Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 248
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9½
978-1-5381-0436-1 • Hardback • August 2017 • $52.00 • (£40.00)
978-1-5381-6011-4 • Paperback • June 2021 • $33.00 • (£25.00)
978-1-5381-0437-8 • eBook • August 2017 • $31.00 • (£25.00)
David Hertzel is professor of history at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He is the author of The World History Workbook.
Chapter 1: Ancestors: Who We Are and Where We Come From
Chapter 2: Sacred Is as Sacred Does
Chapter 3: "Who Are Your Ancestors?"
Chapter 4: Every Person is an Ancestor, a Descendant, and an Individual
Chapter 5: The Ancestral Narrative
Chapter 6: Ancestors in Space and Time
Chapter 7: Good Ancestors, Bad Ancestors
Chapter 8: Reciprocal Arrangements
Conclusion
Directory of Interviewees
Bibliography
Hertzel’s book serves as a corrective to youth-obsessed culture by insisting that we owe a debt to those who’ve gone before us. He interviewed more than 30 'people of prominence within a particular social or intellectual community' and calls such folks 'elders.' The interviews focus on two questions: Who are your ancestors, and what is your relationship to them? The elders he interviewed represent Native American spirituality and Hindu, Mormon, Protestant, Catholic, Buddhist, and Jewish faiths, in addition to other cultures. Whether interviewees felt they were in some kind of contact with their ancestors or not, many comments reach similar conclusions: it is important to remember, to honor, and to be guided by those who have gone before. In addition, Hertzel weaves in his own insights based on the interviews and considers what constitutes family and what is our obligation to them. This book could be enjoyed by general readership; for a book club; or used to augment philosophy, religion, sociology, or history class discussions.— Booklist
Dr. Hertzel, as a historian, weaves an impressive multidisciplinary approach to the voices in his book. At its heart the book is tolerant, expansive and relentlessly curious about the beliefs — religious, spiritual, and psychological — found in the interviewees' relationships to their ancestors. The subjects of the book are quite open, sometimes painfully so, about their views and their relations to those who have passed, both immediate and distant. If the book deals with loss, it also deals with hope. If it deals with intangible religious mysteries, it is also grounded by an honest humor. If it deals with diversity, it also touches on a number of commonalities. Ancestors: Who We Are and Where We Come From is history in its most important guise: it is a history about ourselves and our place in the world.— BookGrowl
David Hertzel takes us on an introductory foray into the nature of relationships people today have with their ancestors, and explores the significance of ancestry and ancestral belief in our modern world. . . . Hertzel firmly believes that we stand on the shoulders of those who came before and we are indebted to them.... The subjects of the book are quite open, sometimes painfully so, about their views and how they relate to their ancestors and even though this book deals with loss, it also deals with hope. We read of intangible religious mysteries, diversity and commonalities. Here is history as seen through families and we understand that progression has no substance unless we trace the influence of one generation upon the other, which is exactly what this important book achieves. Here is the truth in both the cultural and spiritual effects of those who came before us.— Reviews by Amos Lassen
David Hertzel takes us on an introductory foray into the nature of relationships people today have with their ancestors and explores the significance of ancestry and ancestral belief in our modern world. . . . Hertzel firmly believes that we stand on the shoulders of those who came before and we are indebted to them. . . . The subjects of the book are quite open, sometimes painfully so, about their views and how they relate to their ancestors and even though this book deals with loss, it also deals with hope. We read of intangible religious mysteries, diversity, and commonalities. Here is history as seen through families, and we understand that progression has no substance unless we trace the influence of one generation upon the other, which is exactly what this important book achieves. Here is the truth in both the cultural and spiritual effects of those who came before us.
— Reviews by Amos Lassen
Human history viewed through families as a linear progression has no substance unless we trace the influence of one generation upon the other, which is exactly what this important book achieves. Hertzel’s groundbreaking work uncovers the truth in both the cultural and spiritual effects of ancestors. The modern world needs this book and Hertzel’s insights more than ever.— Howard Kurtz, author of Introduction to Sociology through Utopian Thought
We live with a deep personal and spiritual loneliness brought on by the atomization of society, time spent with technology instead of family, and busyness in place of relationships. David Hertzel gives us the healing medicine for these conditions by reminding us that we value deeply our family ancestors who live in our memories and souls. If you want true peace, read these interviews to be reminded how near your own ancestors really are.— Rev. Martin Brokenleg, Vancouver School of Theology, Lakota First Nation
There are so many worlds hidden in places so close to us, so intimate to our life and its meaning. Hertzel opens windows to the hearts of our neighbors and the worlds of meaning around their ancestors. This insightful book is an experience of life and death that will enlighten and intrigue.— Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Anglican Bishop of Canada