The Family: Three Journeys into the Heart of the Twentieth Century / David Laskin 383 pp.

A well-constructed and highly readable extended family story. Laskin's ancestors divide into three branches: the original family, from a village called Rakov in what is now Ukraine (or Belarus?), the Israeli, and the American. He and an Israeli cousin sifted through oral family stories and any written historical evidence to trace these three narratives. The result is fascinating. The Israeli branch was begun by a pioneering young women early in the 30s with a powerful wish to settle and develop 'the Land.' The American family ventured to New York where they started a dry goods business and the Maidenform bra company and experienced spectacular commercial success. The Europeans' experience was as tragic as it was predictable. Laskin is a highly talented nonfiction writer; I greatly enjoyed his book The Children's Blizzard. He has a particular flair for concise and vivid physical description. I strongly recommend this one.