Flyover Lives by Diane Johnson

ISBN: 978-0-670-01640-2

". . . a model for writers who seek to produce . . . their family’s history."

Flyover Lives is the result of Diane Johnson’s challenge by her French friend who made the accusation that Americans have little knowledge of their heritage. Johnson became motivated to prove her friend wrong. This brought forth her mission to learn and record the history of her ancestors found in her family’s archives.

Johnson began her quest in her birthplace Moline, Illinois. Basic geography identified the fact that those living in the Midwest had migrated from somewhere else. Johnson traced the tracks of her ancestors from the Eastern United States and Canada to the towns where she lived her early years.

In Flyover Lives, Johnson’s tale reads like a personal journal. Her family would be thrilled to have these historical accounts about their relatives. As for the nonrelated reader, at times the storyline sat stale, making a difficult and slow read. Flyover Lives provides a model for writers who seek to produce a personal record of their family’s history.

Reviewer: Tammy L. Sanchez, MPW; Freelance Writer