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Posterity
by Dorie McCulloug Lawson
Letters of Great Americans to Their Children
So often, history is taught as a list of facts - date after date, name after name. But history is made up of individuals - people who made all the differences in our world. Presenting a unique perspective on families, history and life in general is Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to their children by Dorie McCullough Lawson.
The book includes the letters of more than 60 historical Americans to their children, and it's much more interesting to hear what they have to say about it as it happened. The fact that Lawson doesn't limit the text to historical information only makes it more interesting. A brief context for each letter enables a truer understanding. All too often, the introductions prove too short - I met more than one person that I wanted to know more about.
There's a "good old days" quality to the book - a glimpse back to when letter writing was not only an art, but a necessity. Letters enabled people to say things to their families that they couldn't always say in person - from advice on how to live to the fact that your proud of your child. These letters are intriguing and moving. I was impressed by the elegance of language that letters required. Posterity itself is elegantly written, yet maintains a gossipy tone - the idea of being let in on a secret - that makes it an easy and enjoyable read.
The personalities of the writers are obvious and assorted - odd and quirky, loving, strict, or spiteful; all ranges of parents are represented.
But even with such a wide range of subjects and opinions, what struck me was the universality of thoughts over time and place - take things one day at a time was as true in the 1800s as it was in 1959 and as it is today.
Mostly, what this book has going for it is that it's true - real families from all times interacting in the various ways that families have always related. From humor to hatred, Posterity shows the reality of families - famous or not.
Title: Posterity
Author: Dorie McCulloug Lawson
Publisher: Doubleday
ISBN: 038550330x
Review written by: Melissa McLaughlin
Reviewer's Rating:8
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
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