Acoustic Shadows
Men at War and a Daughter Who Remembers Them
It’s been 15 years since I published my memoir. This narrative, involving travel and genealogical research, came about after I’d transcribed my great-great-grandfather’s Civil War journals.
That I came to be in possession of these two small diaries nearly a century and a half old seems nothing short of a miracle. They had passed to my great-grandmother, grandmother, father and then, upon his death, to me. They led me where I needed to go at exactly the right time, to understand my family and myself, our shared past, and the tragic consequences of war.
Acoustic Shadows was my first book and proved a tremendous learning experience, in terms of writing as well as self-understanding. I wouldn’t change a thing about the story’s basic structure, that is, combining a travel narrative with an investigation into my past. However, I also know that if I were to write it today, the book would look different.
In the space of 15 years the world, and this country, has changed immeasurably. So, too, has my understanding of the larger context in which I was born in the United States, and such understanding, about structural racism, the genocide of the Indigenous people, the white supremacist movement, would have to be incorporated.
Perhaps ongoing comprehension is why some people write multiple memoirs. Or why they use other formats, such as novels or collections of essays, to reveal what they are beginning to understand, about themselves, the times, and the people, past and present, to which we are all connected.
“To better understand her father and great-great-grandfather, [Howell] unravels their lives as soldiers. [She] contacted surviving members of [her father’s] unit and pieced together a chronology of his experiences through the memories of others. Simultaneously, through her great-great-grandfather’s Civil War journals, she gained insight into his soldiering experiences.
Howell has an eye and ear for nature, readily conjuring the wildlife surrounding her as she travels down the Mississippi River and through the South. She writes beautifully about the Civil War as well, using her ancestor’s eyewitness accounts to frame vivid evocations of a Civil War campaign. Graceful and memorable.”
—Kirkus Discoveries
“Perhaps Betsy Howell has done what many Civil War (and, by implication other history buffs) would like to do, but have not. Out of uncertainty and grief, she seized upon these two strands to weave an intriguing tapestry of personal exploration, pilgrimage and sharing.”
—The Civil War Courier
“The writing is really superb–expressive, introspective, even in tone. Howell creates a fine balance of descriptive narrative and effective dialogue that moves the intertwined stories along quite naturally. The characters are vividly, if not subtly played out well so we get to know–and care about–these players.”
—Writer’s Digest
“A past and present reconciling account-a must-read for military family members and friends of military families.”
—The Mindquest Review of Books
“It takes courage to write about one’s family the way that Betsy Howell has in her book, Acoustic Shadows: Men at War and a Daughter Who Remembers Them. Howell has worked very hard to learn the storyteller’s craft, making this book a captivating read as she moves back and forth between past and present.”
—Port Townsend Leader