From Past to Present: A Guide to Interviewing Elders & Preserving Family History

by Judy Helm Wright

176 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2024

Reviews

[Apennyforjthoughts · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I thought the author was stating the obvious — “Talking to our family members about their history, who wouldn’t do that?” Then it hit me: I haven’t really done it myself. Or maybe I have, but without knowing how to go about it meaningfully.

This book provides clear, practical guidance on how to interview the elders in our family — learning not just about their life stories but also about our shared history, even down to family health patterns through tools like family trees and genograms.

It’s an easy, fast read, but it’s packed with insights that make you want to grab a notebook and start asking questions. I just might sit my parents down for a proper interview soon.

[Regina Mastrogiacomo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book about how to record your family history while they are still with us. I wish this came out when my parents and older relatives were still alive, because it would have been wonderful to put their stories down on paper for future generations could read.
Although, I remember stories my parents and relatives told me but not in details and it makes me a little sad because I can't ask them.

This book has a step by step guide on how to start recording and documenting your family's stories,. It is a very short and easy book to read so you don't have to a lot of reading to get the information you need. I wish I came across this book before all my older relatives past away because then I could have been able to jot down all those wonderful memories from their lives.

I want to thank BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book for an honest review.