I bought Alex Wagner's book because I knew her Burmese family when I was a child. I was a little apprehensive that I was going to learn something really ghastly about my dear friends from the past. What I learned is that, while extraordinary in many ways, they were human and shared the fatal flaw of prejudice against groups of people with whom one's own social/racial/tribal group has 'history' as we say today.
I was fascinated by this history, as it is recounted in the book. Alex really did her homework at a very personal and thorough level and I applaud her for using her well-respected intelligence and wit so close to home. I've never had the temerity to do this myself for fear of alienating myself from family members for whom loyalty rides higher than 'truth'. However for 'history' to transform into his, hers and all our stories, the more light shone on what can be known from the inside, the better. The story of modern Burma (Myanmar) is a tragedy, but none of it came from nothing.
As a personal note, I was introduced to Buddhism (as practiced in a suburban household in Chevy Chase, Md. in the 50's) by this family. I learned the value of gentleness,quiet and peace and respect for each person's individual need for solitude. I liked to read and draw more than I liked to roller skate. I'd be sent out to play age 8 or 9 and would lose the roller skaters and head for Gyis house where I'd be welcomed by anyone who was home. They were my second family. I'd run up to the meditation room with my book and enjoy an hour of tranquillity without anyone wanting to know what I was doing. Bliss!
I was interested to read that Alex, while not a practicing Buddhist, has a contemplative and penetrating intelligence and has inherited an inclination to follow the Buddha's invitation: 'come and see for yourself.' What a better world it would be if that value was more widely distributed in our time, especially among journalists. Although I felt the writing lost power and focus to some extent in the DNA chapters, I still liked it and still learned. Her handling of the issue of personal identity as a woman of mixed race and cultural heritage is a work in progress and I hope she continues the search in her own insightful, articulate and thoroughly modern way. I look forward to reading more.
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Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging Hardcover – 17 April 2018
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Review
"Futureface raises urgent questions having to do with history and complicity. . . . A rich and revealing memoir."--The New York Times "A thoughtful, beautiful meditation on what makes us who we are . . . and the values and ideals that bind us together as Americans."--Barack Obama "Smart, searching . . . Meditating on our ancestors, as Wagner's own story shows, can suggest better ways of being ourselves."--Maud Newton, The New York Times Book Review
"Sincere and instructive . . . This timely reflection on American identity, with a bonus exposé of DNA ancestry testing, deserves a wide audience."--Library Journal "The narrative is part Mary Roach-style participation-heavy research, part family history, and part exploration of existential loneliness. . . . The journey is worth taking."--Kirkus Reviews "[A] ruminative exploration of ethnicity and identity . . . Wagner's odyssey is an effective riposte to anti-immigrant politics."--Publishers Weekly "Alex Wagner is brilliant and hilarious. Futureface is a magic trick: She starts with the humble story of a third-culture kid's existential loneliness and ends with a smart, timely, and moving exploration of family lies, exile and immigration, genetics, and the mystery of human belonging."--Eddie Huang, bestselling author of Fresh Off the Boat
"Futureface is an important contribution to the American conversation--Alex Wagner's story is insightful, moving, informative, and searing. I have deeply admired Alex for a long time as an original thinker, a keenly observant journalist, and a funny, empathetic human being. Read this book and you'll understand why."--Wes Moore, bestselling author of The Other Wes Moore
"Sincere and instructive . . . This timely reflection on American identity, with a bonus exposé of DNA ancestry testing, deserves a wide audience."--Library Journal "The narrative is part Mary Roach-style participation-heavy research, part family history, and part exploration of existential loneliness. . . . The journey is worth taking."--Kirkus Reviews "[A] ruminative exploration of ethnicity and identity . . . Wagner's odyssey is an effective riposte to anti-immigrant politics."--Publishers Weekly "Alex Wagner is brilliant and hilarious. Futureface is a magic trick: She starts with the humble story of a third-culture kid's existential loneliness and ends with a smart, timely, and moving exploration of family lies, exile and immigration, genetics, and the mystery of human belonging."--Eddie Huang, bestselling author of Fresh Off the Boat
"Futureface is an important contribution to the American conversation--Alex Wagner's story is insightful, moving, informative, and searing. I have deeply admired Alex for a long time as an original thinker, a keenly observant journalist, and a funny, empathetic human being. Read this book and you'll understand why."--Wes Moore, bestselling author of The Other Wes Moore
About the Author
Alex Wagner is co-host and executive producer of Showtime's The Circus, a national correspondent for CBS News, and a contributing editor to The Atlantic. She lives in New York City.
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Customer reviews
Top international reviews
Natasha Samani
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Futureface
Reviewed in India on 27 July 2018Verified Purchase
Maung
Biracial ethnic identity with Burmese characteristics
Reviewed in Canada on 14 May 2018Verified Purchase
Nani G
Starts off intriguing, degenerates into drivel
Reviewed in the United States on 26 August 2018Verified Purchase
Maximus
Who are we? Maybe we can decide for ourselves
Reviewed in the United States on 5 July 2018Verified Purchase
Paula Steiner
Everybody should read this. If only they would, think of all the bullshit we could get past! We are all mongrels and should be proud of it.
Reviewed in the United States on 23 May 2018Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Meh
Reviewed in the United States on 18 January 2019Verified Purchase
Anne Shirley
To whom do we belong?
Reviewed in the United States on 26 June 2018Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Finding yourself
Reviewed in the United States on 27 June 2018Verified Purchase
Bill & Deb
Who are you and where do you come from?
Reviewed in the United States on 21 October 2018Verified Purchase
Karl Kleeman
Interesting but repetitive
Reviewed in the United States on 27 September 2018Verified Purchase
JeffH
great perspective and tenacity
Reviewed in the United States on 10 August 2018Verified Purchase
Holly
I took a journey with the author...
Reviewed in the United States on 7 November 2018Verified Purchase
Paul Barron
Not bad
Reviewed in the United States on 5 April 2019Verified Purchase
W. Halliday
Futureface
Reviewed in the United States on 15 November 2018Verified Purchase
Sharein C.
Told the story about Burma as it is...
Reviewed in the United States on 6 June 2018Verified Purchase