Did not hold my attention overall. Some very interesting bits, but I gave up.

A good book, but it just went in too long and lost my interest— read 3/4.

About fifteen years ago, my grandfather did an extensive genealogy project that went back dozens of generations in our family, and when he completed it, I remember leafing through the pages in awe that it was possible to link yourself to ancestors from hundreds of years in the past, using books, family documents, and databases that specialize in connecting distant relatives. I found Maud Newton's journey through genealogy to be so fascinating. She shares her own personal story, but also what she learned during her research on genes and eugenics, family traits, and the relationship between those who share segments of DNA. There were so many interesting bits about how people thought traits were carried from parents to offspring before scientists discovered the genetic sequence and how it works. This was full of information but didn't read like a research paper. Newton did a wonderful job adding enough personal touches to make this feel like a complete nonfiction book. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I am not sure where I saw this book recommended, or exactly what I expected, but I was very disappointed. In general, with my interest in genealogy, I like to read and hear stories of others' genealogical journeys. However, I did not find Ancestor Trouble very interesting or engaging. I found the book very repetitious and I felt that the author was blaming her ancestors for her own insecurities. And when she wasn't blaming, she was praising the ways in which she is better than them, especially her parents. Certainly, as the author relates, her ancestors are not ones to be admired and I had trouble keeping all the horrible people straight, in spite of the family tree in the front of the book. I feel like an author's job is to make the reader care, and I did not care much about Maud (or her family); I found Maud annoying. I put the book aside for a few days, then found it harder to get back to it. I skipped through a lot because I just didn't care. The author cited numerous sources, which to me did not always serve her narrative.

"He [Mark Vonnegut, Kurt's son] posits that 'creativity and craziness go together,' because 'if you're just plain crazy without being able to sing or dance or write good poems, no one is going to want to have babies with you. Your genes will fall by the wayside." (185)

This is a long, chatty introduction to genealogical research in general and one very peculiar family in particular, all in the name of finding peace of mind by way of understanding what has gone on before, I think. As another reviewer has noted, the book will make most people glad that the author's family is not THEIR family. A mother who throws glassware and pots of food at the walls when her husband is late to the table; a father who is an avowed white supremacist and is beloved by no one. . . truly, I would wish this family on no one. I found it an interesting read but there was a sense of relief when I turned the last page.

I learned a few things from this book.

I found the family history interesting, however I found that the author would contradict herself. Some parts in the story were also vague.

I was expecting more background, and instead it felt like I could just Google some of this stuff.

Thank you goodreads giveaways for giving me a chance to read a copy of this book.

Having always been interested in genealogy and family history — partly because so much was hidden from me because of distance, divorces, and deaths, and having loved the personal memoir [b:Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love|40364332|Inheritance A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love|Dani Shapiro|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531185781l/40364332._SX50_.jpg|62645055], I thought Ancestor Trouble would be right up my alley. Much of it is — but, because there’s such a fine line between so much in life, I’m not sure Newton achieved her aim here.

Ancestor Trouble begins simply enough: Newton talks about the physical similarities she shares with her father — from whom she is estranged. She brings in her mother, her personal feeling of unbelonging with her two parents — highlighting the differences that separate them, alongside the inherited traits and behaviors from both. Newton relates a good number of relatable family stories — alongside her dissection and research into the truth of these stories and predecessors who felt like characters to her up to that point. But Newton quickly allows her research and desire for some sort of personal reckoning with her past to overwhelm the purpose of the book.

Ancestor Trouble quickly gets weighed down by being too often dry and overly textbook. Whenever she isn't on a directly personal exploration of her ancestors, Newton inserts information on the history of anything and everything related to genealogy, genetics, and accountability. It feels suspiciously like filler, but it also has the texture of a common problem with researchers: knowing when enough is enough. You don't need to include everything you found or know or can link.

She winds her way back around often enough to her personal stories and familial ties, but overall Ancestor Trouble lacks a certain amount of focus and cohesion. By the halfway mark, her aim feels more like a purge, rather than simply relating her findings or existing solely as a personal journey.

A little too all-encompassing and I think it gets away from her a smidge.

However, relating to Newton is easy. The weight of relatives, past and present, can sometimes be so pressing and disconcerting that I understand her desire to push herself into the depths and try it from different angles. Her disconnect with, and struggle regarding, her more troublesome relatives from her past is, while not directly relatable, certainly draws my empathy. She's honest and frank about the enslaved people in her family's history, her father's racism, and the mental health issues — her own and her relatives'. Newton is at her best when she's exploring her family tree and the tree's roots, and then deciphering the way it overlays with what she already knew or assumed.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book, nor the content of my review.

In this extensive memoir, Maud Newton searches for the history of her Southern family through genealogy, personal letters, and census data. The journey also introduces her to genetics and the negative impacts of intergenerational trauma on one's DNA. I am fascinated by her family history but bored by her genetics research summaries, although it might be that I'm already familiar with these scientific subjects.