Women's History Month 2022: Fates and Traitors

In this second week of Women's History Month, we are looking at books that will give you ideas for writing your female ancestor's life. 

Title: Fates and Traitors: A Novel of John Wilkes Booth and the Women Who Loved Him.

Author: Jennifer Chiaverini

Publisher: Dutton

Synopsis: "The subject of more than a century of scholarship, speculation, and even obsession, Booth is often portrayed as a shadowy figure, a violent loner whose single murderous act made him the most hated man in America. Lost to history until now is the story of the four women whom he loved and who loved him in return: Mary Ann, the steadfast matriarch of the Booth family; Asia, his loyal sister and confidante; Lucy Lambert Hale, the senator’s daughter who adored Booth yet tragically misunderstood the intensity of his wrath; and Mary Surratt, the Confederate widow entrusted with the secrets of his vengeful plot." (author's website)

Why You Need This Book: Someone asked me the other day what  book I'd re-read every year (If I were to re-read a book). Without hesitation, this is the book. I like the idea of telling the story of John Wilkes Booth through the women around him (mother, sister, girlfriend, and co-conspirator). Thinking in terms of genealogy, consider how to write a narrative about a female ancestor through the lives of those around them. I think this is a unique way to tell a story and could work for genealogy as well. OR you could write the story of your ancestor as a historical fiction piece and explore the time period they lived in.