Meticulously Researched

Kudos to Edward Ball for having the, well, his surname is appropriate, let's say, to pursue this topic. Along the way, he mentions some grumbling and snippish comments, but I'm sure there was more than that. As hellish as the whole theme is, he seems to have done his best to rout out the minutiae of his family's legacy. There was slave-ownership. Slave dealing. Slave selling. Beating, maiming, "relationships", murder. And finally, an attempt and uncovering it all and one man's quest for some restitution. I thought the author showed amazing awareness, especially since the book was published in 1998. There were some well-meaning, but possibly trite statements made (by Ball), but he's transparent in his chronicling of being taken down a peg when he made them. His astoundingly detailed family tree somehow stays clear in one's mind due to his careful and uncluttered writing. Fascinating and sad, but how admirable that he took on this task.