The Distancers: An American Memoir (Vintage Original)
The author reaches back into the past to tell the story of his family: stoic midwestern German immigrants. Beginning with his great-great-great-grandparents in 1850, he records a uniquely American, multigenerational odyssey. Though seemingly ordinary and straightforward, the family journey takes some surprising and often poignant twists and turns along the way. Recalling his idyllic childhood summers in Edwardsville, Illinois, Sandlin is inspired to use the lives of his two great-aunts and two great-uncles as the starting point to illuminate the history of seven generations of his clan. As in every family, there are eccentricities as well as extreme moments of darkness and light, and he discovers that the ties that bind across the years are stronger than he expected. This charming memoir serves as a reminder of the significance of understanding and respecting your roots. --Margaret Flanagan