First published 1940
Robert Lawson opens the pages of his family history, introducing readers to ancestors who shaped America through ordinary courage. His forebears weather fierce Caribbean storms and navigate the bustling wharf markets of New York. When the Civil War erupts, they take up arms for their beliefs. Through these adventures, Lawson's grandparents find each other, build a marriage, and raise their children. His parents repeat this cycle of meeting, marrying, and creating the next generation. None of these relatives achieved fame or wielded great power. They worked with their hands, raised large families, and contributed their labor to a growing nation. Lawson shows how unremarkable people create remarkable legacies through persistence and moral character. Their strength lay not in grand gestures but in daily choices to build rather than tear down.
Genres: biography, family-life, 20th-century, american, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Caribbean, New York
Period: Civil War
72 pages · Library Binding · Viking Press