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Elizabeth Stone interviewed more than 100 people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds and asked them to recount stories from their own family histories. She found that these stories not only impart a sense of belonging and of shared history, but also help us to define ourselves. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Hardcover: 254 pages
Publisher: Crown; 1st edition (March 12, 1988)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0812912551
ISBN-13: 978-0812912555
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,610,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #89 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Extended Families #2355 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Sociology > Marriage & Family #12217 in Books > Medical Books > Psychology > General
I found this book to be most interesting because it made me think about my own family stories in an entirely new way. Why do we care about certain traits, how we define ourselves, what measures success - the answers are buried in those family stories - the ones we choose to retell, that is. I have used this book in classes, as well as in rethinking my own family. Fun, and thought provoking.
I use this book nearly ever year as a reference in designing college courses on family (family myths, family as a subculture, family memoir writing), and sometimes also as part of students' assigned or recommended reading for the course. Reading this book (or parts of it) alongside a range of other texts--memoir, fiction, film, visual art--students have reported that a) they loved it and b) they have not liked it at all. Some complain that it moves too ploddingly, adding that they wish there were more analysis, more discussion using a variety of theoretical frameworks and scholarship. On the other hand, for many students, Stone's own family story and her analysis of its themes, preoccupations, myths, and values has served as a charming, accessible entry into considerations of their own families and the legacies passed down to them. Stone has also gathered primary source material from many interviews, and has organized them into categories that students and I find useful as a starting model for thinking and discussing family themes, and later, for structuring the material they gather through their own research.
This book is fascinating to read because it will remind you of your own family stories and lead to self reflection. I reexamined some of my own family myths and legends and discovered, what I believe, are new understandings which were previously not obvious.For example: The 'fried chicken story' my mom always told about how bad a cook she was when she first married my dad and how, regardless of what poor meals she'd been cooking for him, he would rave to family & friends about how her fried chicken was fantastic. He never even mentioned to her that her cooking was often crap, just complimented the hell out of her fried chicken, which she says she prepared several times a week until her cooking abilities improved. "Great" my dad would say, "fried chicken". She never broached the subject openly either because she was ashamed that she was so bad at such an important and expected(this was the 50's)skill. My mom always told this story to illustrate how my father,who was not a patient or overtly supportive person, came through for her when it was something that he really could have hurt her feelings over.Once I read this book I got a different perspective. The old 'elephant in the room' idea - a big theme for my family. Don't talk about problems & they'll go away. Don't acknowledge difficulties and offer help (like a cook book or lessons), just ignore it. Which is not to say my mom's take is entirely wrong, it's just probably not the only thing going on. Because no one likes fried chicken that much.
This book contains a lot of great stories. The sequence of how and why the family stories are told are very interesting. Quick read and will leave you thinking...
The ideas presented in this book, are interesting to think about in regards to each individual's family. However, this updated version only had an introductory chapter to address changes in the story and new research. A lazy approach to an update, and leaving misinformation in many chapters. I would recommend a more recently published volume in this same area of interest, as there are many available.
Black Sheep/kissing Cousins Black Sheep One: The Life of Gregory Pappy Boyington Una oveja negra al poder. Pepe Mujica, la política de la gente / A Black Sheep in Power: Pepe Mujica, a Different Kind of Politician (Spanish Edition) Chocolate Kisses and Love Filled Wishes: A Romantic Comedy on Kissing Bridge Mountain - Book 3 Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels (How to Write Kissing Books Book 1) Kissing The Enemy (Scandals and Spies Book 1) Kissing the Trail: NW & Central Oregon Mountain Bike Trails Cousins and Strangers: Spanish Immigrants in Buenos Aires, 1850-1930 A Perilous Proposal (Carolina Cousins Book #1) The Soldier's Lady (Carolina Cousins Book #2): A Novel Cousins Cousins: A Unique and Powerful Bond Black Magic Spells: Black Magic Spells for Beginners (Black Magick) In Sheep's Clothing; Paperbound Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life Mud Season: How One Woman's Dream of Moving to Vermont, Raising Children, Chickens and Sheep, and Running the Old Country Store Pretty Much Led to One Calamity After Another Retrofitting Blade Runner: Issues in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and Phillip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Manual de cria y manejo de borregos/ Manual for Raising Sheep: Una Guia Paso a Paso/ a Step by Step Guide (Como Hacer Bien Y Facilmente/ How to Do It Right and Easy) (Spanish Edition) Kelpie: A dog's view of life on an Australian Outback sheep station. Poems of Jerusalem and Love Poems (Sheep Meadow Poetry)
