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What We Inherit: A Secret War and a Family's Search for Answers
In the wake of her mother’s death, Jessica Pearce Rotondi uncovers boxes of letters, declassified CIA reports, and newspaper clippings that bring to light a family ghost: her uncle Jack, who disappeared during the CIA-led Secret War in Laos in 1972. The letters lead her across Southeast Asia in search of the truth that has eluded her family for decades.
In 1943, 19-year-old Edwin Pearce jumps from a burning B-17 bomber over Germany. Missing in action for months, his parents finally learn he is a prisoner of war in Stalag 17. Ed survives nearly three years in prison camp and a march across the Alps before returning home. Ed’s eldest son and namesake, Edwin “Jack,� follows his father into the Air Force. But on the night of March 29, 1972, Jack’s plane vanishes over the mountains bordering Vietnam and Ed’s past comes roaring into the present. "What We Inherit" is Rotondi’s story of her own hunt for answers as she retraces her grandfather’s 1973 path across Southeast Asia in search of his son.
An excavation of inherited trauma on a personal and national scale, "What We Inherit" reveals the power of a father’s refusal to be silenced and a daughter’s quest to rediscover her voice in the wake of loss. As Rotondi nears the last known place Jack was seen alive, she grows closer to understanding the mystery that has haunted her family for generations—and the destructive impact of a family secret so big it encompassed an entire war.
Praise for "What We Inherit":
"Jessica Pearce Rotondi brilliantly probes the mysteries of a secret war while simultaneously exploring the secrets of her own family, to give us a book about coming to terms with many kinds of loss. Exceptional."
—Salman Rushdie, Booker Prize-winning author of "Midnight's Children"
“A beautiful amalgam of memoir, travelogue, and investigative report that moves with the propulsive forward energy of a thriller. A haunting chronicle of loss and redemption."
—Ron Chernow, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Alexander Hamilton"
�'What We Inherit' is a strikingly original debut, a moving saga of love and grief that shows how world events reshaped three generations of one American family. Jessica Pearce Rotondi discovers that courage exists not only on battlefields, but even in the most ordinary kitchens.�
—Kate Bolick, bestselling author of "Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own"
“Written like a spy novel and delivered like a whistleblower’s account of government deception, I felt like I was holding my breath until the very last page... This book shook my deepest assumptions about America."
—Sebastian Junger, award-winning author of "The Perfect Storm"
"An inspiring and revealing story of one family’s pursuit of the truth about their son." -Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
"'What We Inherit' is a powerful book about how we make sense of unfathomable loss—and about the realization that all loss is unfathomable. In our current world, with so much war and pain, this is the book we need."
—Eva Hagberg, author of "How to Be Loved: A Memoir of Life-Saving Friendship"
“A triumph of investigative family history. A skillful and lyrical retelling of a mystery discovered largely upon her mother's death, this book is a reminder of how the suffering that remains after war can haunt us for generations.”�
—Joel Whitney, author of "Finks: How the CIA Tricked the World’s Best Writers" and a founder of Guernica
"I devoured this book in one breathless gulp. A seamless blend of love, loss and legacy, this utterly gripping account of one woman's search to uncover a family mystery in the wake of her mother's death is at once heartbreaking and gorgeously hopeful. This is exactly the kind of compulsively-readable memoir I'm always hoping to find, but so rarely do."
—Claire Bidwell Smith, author of "The Rules of Inheritance"
"In her powerful, heartbreaking, and gut-wrenching first book, Rotondi explains how in 2009, after her mother's death, she found boxes of files, newspaper clippings, and declassified CIA reports regarding her Uncle Jack and the family's search for him."
—BǴǰ
In 1943, 19-year-old Edwin Pearce jumps from a burning B-17 bomber over Germany. Missing in action for months, his parents finally learn he is a prisoner of war in Stalag 17. Ed survives nearly three years in prison camp and a march across the Alps before returning home. Ed’s eldest son and namesake, Edwin “Jack,� follows his father into the Air Force. But on the night of March 29, 1972, Jack’s plane vanishes over the mountains bordering Vietnam and Ed’s past comes roaring into the present. "What We Inherit" is Rotondi’s story of her own hunt for answers as she retraces her grandfather’s 1973 path across Southeast Asia in search of his son.
An excavation of inherited trauma on a personal and national scale, "What We Inherit" reveals the power of a father’s refusal to be silenced and a daughter’s quest to rediscover her voice in the wake of loss. As Rotondi nears the last known place Jack was seen alive, she grows closer to understanding the mystery that has haunted her family for generations—and the destructive impact of a family secret so big it encompassed an entire war.
