Legacy

Strange little book. I wanted to read some Michener without commitment, and this is the shortest Michener book.

It’s a short family history, told in flashback by a contemporary solider preparing to testify in front of Congress during the Iran-Contra scandal of the 80s. The main character comes from a long line of figures throughout American history, and Michener uses each one to discuss various periods in time – the forming of the Constitution, women’s suffrage, etc.

It’s…odd. It’s entertaining and educational, but the narrative is strange because the contemporary conflict of the guy in the present day is never resolved – he just becomes a framework on which to hang these historical stories.