Book Review: "Guns and Gods in My Genes"

I am pleased to offer this review of the book Guns and Gods in My Genes: A 15,000 mile North American Search Through Four Centuries of History, to the Mayflower by Neill McKee

I love to read about the genealogy journeys of others. For those genealogists who have authored books about their genealogy quest to find their ancestors, Guns and Gods in My Genes ranks up there with the best of them. I enjoyed reading Neill McKee's family story and the how this book was put together. 

From the very beginning, McKee gives the reader a Genealogical Map on page xv which is a Principal North American Ancestors in the Chronology of this Book. This is a family tree the reader can use as easy reference to keep all the family members McKee mentions in the book straight.

McKee takes us on a journey of his trek through each generation. As the title states, he explores his ancestors as it pertains to guns and God. Chapter 1 starts it off by a story that is recounted of a deer hunt that occurred in November 1961. Each generation is presented in historical context as the author gives his own thoughts on how his ancestors may have responded to the events of their time.

From the McKee family farm in Waterloo County, Ontario to the Mayflower, the author gives us a wonderful look into his family history. The twists and turns, ups and downs of the McKee family will keep the reader turning the page to see what happens next. There are many photos included in the book of the family and that McKee took himself throughout his journey.

The family trees in the back of the book included in the Table section were put together well and will help the reader to following the family lines as the history and stories are read. As an archivist, I was pleased to see the Chapter Notes section where McKee lists his sources for research and I even found several references that I have marked to check out for myself and my own genealogy research.

I can highly recommend Guns and Gods in My Genes to any genealogist who is looking for a family history book to read or if you are thinking of writing your own family history book.