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My Thank You Letter
The Strength of a Thousand Sons is your memoir detailing the challenges your family has faced over generations and the struggle to break the negative cycles. Why was this an important book for you to write?
My first book, The Eyes of Texans: From Slavery to the Texas Capitol, was published in 2020 and it featured my maternal ancestors in a similar manner as this one. The Strength of a Thousand Sons examines the paternal side of my family, and we also learn about personal and American history through their stories. While both sides of my ancestors were directly impacted by slavery, the Edwards line emerged from its human bondage with deep scars that weren’t healed with time alone. I traced my dad’s struggle and gave context to how he laid the foundation for me and future generations to have a better chance to succeed. This book is my thank you letter to him.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
The first chapter was the toughest thing I’ve written in my life and I’ve been a writer for almost 40 years. I cried for three days while writing that chapter alone. I still do if I think about it too much.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
The most important takeaway is that one person can change generations for good or bad, so we might as well strive to be positive role models — for our own children and others in our care.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
The systems of racism and abuse are common and have many layers. The sooner we realize that the sooner we can break those vicious cycles once and for all. I’m optimistic we can do that for good.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook
The author of the award-winning book, The Eyes of Texans: From Slavery to the Texas Capitol: Stories from Six Generations of One Family, returns with the riveting follow-up that features the paternal side of his family, beginning in 1842.
Like his maternal ancestors, Melvin E. Edwards’ paternal ancestors are also Texans from the time of the Republic of Texas. However, the Edwards line emerged from its human bondage with deep scars that aren’t healed with time. One mind-boggling act of desperation by 10-year-old Melvin Edwards changed that trajectory and provided a softer landing for his son, this book’s author.
If you found Isaac Bladen to be unforgettable in the last book, you’ll find the elder Melvin Edwards equally compelling in this true story.
Studying family history can be fascinating. It can also reopen old wounds.
The Strength of a Thousand Sons
The Strength of a Thousand Sons: More Stories from My Texas Family is an inspiring and eye-opening memoir written by Melvin E. Edwards. All families have a long history, and some of them possess a past that can only be described as gruesome and heartbreaking. This is the case with the Edwards family. Born into slavery, it was hard to imagine anything good ever-growing from such a soul-draining situation. Melvin Edwards does a fantastic job of portraying the hard path that his family had to take long ago and how with each new generation, new changes started to materialize that led to the evolution of the family dynamics. Social discourse, racism, and the importance of a healthy family are brought concisely in this memoir, giving the reader a history lesson that will broaden their perspective.
From the beginning, the book captures the reader’s attention. After researching for some time, the author was able to compile a collection of stories from his African-American family that ran through multiple generations. This compelling idea made for an incredibly interesting storyline that showcased the evolution of a family as it went along with relevant social and cultural changes. We get to see how everything started: with cruelty and slavery, which directly affects the Edwards family and their interactions with one another, impacting their familial bond. At some point, one of the members realizes that something needs to change in order to nurture the life of the next generations, avoiding at all costs carrying the trauma that was part of the family history.
This is a story of hardships. Even though it’s short, the author gathers in a concise manner a series of relevant events that surround and explain his family’s evolution. Historical landmarks are brought every few chapters, such as the eradication of slavery and Black suffrage. Offering a new perspective and a clear lens through which to view the difficult past of Black Americans in the United States, this book is essential for every reader out there, regardless of age, race, gender, or nationality.
The Strength of a Thousand Sons is a stirring memoir about changing the course of a family’s negative path. The point of view of the author is very clear. He offers his family’s experiences along with some social commentary, inviting the reader to do some introspection and confront the dark past that hides behind many faces out there. Despite the many negative events, the author finds a way to add a positive perspective, hoping for a better future that can only be achieved if society as a whole learns from the mistakes of the past.
Pages: 164 | ASIN : B0B6MF51BZ
LITERARY TITAN 