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)