RaveThe Los Angeles ReviewThis story is exactly what I needed ... What We Inherit beautifully renders her family’s memories with the devastation of Laos throughout her personal pilgrimage, telling their stories to work through generations of loss and explore the obligation younger generations have to the narrative and mythos that bind and define their legacy. What is so brilliant about What We Inherit is Rotondi’s choice to preface her memoir with Lord Byron’s poem of \'Prometheus\' as well as her prologue on the Pearce’s legacy of loss. Both the poem and the prologue have themes that run throughout ... Rotondi masterfully juxtaposes Bryon’s poem and her family’s prologue to emphasize how stories become ingrained in history and in our personal mythos ... I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the tension in Rotondi’s memoir, particularly the narrative of a white woman’s pilgrimage to an Asian country to find herself ... Rotondi’s privilege and American entitlement are not excusable, especially when her persistence for answers potentially put [her guide] Mr. Ped in danger. Rotondi does recognize that this behavior is inexcusable and throughout the memoir, she questions herself and her presence in Sepon. As she makes her way through Southeast Asia, she treats the people and culture with nothing but respect ... What We Inherit shows how we can learn from the past by sharing the stories of the dead.
