When my mother died four years ago at age 93, she took with her a treasure: memories of her childhood, five sisters growing up on a succession of farms in Iowa, Minnesota and California as their immigrant parents struggled to succeed in America. My father died much earlier, and he, too, took with him a treasure of memories.
My three siblings and I have only snapshots of their lives - no more satisfying than a few stills from a great movie. The same is true of my wife's parents. They came to America from Scotland early in the last century. Except for vignettes, we know little of their experiences. How we wish we had prompted our parents to record their memories for the benefit not only of us and our siblings, but also for our adult children and especially our grandchildren - who are now old enough to be curious about life before computers and television (not to mention cars, telephones, and electric lights!)
However, I doubt that talking with them from time to time, notebook or tape recorder in hand, would have been very successful. What is needed is a process, a blueprint to follow such as provided in this book. Memories can't be forced. A few years ago my teen-age granddaughter called with a school assignment: a series of questions about my early life - growing up in the Depression, WWII military service, etc. I did the best I could, but I'm certain my spur-of-the-moment responses were not exactly what her teacher was expecting, or hoped for.
"The Memory Triggering Book" is perfect for those who wish they'd kept a journal. It provides a method of constructing that journal in retrospect - creating a treasure for those in succeeding generations who care, if not now then surely in the future.
Memory triggering as guided in this book has at least two virtues: enhancing one's own life through systematic retrospection, and enhancing the lives of those who follow by providing insights into the lives of their forebears. My emphasis is on the latter, but in so doing the former comes into surprising focus.
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