I am reading aloud The Roosevelt Women by Betty Boyd Caroli. It is the current choice of Lynn's book group. I wasn't sure I wanted to read it but I like it very much. Before the actual text begins there is a genealogical chart but in the Kindle book, it can' t be enlarged enough to be read. Here is roughly the same thing: t.ly/bgso
Between the PBS show "Downton Abbey" and this book, I feel as though I am getting a feel for life on large estates in post-feudal times in the Western world. We just read that a household needs a starter set of six people to handle all the tasks. I asked Lynn how well we could accommodate six servants in our little house but she doesn't advise trying. The book is the best example of a history focused on the women I have ever seen. I have been grasping the facts that women are very attractive to most men, that women can accept a man's little bit of goo and make a human being with it and that all humans (8,000,000,000 of 'em) were made by women.
The human story is much more women-slanted than just that since women have those milk glands to begin the feeding of a squalling, out-raged and very confused baby. Women's nature, their equipment and the long, long maturation/education/training period to grow a newborn into an adult - all mean that a woman or women are deeply, often indelibly, involved in the life of every human.
Caroli concentrates on the women's influence, their children and on what becomes of daughters, granddaughters, greatgrandaughters and their tastes, energies and inclinations. I remember my maternal grandmother and I spent much time with her. The chart I linked about and the small books called your name: The Story of Your DNA along with DNA analysis we had done by 23andMe have been very helpful and inspiring to see who we came from.
