desert review life tributes

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(as of Dec 26, 2024 20:35:31 UTC - Details)

“A haunting story about the long reach of the past.”—Maureen Corrigan, NPR’S Fresh Air

“In this intriguing book, [Nordhaus] shares her journey to discover who her immigrant ancestor really was—and what strange alchemy made the idea of her linger long after she was gone.” —People

La Posada—“place of rest”—was once a grand Santa Fe mansion. It belonged to Abraham and Julia Staab, who emigrated from Germany in the mid-nineteenth century. After they died, the house became a hotel. And in the 1970s, the hotel acquired a resident ghost—a sad, dark-eyed woman in a long gown. Strange things began to happen there: vases moved, glasses flew, blankets were ripped from beds. Julia Staab died in 1896—but her ghost, they say, lives on.

In American Ghost, Julia’s great-great-granddaughter, Hannah Nordhaus, traces her ancestor’s transfiguration from nineteenth-century Jewish bride to modern phantom. Family diaries, photographs, and newspaper clippings take her on a riveting journey through three hundred years of German history and the American immigrant experience. With the help of historians, genealogists, family members, and ghost hunters, she weaves a masterful, moving story of fin-de-siècle Europe and pioneer life, villains and visionaries, medicine and spiritualism, imagination and truth, exploring how lives become legends, and what those legends tell us about who we are.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Perennial; Reprint edition (February 17, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062249207
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062249203
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.88 x 8 inches
Reviewer: Rebecca
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Riveting
Review: 4.5 stars: I found this book interesting as I like genealogy, ghost stories, and history. The marriage of these was intriguing. Nordhaus has a journalist background and investigates her 2x great grandmother's past. From Germany to the rough and tumble lands of New Mexico, and the happiness, challenges, and sorrow that may bring. American Ghost was so well researched I felt like I traveled back in time to the cities and countries, over a period of decades. Nordhaus does go into quite a bit of detail of the lives and histories of family members, and others who had spent time with the family. This may include detours into historical characters the family meets along the way. I felt the detail though sometimes veering off the course was still enjoyable, and did not overwhelm this at times complex, layered family story. Reading American ghost made me realize we can be a victim of our time of birth in more than one way, as evidenced from this story. I found some of the wording beautiful and eloquent in summation of her 2x great grandmother's story. I am still thinking of this book and it has been days since I finished the story.

Reviewer: Sophie Shopper
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Fun & Interesting Read
Review: As a person who loves genealogy - that's why I bought this book - because it sounded so fascinating. Researching ones ancestors is a great deal of fun. You learn about history and so many things. I did enjoy reading about Julia and learning all about her family and life. I knew nothing about that part of America where Julia and her husband settled, which was quite interesting to learn about. Full of details and captivating scenes - this book is not boring at all.This is a true story and one that is pretty amazing as well. It takes you from Europe to the South-West and back again. The author did a great job of investigating all matters of these people's lives. She truly did all the leg work by going to each location. This keeps the book's flow going and it moves right along in a seamless manner.The only thing I didn't agree with - was her 'conclusions' about certain events. She put her own focus of reality onto these people. First at the beginning she was sure of this or that fact only to find out she was wrong. Later on she uses psychics and other methods of trying to learn about Julia and her family. I don't mind psychics at all. However, I don't think you can 'assume' they are always correct.However, since this is her very own relative and it's her book - she, as the author, has every right to put forth her own ideas and assumptions whether they are right or wrong. As a genealogist - you must rely strictly to facts that have proof on documents. As a person who is just trying to learn about her family - you don't have to rely only on documents or proof. There is room for speculation and/or conjecture in just story telling.Basically - if you like true stories about real people from the past - I don't see why you wouldn't like this book. It does take you on a journey and ends up with results that were unknown & unexpected. I think Julia would be proud of her descendant for caring enough to do all the research and asking the hard questions.Hopefully this is one ghost who can now be at peace and who can move on to where-ever ghosts go to.

Reviewer: Brian Rickman
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Drags on at times
Review: Covers a lot of history. Parts were entertaining. Others overwhelmingly sad. There were several times I thought it was finished. But each was followed by another chapter.This is not a light summer beach read. This is a book that asks you to think about your place in the world and your connection to the past.

Reviewer: Karen J Weyant
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Not Just a Ghost Story...
Review: Everyone loves a good ghost story, which is why, I suppose, that some readers have been disappointed with American Ghost: A Family's Haunted Past in the Desert Southwest by Hannah Nordhaus. Nordhaus's book, which explores the life of the author's great-great-grandmother Julia Schuster Staab, does start with sightings of a ghost, but then moves on to become part memoir, part history book, part journalistic endeavor. Indeed, the book is just as much about the author's struggles with investigating family history as it is exploring the haunting stories, which is why, in some places, the ghost of the book's title seems to get lost. Still, I found Nordhaus's personal journey into the past an enlightening and entertaining read.Nordhaus starts her book by explaining that beginning in the 1970s, sightings were reported of a woman's ghost haunting La Posada, a hotel in Santa Fe. In the past, Las Posada had been the home of Staab, built for her and her children in the 19th century when the world of the American Southwest was still very raw and wild.Using these stories as a way to introduce the mysterious, but troubled life, of her great-great-grandmother, Nordhaus dives into history, both personal and cultural, to find the truth of Julia's life and her death. During Nordhaus's journey, she consults psychics, takes a DNA test, reads family journals and old newspapers, and even travels to the old hotel itself in hopes of finding answers.Thus, American Ghost is more than a ghost story. It's a story of two women: one who found herself struggling to find her place in a foreign desert land and the other searching for answers about a past that may never be clearly articulated.

Reviewer: clober
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Oui, j'ai aime.