Praise for "What We Inherit":
"Jessica Pearce Rotondi brilliantly probes the mysteries of a secret war while simultaneously exploring the secrets of her own family, to give us a book about coming to terms with many kinds of loss. Exceptional."
—Salman Rushdie, Booker Prize-winning author of "Midnight's Children"
“A beautiful amalgam of memoir, travelogue, and investigative report that moves with the propulsive forward energy of a thriller. A haunting chronicle of loss and redemption."
—Ron Chernow, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Alexander Hamilton"
�'What We Inherit' is a strikingly original debut, a moving saga of love and grief that shows how world events reshaped three generations of one American family. Jessica Pearce Rotondi discovers that courage exists not only on battlefields, but even in the most ordinary kitchens.�
—Kate Bolick, bestselling author of "Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own"
“Written like a spy novel and delivered like a whistleblower’s account of government deception, I felt like I was holding my breath until the very last page... This book shook my deepest assumptions about America."
—Sebastian Junger, award-winning author of "The Perfect Storm"
"An inspiring and revealing story of one family’s pursuit of the truth about their son." -Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
"'What We Inherit' is a powerful book about how we make sense of unfathomable loss—and about the realization that all loss is unfathomable. In our current world, with so much war and pain, this is the book we need."
—Eva Hagberg, author of "How to Be Loved: A Memoir of Life-Saving Friendship"
“A triumph of investigative family history. A skillful and lyrical retelling of a mystery discovered largely upon her mother's death, this book is a reminder of how the suffering that remains after war can haunt us for generations.”�
—Joel Whitney, author of "Finks: How the CIA Tricked the World’s Best Writers" and a founder of Guernica
"I devoured this book in one breathless gulp. A seamless blend of love, loss and legacy, this utterly gripping account of one woman's search to uncover a family mystery in the wake of her mother's death is at once heartbreaking and gorgeously hopeful. This is exactly the kind of compulsively-readable memoir I'm always hoping to find, but so rarely do."
—Claire Bidwell Smith, author of "The Rules of Inheritance"
"In her powerful, heartbreaking, and gut-wrenching first book, Rotondi explains how in 2009, after her mother's death, she found boxes of files, newspaper clippings, and declassified CIA reports regarding her Uncle Jack and the family's search for him."
—BǴǰ
264 pages, Hardcover
First published April 21, 2020
59 people are currently reading
1,199 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Pearce Rotondi
1book27followersJessica Pearce Rotondi is the author of "What We Inherit: A Secret War and a Family's Search for Answers," which Salman Rushdie calls "exceptional." A West Newbury native, she is now a writer and editor living in Brooklyn. Her work has been published byThe History Channel, Reader's Digest, Atlas Obscura, The Huffington Post, and Refinery29. Previously, she was Senior Lifestyle Editor atThe Huffington Postand a staff member at the PEN American Center, the world’s oldest literary human rights organization. Her first job in New York City was in book publicity at St. Martin’s Press, where she had a “room of her own� in the Flatiron Building to fill with books. Connect with Jessica on Twitter and Instagram @JessicaRotondi
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
July 11, 2020
The content of Rotondi's book is completely unrelated to that of Abraham Verghese's book "My Own Country" but my problems with both books are remarkably similar so I'm just going to have to repeat myself.
A decent concept is spoiled by an overwritten writers workshop style with the occasional caricaturized character (Liz, the amazing sidekick, is the most prominent here) thrown in for good measure. I highlighted a few early passages to demonstrate my complaint. (Rotondi and Verghese both used the word orb to describe a round object. Really? And Rotondi did it twice. There's just no coming back from that.)
The frustrating part about this book is that there are several very good moments as well (highlighted also), but not enough to make this a worthwhile read. The good moments all center on the author's attempt to connect with her deceased mother. It felt genuine and to the point. Her father gets a brief mention about spending his time on online dating sites. Ouch! There's a story there and thank goodness it was omitted from the book.
A decent concept is spoiled by an overwritten writers workshop style with the occasional caricaturized character (Liz, the amazing sidekick, is the most prominent here) thrown in for good measure. I highlighted a few early passages to demonstrate my complaint. (Rotondi and Verghese both used the word orb to describe a round object. Really? And Rotondi did it twice. There's just no coming back from that.)
The frustrating part about this book is that there are several very good moments as well (highlighted also), but not enough to make this a worthwhile read. The good moments all center on the author's attempt to connect with her deceased mother. It felt genuine and to the point. Her father gets a brief mention about spending his time on online dating sites. Ouch! There's a story there and thank goodness it was omitted from the book.
