Acoustic Shadows

by Betsy L. Howell

After the deaths of her parents, 31-year-old Betsy Howell faces a lonely future filled with regret and unanswered questions about her family's past. She is haunted by conflicted memories of her childhood and the relationship she shared with her charming but alcoholic father, a World War II veteran. Yet out of this grief and bewilderment, a journey emerges. Howell seeks solace in a family heirloom--her great-great-grandfather James Darsie Heath's journals documenting his Civil War military service. She immerses herself in this history during two road trips tracing her ancestor's wartime path along the highways and rivers of the Midwest and South. As she explores the battlefields of Vicksburg, Mississippi and Franklin, Tennessee, the purpose of her quest becomes clear: to understand her father and the immeasurable ways that the experience of combat has affected her family. Howell is soon participating in theatrical battles as a Civil War reenactor as well as interviewing her father's surviving paratrooper comrades about their experiences during D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge.

Genres: Nonfiction

273 pages, Paperback

Published April 25, 2007

About the author

I have worked in wildlife conservation since 1986 and as a writer since 1999. I feel fortunate that the two professions are so complementary and that they also allow me to learn about and be involved with a wide variety of wildlife species and many aspects of natural and social history. When I left my job as a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Forest Service in 1998 to be a writer, I found myself traveling a most unexpected path as I researched my personal connection to the American Civil War. My memoir, Acoustic Shadows, is the result of that endeavor, but when I finished it I didn't want to leave that time period. So, I continued and wrote a novel about a woman soldier, which became The Marvelous Orange Tree. Though writing was immensely personally satisfying, it wasn't so monetarily. I returned to the Forest Service in 2004 and rediscovered my earlier passions with carnivores, amphibians and reptiles, and the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. Not only could I once again do the survey work and research that I loved, but I also now had the skills to begin writing about the endlessly fascinating natural world and the many wildlife species residing everywhere: below ground, in the mid-story, high in the canopy, and above in the sky. Since 2014, I've published several articles on science and natural history, and I'm also now finishing a second novel set during the 1860s centering on a minor character from The Marvelous Orange Tree. This is a journey I feel very fortunate to be traveling.

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is about a 31 year old woman that goes in search of her father's World War 2 service and her great -great -grandfather's service in the Civil War.She goes to the towns they were stationed and talks to people about that area and about what history happened there years ago.She goes so far to pretend she's a young man and joins a Civil War Reenactment Group so she can see what it was like for her great- great- grandfather.It is very interesting.

[Emily J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of Acoustic Shadows through the Goodreads Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting memoir exploring one family's multigenerational involvement in the US military (specifically during the Civil War and World War II). Throughout the book the author references her great-great-grandfather's civil war journals in an attempt to recreate the route his group took. The author seems to learn a great deal more about her family dynamics, and gains an appreciation for the complexity and trauma her father experienced during his enlistment.

It was a good read, although at times I got lost in the overly detailed accounts of specific battles or military routes. I would have appreciated more of Betsy's interpretations and introspections as to how her family history shaped who she is today.

[Erin Hatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how the author weaved past and present to create this look back on her great-grandfather and father's military service. Betsy took it a step further, becoming part of a reenactment group to get a taste of Civil War military life herself and traveling to the different areas presented in her great-grandfather's journal.

Books like this can either be very dry and hard to get through, or well-written and engaging like this one. The author has a talent for writing and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Please note that I did win it in a Goodreads giveaway, but that has no influence on my review

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author gives a very thorough account of her journey to understand her families history.
I am glad she found some answers and resolutions to her past.
She puts her whole self into obtaining answers and tracing family history.
I’m sure with the journals, her road trips/research and writing the book, she feels a sense of completion and contentment.
I would recommend this book to those who like this genre.
The material is well written and very detailed.

[Paul Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acoustic Shadows is an amazing book. The author sought to find out the journeys the soldiers in her family travelled to better understand them and herself. She participated in civil war reenactments as a soldier to better understand what her ancestors felt.

[shereads_theworld · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an extraordinary book.

The writing was engaging, informative and educating.

I feel like I learned so much more from reading this book on the history of the Civil War than I have in textbooks and I cannot wait to share this book!

[Bridgette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acoustic Shadows is a fantastic novel which I found very inspiring! After the author's parents deaths, the author starts researching her past to help answer questions that she had. What she found was nothing short of amazing and very, very interesting. An amazing book! Highly recommend!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is always interesting to hear stories told from the perspective of a child of a veteran.

[Steven Ridgely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story

[Jeanne Nichols · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the premise of this book interesting, however, the execution seemed very self-serving. It felt like an extended session of 'belly-button gazing.' I really was disappointed by this book.

[Joseph Dubey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book about a woman tracing her father's and great great grandfather's steps through battles they fought. I really enjoyed it.

[Jasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and personal memoir.