it actually started with an email from http://www.ancestry.com/

rarely do I read many of these emails, but this one caught my attention
it referenced 'Annie's Ghosts' and it got my attention
it was something that hit home - first of all, it was written by someone that grew up in Detroit (my hometown)
and it was about Eliose, a facility just outside Detroit whiched housed thousands of long-term patients
I have been curious about Eloise because of its history
and one summer while waiting for our niece to arrive at Metro Airport, my brother and I needed to kill some time and we ended up there
close to the airport, we drove around its many acres
I remember the feeling I had looking at what remained of the many buildings there
it was like I could 'feel' something
I searced the internet about Eloise, finding many references to ghost sitings
the more I read, the more intrigued I became
so, after reading some information about Steve Luxenberg's book, I decided this is a book I had to read
as luck would have it, I found a great price on Ebay - hard cover, perfect condition
so this is the book I read at night before turning out the light
most likely it will be the book that will define my reading this summer

after reading the first few chapters it occurred to me how much we have in common with others that we will never really know
how growing up in close proximities connects us with a familiarity that no longer exists
and how we have in common with others that we want to know more about our families but unfortunately it is not easy to come by information, because those that have the stories are no longer with us
I tinker at genealogy and have been lucky to have connected with some of my father's family
and I know that I will always be happy if I find out more pieces along the way
regrets?  oh yes
because I wish I would have had the insight to have asked more questions - taken lots of notes - to simply have learned more.....
with that being said, I know what I need to do
I need to leave what I know behind, my stories - for the future....just in case someone is curious

*********************

published May 5th 2009 by Hyperion
details hardcover, 401 pages
urlhttp://www.steveluxenberg.com
settingUnited States
literary awards Best Books of 2009 (Washington Post), Michigan Notable Book for (2010)

description

Beth Luxenberg was an only child; or so her son Steve believed until his mother, now fragile and almost an octogenarian, told a doctor that she had a disabled sister. Steve was puzzled: If his mother had a sibling, why had her existence been resolutely concealed for decades? His curiosity piqued, Luxenberg activated his journalistic skills to begin a probe into his family's lines. Following the trail took his investigation to Depression-era Detroit and tsarist Russia, Holocaust-plagued Ukraine and the Philippine war zone. Fascinating human interest; a real-life whodunit.