Author Janet Hovorka gets it. She understands the value of
family history and its impact on our lives. Genealogy isn’t just a hobby. It’s
a means to uncover the knowledge that can influence who we are and how we
comprehend our world.
Unfortunately, most people don’t discover the joys of family
history until much later in life. When our relatives die, we lose their family
memories, experiences, recipes and other elements of our heritage. To ensure
family history is preserved, we need to pass our knowledge and wisdom on to our
children so they can learn to appreciate genealogy.
However, kids have a tendency to run away from whatever mom,
dad, grandma and grandpa think is cool. How do we get our broods interested in
family history? Fortunately, Janet Hovorka’s book comes to the rescue.
Zap The Grandma Gap: Connect With Your Family by Connecting Them
To Their Family History features almost 200 pages of ideas, strategies
and assistance in preserving and sharing family history with loved ones.
The book is divided into seven sections that tackle
different challenges in incorporating one’s family into family history. The
first section discusses serendipity, healing and understanding emotions within
the family. Section two provides visual ideas for sharing ancestral history.
Other sections include sharing through technology, creating new content, making
family history fun and educational, connecting with relatives and preservation
tips to ensure heirlooms are passed down in top condition.
Hovorka knows all about what she preaches. She’s a mother of
three who also runs Family
ChartMasters with her husband. In
Zap the Grandma Gap, she shares candidly of her own trials and tribulations
and how they shaped her life. Her ideas have been tested on her own family so
you know they’re practical and successful. She references her own “crabby
teenager” when introducing social media strategies to break down communication
barriers.
There are literally dozens and dozens of ideas and tips for
introducing family history, sparking interest and fostering ancestral
appreciation. My favorite example was the set of short children’s books
Hovorka’s mother created to share family history. Each 10-15 page book focused
on a different ancestor and an attribute he or she exhibited in life. What a
treasure!
Hovorka advises genealogy enthusiasts to give kids a chance
to be beginners. Let them discover the joy of the hunt, even if their research
practices aren’t top notch out of the gate. She revels in their excitement and
tells us to do the same. Her motherly patience is all over this book.
Zap the Grandma Gap
is a handy toolbox brimming with inspiration and ideas for getting the “family”
into family history. You’ll be grateful for the guidance as well as the casual
and supportive way in which it is delivered. Like a good mom, Hovorka even adds
something special at the end: a promise of more great ideas at the book’s
accompanying website: zapthegrandmagap.com.
Zap the Grandma Gap - $19.95
[Disclosure: I received a pre-publication copy of this book for review. -A]
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