The Family Tree: Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2020

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The Hidden Half of the Family: A Sourcebook for Women’s Genealogy by Christina K. Schaefer (Genealogical Publishing Co.): Everyone has problems researching some of the females on their pedigree chart, mostly because by law and custom women of the past had few rights. According to Schaefer, the legal status of women at any point in time is the key to unraveling the identity of a female ancestor. The bulk of this reference work details each state, showing how its laws, records and resources can be used in determining female identity. Historical research The Family Tree is the moving story of a British Muslim family full of love, laughter and resilience as well as all the faults, mistakes and stubborn loyalties which make us human. 🌳

The Family Tree traces the life of a British Muslim Family in Bradford right from the beginning in 1993 when Amjad loses his wife Neelam during childbirth, and is left to be the sole caretaker of his son Saahil and new born baby girl, Zahra. Neelam leaves behind a pashmina shawl that has a family tree carved on it with little birds flying in beautiful harmony signifying the members of the Sharif family who are now grieving Neelam's loss. Amjad throws himself into the whirlwind of ensuring his children get the life they deserve. This little family creates their own little heaven until the night of Saahil's graduation when their life takes a sinister turn. Soon everything they've painstakingly built comes crashing down, like strong waves carrying them away from the shore. Small caps — In genealogy, it's common practice to set surnames in all caps to make scanning easy. Small caps work, too, and can be quite attractive. Locating Your Roots: Discover Your Ancestors Using Land Recordsby Margaret Law Hatcher (Genealogical Publishing Co.): Land records are among the most valuable resources for genealogists. This invaluable guide will help you understand the various types of land records and give you the information you need to locate these records. Library researach A to Zax: A Comprehensive Dictionary for Genealogists and Historians, 3rd edition by Barbara Jean Evans (Hearthside Press): Defines thousands of old-fashioned words, including references to medical, geographical, foreign, historical, legal, relational, occupational, household, religious, colloquial, monetary and ethnic terms.One Memory at a Time: Inspiration and Advice for Writing Your Family Story by D.G. Fulford (Doubleday). “When you give your stories, you are giving yourself,” says Fulford. In this succinct guide—also perfect for gift-giving—you’ll find plenty of warm inspiration and solid ideas for getting your family history stories on paper. Blurb: You have several print options, and converting to an ebook is available. Use free desktop software called Bookwright to design and customize layouts. You can sell books through Blurb or other distributors. Shutterfly: You’ll see dozens of customizable themes, such as family memories, reunion, a life’s story, family ancestry and recipes.

I learnt about Muslim Culture, about the importance of family and living by your morals and beliefs. It was beautiful and liberating and I'm grateful to have experienced it a little through this book. Grouping — Group narratives of key figures or other historical information at the front of the book followed by charts, or place biographies of key figures of each branch immediately before their corresponding descendant charts. A story well worth putting yourself through...there is something exhilarating about confronting the past in all its ugliness and realizing that doing so has made you stronger” ( The Washington Post). The book starts with Amjad, a single father, mourning the death of his wife, and is left with looking after his children Saahil and Zahra. The novel is a multigenerational saga covering the lives and evolution of all three characters through trials andA masterclass in representation and brilliant writing’ ZEBA TALKHANI, author of My Past is a Foreign Country

I adored the amount of little details in this book because it made me feel as if I were really there. "Zahra pursed her lips. She clipped and unclipped the buttons on her duvet, thinking" You could feel, hear and taste (i drank a lot of chai tea reading this) every moment, emotion and family meal! Caring for Your Family Treasures: Heritage Preservationby Jane S. Long and Richard W. Long (Abrams Publishers): Keep your treasured family memories safe for generations to come with the suggestions and information in Caring for Your Family Treasures. There’s advice for preserving heirlooms and antiques such as dolls, toys, military mementos, jewelry, ceramics and many other family artifacts.Someone can be hit so hard by a tragedy that they become capable of shutting out even their most loved ones. It is when the victim falls apart. Some of the most unique stories and personal anecdotes may not be recorded anywhere, so you might have to rely on conversations to collect all the details. These family narratives are the real gems that can bring your family tree book to life, so take the time to interview relatives from different generations, if possible. Prepare a list of questions or prompts to get the dialogue going.