Barnes & NobleHome Bound- An Uprooted Daughter's Reflections on Belonging by Vanessa A. Bee

An epic memoir

Oh how I loved this book from the very beginning! The author describes how complicated and convoluted it would be to summarize her entire identity every time in answer to the question "where are you from?" and how instead she chooses relevant bits and pieces to cobble together answers that suit the situation and the person (usually a stranger) asking. "But don't we all do this? Don't you?" she asks, and I wanted to scream, "YES!!!" because I've also lived in different countries, have an unplaceable accent, and don't fit in to a neat box in terms of nationality or origin. The author takes us on a long, intercontinental voyage to discover all of the places, events, and - most importantly - family members that contribute to her sense of "home". Let me warn you, this woman has more relatives than anyone I've ever met. Then again, I come from a very small family, though also intercontinental, so other readers may find it easier to relate to this aspect. In fact, as I read on I at times felt jealous of how rich her life is with cultures, connections, and an ever-increasing number of parents, aunts, and half-siblings - not to mention cousins. Amazingly, I never got lost or wondered who was who, because the author does a fantastic job of introducing each person in turn, clearly identifying time and place, and using context cues and names to make sure the reader knows who she's talking about. By the end of the book, the author is only barely into her 30s yet it feels like she has lived at least 3 lives - one in bucolic France, another in urban European poverty, a third in evangelical America...and there are many more you get to learn about. At times I thought some events were described in too much detail, perhaps very important to the author but less so to the reader (for example I found it hard to care that she was very mad at Charlie, a half-sibling we meet only briefly); on the other hand, some big questions weren't answered in the end: How tied is she to each place, where is she drawn to now? Which traditions from each place she lived has she maintained? And most intriguingly for me, how has her (somewhat surprising) political stance evolved as she has settled into adulthood? Perhaps there will be a part 2 to this sophisticated memoir one day, and I will gladly read it.