Newton begins with her most vexing ancestor: her estranged father, from whom she has been separated for 20 years. Newton explains the change as 'irony, perversity, projection, and a desire to protect the innocent.' However, it appears to this reader that Rebecca becoming Maud also relates to the central theme of the book: the periphrastic production of identity itself. Newton's given name is Rebecca (perhaps after her grandmother or great-great-grandmother), but she began blogging about her family under the pen name Maud years ago (borrowed from her great-great-aunt Maude).

The issue is further complicated by Newton's innocuous but major deceit. In 'Ancestor Trouble,' Maud Newton is troubled by the question, 'Who am I?' Because forebears are difficult to locate, comprehend our ties to them, reconcile truths about them with myths we've been given, and cope with the consequences of those distortions and deceptions - all of which Newton strives to do. Ancestor Trouble, based on Newton's Harper's essay, reflects decades of study into genealogical records, genetic science, and the cultural history of 'ancestor hunger' and veneration - as well as Newton's personal coming to grips with how to face and appreciate her family past. Newton delves deeper into both family mythology (her maternal grandfather is said to have married 13 times, including to a lady who shot him in the belly) and our greater fascination with our forefathers. In her book Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation, Maud Newton is still looking for herself.

Ancestor trouble by maud newton