Ordinary Maltese

I don't have much more to say about Telling the Truth About History.  The authors spent the final chapters detailing what they believe to be a better approach to teaching and studying history. I didn't retain much of that, but it did get me thinking about why people enjoy reading about history.

Since this book was published in 1996, there has been a trend in publishing historical accounts that are more like fiction than scholarship.  Since they are meant for the general public, this is appropriate, I think.  I've enjoyed reading quite a few of those popular histories, despite their sometimes lack of documentation. 

People do like to learn about the past, and I think the authors of Telling the Truth are right in saying that we want to know about past lives in order to give meaning to our own present existence.  The authors also warn, though, that accounts of what happened in the past can be used to manipulate perceptions of people in power and their decisions.  For instance, the westward migration of European immigrants in 19th century America can be characterized as heroic or as horrific, depending on how the stories are told, and who tells them. 

It has been said that the victors of conflicts are the ones who write the histories, but that doesn't mean that stories about the events of the past are erased.  As long as some people remember and pass along what that time was like for them, then the complexity of the past can be preserved and perhaps brought to light at some future time.

I guess that's one reason I like genealogy research.  What I can find out about my forebears is interesting because they are related to me, however distantly, but also because they are ordinary people and what they thought about or did is a small piece of the fabric of the past and gives meaning to it, even if only in that small way.  Imagining what it was like for them to live in 1864 or 1910 or 1795 allows me to see the past as connected to the present and their lives as connected to mine.  How were they affected by the Civil War or the Industrial Revolution or the coming of the railroad?  Those are answers I may never get, but knowing the people a little allows me to at least imagine their responses.

I've now moved on to the next "A" book, this time a novel by Trezza Azzopardi, a Welsh writer or Maltese descent, entitled The Hiding Place. It is about a Maltese family who live in Cardiff, Wales.  There are five daughters, one of whom is the main character in the story. So far I find it interesting and well written, but a bit depressing because the people are so dysfunctional, especially the father who has a gambling problem that causes financial ruin for his family. I am enjoying it, however.

The book is Ms. Azzopardi's first novel, published in 2001; it was shortlisted for the Booker prize. I found a little bit of information about the name Azzopardi in an article which also tells a bit about the history of Malta; I also found an article about the migration of the Maltese people to Britain here.

Well, there are only three "A" books left unread.  But once I'm done with this letter, instead of going on to "B" books, I plan to mix things up by picking the next letter from a hat!

Until next time.