Ancestral Landscapes: Searching for My Place in the World

by Cynthia Waszak Geary

A Story of Connection, Discovery, and the Complexities of HeritageWhile standing on her grandfather' s porch, Cindy was drawn by her ancestors to discover who she is by learning who they were and where they came from.

As she uncovered her family history with the use of various genealogy databases, she began to piece together the puzzle of her family' s story— from trans-Atlantic migrations and roots in England, the Netherlands, and Germany to the homes and lives built in Virginia, New York, Iowa and North Carolina her quest became a journey across the world.

Standing where they stood, she found connection to them, but she also found questions. Why had they left? Did they find what they hoped for in the new places? Who had they harmed along the way? And what was her role in repairing those relationships on behalf of her ancestors?

Through essays and original photography organized by lineage and location, Cindy weaves together narratives that situate her life within the particular nexus of personal and historical legacies of heartbreak and desire.

For anyone who has sought their own place in the world, Ancestral Landscapes provides a guide for genealogical research and offers grace for what may be found along the way.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

371 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2025

Reviews

[Bridgitte Rodguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a memoir reader. And a memoir reader of regular people— I don’t much care about current ‘important’ people. But I am a fan of history. Of genealogy, of family stories. Of how a place impacts the present and the people who live there, how a place you’ve never been but feel tied to.

All of these feelings and ideas are visited in Ancestral Landscapes. The author weaves together her family history through research, through travel, through stories and uncovers how she came to the present. Her writing was easy to follow, lyrical in parts and questioning. She doesn’t offer any answers on how to relate to what she learns about her family, but instead offers thoughtful commentary and a further exploration of her place in the world, and how she might make a difference going forward. How she wants her place and her time on this earth to matter. Something we could all spend some time thinking about.

I received an advance review copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Liz H · Rating 5 out of 5]

In searching for her place in the world, Cindy began a wide-ranging journey from her own experiences into the preceding centuries. From her personal stories, through the evolution of feminism, and the reality that our lives are intertwined through time, she realised we may each impact others.

Sometimes that impact is nourishing, feeling the joy of art and colours, the warmth of the earth, and the care of loving sacrifices within families.

Through realising that historical circumstances have placed difficult choices for her ancestors, and that sometimes that resulted in them being on the 'wrong side' of currently accepted practices of land use and of attitudes towards peoples with different histories from our own, Cindy reaches a realisation of grace.

Grace in understanding her often fraught relationship with her mother. And grace in recognising the Ancestral choices that have culminated in her own life.

Traveling through the countries and Landscapes where her parents, grandparents and other relatives found themselves, and where they struggled with the daily tasks of providing for their families, Cindy came to recognise her own life events.

She has also extensively researched and documented historical data impacting on the lands of her journey. Her visual stories of images of her relatives layered over the landscapes of their lives bring a depth and richness to those narratives.

She acknowledges the effect her choices have had on those in her life, and has the courage to initiate healing both within family and regarding ancestral relationships.

Cindy has found her presence and place in the world.

[Anne Wellman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written account of an American woman's search for her European settler ancestors and their shaping of her own life. There is inevitably less and less information the farther back you go in ancestral research, however, and the work therefore becomes more one of general historical detail shot through with imagination and projection from the present. It is hard to say that the author really manages to describe what her ancestors were like, or what influence they have brought to bear, and the narrative succeeds best when delving into the more immediate lives of parents and grandparents. Digressions into subjects clearly close to the author's heart - soil depletion, the horrors of indigenous suppression as part of white settlement - and some experimental photography add to the mix in this unusual and charming, if meandering, work of nonfiction.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Bridgitte Rodguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free digital version of this book. It was hard to put my phone down to stop reading it. I love this kind of stuff though. This interweaving of personal narrative, memoir, history and creation of a sense of place. The author truly wanted to understand her place in the world, and she arrived where she is in the world, through her family’s immigration/migration story. We all have one. She just took the time to do a deep dive, and then fully appreciate and try to understand how her family’s story impacted other’s family story. Makes you, makes me, at least, think about my own story. My family’s story and how that makes my place in the world all the more meaningful.

[Aleigha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant memoir delving into personal and ancestral history, intertwined with natural scenery. It invited me to step back and look at my own stories, wonder about the missing gaps in my ancestry, and to think about the physical places that made me and my family. Might be biased as part of the editing team, though ;)

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are curious about the author and genealogy this would be a good book to check out. It is well written and interesting.