The Red Gift - An American Saga

Not every family history mirrors the great upheavals and turning points of U.S. history. To the author's surprise, she learned late in life that the experiences of her great grandfather, grandfather, and father parallel the ups and downs of the Gold Rush, Civil War, numerous financial depressions, the rise of Populist and Socialist ideas, the reactionary impulses of the Red Scare and McCarthy years and, of course, the good old glue of capitalism.Research into the author's family history revealed a web or parental favoritism and the pain it engendered. Like so many families, pain and shame kept the author's family stories nearly secret..This modest sized book offers the casual historian and curious student the chance to view history through the lens of a single ordinary family. It demonstrates that we are all part of an amazing American history.