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Resilience and Mystery
Seeking Yesterday unfolds as both a personal quest and a sweeping historical account, blending memoir, genealogy, and local history into a seamless narrative. Why was this an important book for you to write?
The drive to understand our roots is a primal human need, and this book began with my husband, Bob’s, quiet desire to reclaim his. After over 50 years of marriage, I knew he wouldn’t write an autobiography, so my initial mission was simple: to create a family scrapbook of a 7-day ancestral journey.
But what started as a small, personal commemoration grew into something far grander.
The deeper we delved, a passion ignited in me. The focus shifted from merely collecting facts to understanding how history shaped these lives. Relying on family recall left too many tantalizing questions:
Why did a WWI veteran choose to homestead in the unforgiving desert?
Where did they find the grit to persevere through the Great Depression and a second World War?
What were the final, crucial details of the WWII pilot shot down in action?
The untold answers transformed a simple family record into a fascinating tale of resilience and mystery. My ultimate decision was to write the book in Bob’s voice—to impersonate his perspective and make his silent story heard. While unique to one family, I believe the powerful quest for identity, the perseverance through hardship, and the secrets unearthed resonate with anyone seeking their own vital connection to the past.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Ancestry is more than a list of names; it is a profound journey of discovery. While we may feel our own lives fall short of “extraordinary,” the tales of our forebears often sound instantly intriguing. Why?
The answer lies in the dynamic and vital intersection of two forces: individual personality and historical context.
This book is dedicated to exploring that very synthesis: the idea that character is not innate, but forged in the fires of world events. The questions that propelled my research became the essential themes I needed to share:
What is the true cost of global conflict on a single family’s spirit?
What does real resilience look like when played out against the backdrop of the Great Depression?
How are the universal qualities of grit, love, and loss magnified when they intersect with military service, homesteading, or personal tragedy?
My goal is to show how the seemingly “ordinary” lives of these ancestors were, in fact, extraordinary products of their time, and to demonstrate that understanding their story is the key to understanding the enduring identity—and resilience—of the generations that followed.
How has writing your family’s memoir impacted or changed your life?
Writing this book—stepping into my husband’s character to pen his family’s memoir—did more than create a historical record; it fundamentally deepened my relationship with him.
After 53 years of marriage, Bob and I have always been “joined at the hip,” but this project provided an unprecedented path to understanding. By immersing myself in his ancestry, struggles, and triumphs, I gained a profound, intimate appreciation for the forces that shaped the man I love. It served to reinforce the already strong bonds, continuing the love affair by giving it a rich, historical dimension.
Beyond the personal growth, the book offers an unexpected, yet deeply humbling, value: the chance to resonate with and help others on their own quest for roots. The fact that my personal labor of love is being met with accolades and can serve as a catalyst for other families is a rewarding bonus that extends the book’s personal legacy.
What advice do you have for aspiring memoir writers?
Begin with familiar family stories and traditions, imagine how your ancestors may have lived, review world events as it was during their lives, research important milestones, and ask questions… many questions! The secret is in the answers.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
A file of old documents, including a 1922 desert homestead land claim for 160 acres, copies of war commendations and World War II medals, a Purple Heart, and fading memories ignited Bob’s compelling quest to rediscover his roots. What prompted his grandparents to become homesteaders in the unforgiving desert? The deeper he looked, the broader a story unfolded as global and regional history interceded, shaping their lives and decisions. He discovers how a devastating World War II loss redefined the family, how another tragic accident cast its own long shadow on their lives, and how the true resilient spirit of “Grandma R” emerged through it all.
Told from Bob’s perspective, Seeking Yesterday is a testament to the enduring bonds of family, the profound impact of shared experiences, and a journey that reveals how yesterday’s echoes can illuminate today’s path and forge an unbreakable legacy for future generations.
More than a memoir, the book weaves a microcosm of American history by using one family’s experiences to illustrate broader events and social changes, including homesteading, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, land development, community building, and the evolving American Dream. It is a tale that highlights the strength, resilience, perseverance, and adaptability of ordinary people in the face of extraordinary challenges.
Seeking Yesterday
Seeking Yesterday tells the story of a family’s journey into the past, sparked by the discovery of a 1922 land claim in the California desert. Richardson traces the lives of her grandparents Ralph and Emma, who dared to homestead on 160 acres of harsh desert terrain, while weaving in broader history from the Homestead Act to World War I, the rise of Palm Desert, and the fading dreams of pioneers. The book unfolds as both a personal quest and a sweeping historical account, blending memoir, genealogy, and local history into one. It is at once intimate and expansive, grounded in dusty documents and vivid imagination, pulling the reader into the struggles and resilience of people who shaped not just one family but part of the American West.
I felt the writing had a quiet warmth. Author Lis Richardson doesn’t hide her own longing to connect with the people who came before her, and that vulnerability made the book feel human. At times, the detail was immense, but I appreciated the effort to bring texture to landscapes and lives that could otherwise slip away into silence. The desert, especially, comes alive here.
What struck me most was the honesty in confronting both pride and pain. The book doesn’t gloss over the failures, the heartbreak, or the reality that the “empty” land was once home to Indigenous peoples. I admired that acknowledgment, and it deepened the story beyond one family’s nostalgia. Some sections leaned heavily on research and read more like a history text than a personal reflection. The strongest passages were the ones where her personal yearning met the historical record.
I’d recommend Seeking Yesterday to readers who enjoy family memoirs, regional histories, or stories of resilience in unforgiving places. It’s a book for those who’ve wondered about the lives hidden behind old photographs or land deeds. If you like the mix of memory and history, with a bit of grit and dust clinging to the edges, this one is worth your time.
Pages: 351 | ASIN : B0FMJQV8GQ
LITERARY TITAN 