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Alan
Weisman writes his 1999 memoir, ECHO IN MY BLOOD, from a perspective
of knowledge rooted in intense research. The book, laced with stories
of his life's work and mission, is the result of his detective work
to solve a nagging question. That mystery surrounds the legend his
father tells of how Communists murdered his grandfather in the Ukraine
in 1918.
A search for his place in the web of a complicated family history
takes Weisman to far reaches of the globe. Weisman the journalist
chronicles events in Columbia, Antarctica, Chernobyl, Moscow, and
finally, MalaViska in the Ukraine. It is in MalaViska that he unravels
the mystery surrounding his father's story.
Thorough research backs up Weisman's findings. He delves into the
time period of 1905, in Ukraine, when his grandfather was 18 years
old. At that time, five flags were raised over Ukraine: Ukrainian
Nationalist, Bolshevik, Galacia, Polish (for Poles who claimed the
country for their own), and that of a "white army" that designed
to re-institute the monarchy of Mother Russia. Jews were the loathed
minority throughout these occupations. The region was rich in black
earth in which to grow sugar beets and grain. Weisman's grandfather
was a businessman, a land owner subject to huge financial losses
during political leadership changes.
As Weisman journals, "children inherit not just the legacies our
elders impart but a void left by what they withhold. Instinctively,
we yearn to fill it."
When he burns the midnight oil for countless hours to prove the
accounts rendered by his elders, he unearths truths in his own life
that corroborate his choices. Themes he chooses to write about ---
immigration, orphans, violence, and displacement --- reflect experiences
of his ancestors in a different place and time.Ý
His eyes opened to profound understanding, Weisman sees an inherent
guilt when people fail to overcome the circumstances that lead to
exile. The shame is especially acute when they feel betrayed by
the homeland. The author realizes that the fabrication chosen by
his father is but a veil to cover realities he ignores.Ý
The memoir is rich with historical facts. The widely published Weisman
leaves no doubt that he is well qualified to unravel his family's
rich history. We gain rich insight into feelings of an American
Jew who resurrects his heritage from times and lands unknown to
him.Ý
--- Reviewed by Judy Gigstad (Gigstadjudy@hotmail.com)
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