As an avid true crime reader, I was very pleased to get the opportunity to review Stranger in the Window by Cathy Coombs. This is the story of Leila A. Welsh, a young teacher from Kansas City, her murder, and the fight for justice. Leila’s...

Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family's Hope and the Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer by Brian Reisinger tells the story of his family's four-generation farm in Wisconsin, beginning with his great-grandfather, Alois, who emigrated from Europe in 1909. The Reisinger family faced numerous...

Crossing the Yellowstone: The Saga of a Montana Ranch Family is a journey into American history from 1894 to the 1940s. It was an era that followed the gold rush and civil war, at a time when the “Wild West” had been tamed, at least...

Adjacent to History by John J. Rilli is an engaging memoir that explores a family’s personal history shaped by the tides of history, yet not defined by historical figures or grandiose events. Instead, Rilli offers a personal account of his family's journey through America, starting...

I have studied my family’s roots for over sixty years and found Tracing Roots: A Step-by-Step Guide to Discovering Your Ancestry by Penelope Green a wonderful resource. Penelope covers the topic well and gives amateur genealogists a fantastic roadmap to discovering everything they can about...

Finding Ruby by Richard Rothman is a thoughtful and deeply personal examination of the intricate connection between family history and individual identity. This reflective narrative explores the lives of several generations, focusing primarily on the author's biological grandfather, Rubin “Ruby” Schechter, a devoted idealist whose...

A Decade in Gloucester: Reflections on History and Home by Laura Plummer is a debut chapbook that weaves together poetry and memoir to explore the rich location of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Through her journey of discovering her Finnish roots, Plummer creates an intimate portrait of both...

Philip Caravella's memoir, Americans: The Beautiful, details his family's experiences from World War II to their life in Cleveland. His father, Robert Caravella, served in Europe with the 125th Anti-Aircraft Mobile Artillery Gun Battalion, earning three Bronze Stars, while his brother, Louis Caravella, worked...

In her memoir The Girl with Three Birthdays, Patti Eddington shares her adoption story, revealing that she accepted her older half-sister's account that a social worker facilitated her adoption from her biological mother, Lois. However, an aunt later contradicted this, stating Lois had handed Patti...

Janet Hulstrand's memoir, A Long Way from Iowa, is a captivating tale of self-discovery, family, and adventure that spans three generations of women who share a passion for reading, writing, and travel. The story begins in 1992 when the author discovers her grandmother's journals, written...