Memoir

Being a homebody, Nancy never would have spent a year in Italy had it not been for her husband’s wanderlust.

The couple didn’t go there to buy or restore a house or to heal a trauma from the past. As ordinary boomers, they simply wanted to experience “The Dream” – to live in Italy. They settled down in traditional Umbria, just east of Tuscany.

Nancy Owen Nelson's engrossing memoir is about her search for her mysterious grandmother, Nannie B., who died while giving birth to the author's mother in 1905. She was subsequently erased from the family memory, her death a too painful memory for Nancy's grandfather, successful Alabama businessman Robert Chandler. However, that erasure had a significant impact not only on the author's mother, but also on the author. Nancy Owen Nelson’s search resulted in raising more questions about herself, even as it answered questions about her mysterious grandmother. Nonetheless, in the end her journey toward discovery was one of startling self-awareness and connection.

A delightful memoir about the rustic woodland near Brighton, Michigan that became a summer haven for five generations of Ukrainian immigrants. Rich with stories, imagery, poetry, legends and personal anecdotes, it is the universal story of displaced people separated from their ancestral land who search for a stability, community and home.
Includes 40 drawings by Luba Kytasty (author's sister) of Dibrova landmarks and critters.

Available from the author's website: http://dibrovadiary.com