Delicate ... Riveting, excruciating ... Another kind of grief permeates this memoir and is more elusive, even as it, too, is tied to racism and public health: intergenerational trauma ... Not only a story about the long shadow of family secrets but also a fearless, original interrogation of society’s treatment of the female body and the legacy of racism in America. It is also a story of resilience and, ultimately, renewal.
Jackson deftly intertwines the story of her search for the truth about "the wreck" with her infertility struggle ... Along with the trauma of her family’s past, racism shadows every corner of her narrative ... Jackson had feared her search for answers might cause her wounded father pain; in the end, it shines a healing light.
Passionate ... An account at once individual and universal ... Her surreal experiences in various fertility clinics add dark comedy ... Jackson arrives at what might be called wisdom.
Intimate and candid ... The author creates vivid portraits of her stoic, irreverent, and warmhearted father; her judgmental, pragmatic mother; and her supremely patient and loving husband ... A perceptive memoir about race, love, and legacy
