Annie's Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Parenting & Relationships
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Parenting & Relationships
Book Type: Hardcover
Helpful Score: 2
It usually seems almost all families have their secrets, things that they'd prefer outsiders not know for one reason or another. What about secrets within the family, kept by your own mother, from the family itself? Imagine finding out you had a very close relative that you never knew even existed. That's exactly what happened to the author Steve Luxenburg. I found myself sympathizing with him throughout the book.
This memoir is about the author's mission to find out how and why his mother has kept this startling secret has been. The author, having grown up being told by his mother Beth that she was an only child, something she took every opportunity to make more than perfectly clear to Steve Luxenberg & his four siblings. Hence, they were stunned to find out Beth had a sister. Due to Beth's frail mental & physical health (and figuring she had her own reasons)the Luxenbergs did not confront their mother about the secret that they uncovered.
After Beth's passing, the author, who'd been taking charge in trying to uncover the family secret, stepped up his investigation. What he discovered was an amazing story that will leave the reader disheartened and deeply moved emotionally. It may even make you a bit furious that a mother would do this to her children. I couldn't imagine why a mother would put her children through the mental torture that Beth put her son (the author) through.
You'll find yourself wondering why Luxenberg's mother decided to hide her sister's existence from even her own children. That very decision & question is at the heart of Annie's Ghosts and Luxenberg does a wonderful job of maintaining the balance between reporter and son as he trys to come to grips with this secret and the pain it has caused him and his family.
It's a very interesting book but, not my usual reading genre. Regardless, it kept me interested until the last page. You can't help but, to admire the author's persistance to find the truth no matter how it hurt him. I'd recommend this book to anyone.
This memoir is about the author's mission to find out how and why his mother has kept this startling secret has been. The author, having grown up being told by his mother Beth that she was an only child, something she took every opportunity to make more than perfectly clear to Steve Luxenberg & his four siblings. Hence, they were stunned to find out Beth had a sister. Due to Beth's frail mental & physical health (and figuring she had her own reasons)the Luxenbergs did not confront their mother about the secret that they uncovered.
After Beth's passing, the author, who'd been taking charge in trying to uncover the family secret, stepped up his investigation. What he discovered was an amazing story that will leave the reader disheartened and deeply moved emotionally. It may even make you a bit furious that a mother would do this to her children. I couldn't imagine why a mother would put her children through the mental torture that Beth put her son (the author) through.
You'll find yourself wondering why Luxenberg's mother decided to hide her sister's existence from even her own children. That very decision & question is at the heart of Annie's Ghosts and Luxenberg does a wonderful job of maintaining the balance between reporter and son as he trys to come to grips with this secret and the pain it has caused him and his family.
It's a very interesting book but, not my usual reading genre. Regardless, it kept me interested until the last page. You can't help but, to admire the author's persistance to find the truth no matter how it hurt him. I'd recommend this book to anyone.
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