We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration

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Synopsis
An award-winning author's deep exploration of pivotal moments in Texas history through multiple generations of her own family, and a ruthless reexamination of our national and personal mythsNew York Times Editor&’s ChoiceSeven generations of Jessica Goudeau&’s family have lived in Texas, and her family&’s legacy—a word she heard often growing up—was rooted in faith, right-living, and the hard work that built their great state. It wasn&’t until her aunt mentioned a stowaway ancestor and she began to dig more deeply into the story of the land she lives on today in suburban Austin, that Goudeau discovered her family&’s far more complicated role in Texas history: from a swindling land grant agent in the earliest days of Anglo settlement that brought slavery to Mexican land, up through her Texas Ranger great-uncle, who helped a sociopathic sheriff cover up mass murder. Tracking her ancestors&’ involvement in pivotal moments from before the Texas Revolution through today, We Were Illegal is at once an intimate and character-driven narrative and an insider&’s look at a state that prides itself on its history. It is an act of reckoning and recovery on a personal scale, as well as a reflection of the work we all must do to dismantle the whitewashed narratives that are passed down through families, communities, and textbooks. And it is a story filled with hope—by facing these hypocrisies and long-buried histories, Goudeau explores with us how to move past this fractured time, take accountability for our legacy, and learn to be better, more honest ancestors.
Copyright:
2024

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
416 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780593300510
Related ISBNs:
9780593300503, 9780593908884, 9780593908891
Publisher:
Penguin Publishing Group
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Jessica Goudeau
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
History, Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Social Studies
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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