came up short.
There's a real desire on her part to assuage her white guilt, but it does a disservice to the overall story. The focus of the story shouldn't have been on how she feels about knowing how cowardly & racist her grandfather, mother, aunts, etc. are or how she found out she wasn't as liberal as she thought she was. The story of the actual victims in the story are glossed over. I was reading this for their story, not hers.
Since the name of the book is The Family Tree, and she spent so much time delving into her white family history, I would have liked her to spend as much time talking about her black relatives instead of glossing over meeting them at a reunion.
I had high expectations for this book. Unfortunately, it came up short.
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