Perspective

The book presents a complex perspective that is not immediately apparent because of the overtly simple construction of the various chapters. The construction of Chapter 2 is fairly simple; it presents a personal journal written day-by-day and is purportedly free of any revision except minor formatting for publication such as spelling and punctuation standardization. Chapters 1 and 3, however, are more complicated. First, they are written by a different author but one who is obviously involved in the legacy of the family. This subjective viewpoint is obviously appropriate to auto-biography but is not commonly found in biography; nevertheless it is acceptable. It is also complicated by the fact that the text was written some fifty years after the events described and relies entirely upon the memory of the author—who was a very young child at the time. The author acknowledges this, but also seeks a style that mimics the...