October 27, 2022
I picked this one at random in the galley section of The Strand because it seemed interesting, and my goodness was it. It was a nonfiction story that read like a page-turner of a novel. I loved the story so much, reading about the author looking for news of her POW uncle was enthralling.
I’m as anti-war as they come, and while I may not necessarily call this that, it does discuss the fallout of war quite a bit. But aside from that, the human story of a family searching for any answers was exceptional. Highly recommend to anyone.
I’m as anti-war as they come, and while I may not necessarily call this that, it does discuss the fallout of war quite a bit. But aside from that, the human story of a family searching for any answers was exceptional. Highly recommend to anyone.
April 12, 2020
I don’t often read a book in one day, but What We Inherit grabbed me from the first sentence and I couldn’t put it down until I was down. It’s beautifully written, powerful, heart wrenching and poignant.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
April 7, 2020
A non-fiction that reads like a page-turning fiction. Impressively researched and captivating. Strongly recommend.
September 5, 2020
I'm conflicted on this book. I think it was good but not for me. A little too much rich white girl discovers the rest of the world exists.
April 26, 2020
Jessica Pearce Rotondi’s debut is magnificent. I was stunned by the story and the way she tells it and had to remind myself that this is not fiction. Pearce Rotondi does more than share her family’s heart-wrenching story of legacy, loss and the uncovering of war-time truths. She weaves a thoughtful memoir into a tapestry of historical accounts and manages to capture your heart from the very first page. What We Inherit is a more than a must-read. It’s a masterpiece.
July 28, 2023
I was intrigued by the premise of this book, a woman grieving her mother who died four years ago sets out with a friend to find the location where her Uncle Jack’s plane crashed in 1972 in Vietnam. I feel like this book was much more about grief than unraveling any secrets and it was okay, but not as thrilling as I’d hoped. I also felt uncomfortable when she was in Vietnam asking locals about the war.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2019
A must read
April 25, 2020
I just finished reading “What We Inherit.� I read it in less than a day. The writing was beautiful, energetic and enthralling. The writer made me feel and made me think: what do we know about about the world when only seen from the vantage point of our own country? How well do we truly know our family members? Do we ever see a complete picture of our loved ones and does it even matter? This was a book about truth; patriotism; family and friendships that transcend family. I highly recommend it.
April 23, 2020
An outstanding read!
April 28, 2020
A truly awakening read of a woman learning some of the most important history of her family after they are gone. Rotondi takes the reader along on her exploratory journey through her family's history in an attempt to piece together what happened to her uncle Jake, who went MIA after being shot down over Laos. The care with which she details what she knows and what she learns makes you feel like you are along side each family member. Whether it be parachuting out of a shot down B-17 in World War II with her Grandpa, to standing up to ambassadors in France with her mom, to being in the base cantina with her uncle Jake before a mission, and finally, being with her as she finds her peace, her writing has you there by each of their sides. Thankful she felt called to go on this exploration and then share it with all of us.
June 14, 2020
Read this book in quarantine as patriotic summer holidays approach. What could be more fitting than a true story about a heroic father and mother who devoted their lives to keep the home lights burning for a lost son? To this story, the author brings the closure that her mother and the rest of the family sought so faithfully. The book spans continents, wars, and social upheaval but finally turns back to the supreme importance of the love within a family.
Complaints abound that for the last few months we can't get haircuts, there are lines in stores, or the favorite restaurant is closed. Before a reader starts to feel too depressed by this horror, the message of the book resounds: Generations of Americans have fought and died for their country. Generations have sought the Truth despite hardships we can't imagine. Generations have given their children the support to think and live in freedom and to respect their legacy. It's happening even now.
How does the United States foster so many brave families? I'm not sure, but Jessica Pearce Rotondi has shown that the "bravery gene" was indeed passed down from a father to his children and grandchildren. Families like the author's will always lead us.
Complaints abound that for the last few months we can't get haircuts, there are lines in stores, or the favorite restaurant is closed. Before a reader starts to feel too depressed by this horror, the message of the book resounds: Generations of Americans have fought and died for their country. Generations have sought the Truth despite hardships we can't imagine. Generations have given their children the support to think and live in freedom and to respect their legacy. It's happening even now.
How does the United States foster so many brave families? I'm not sure, but Jessica Pearce Rotondi has shown that the "bravery gene" was indeed passed down from a father to his children and grandchildren. Families like the author's will always lead us.
February 7, 2021
2.5
I came across What We Inherit in my search to find books to help me better understand what my father-in-law endured when he fled Laos in the 70s. Not exactly what I was looking for, but I'm mostly glad I read it. I can see why others find this so compelling. My favorite parts involved the war in Laos and the people who live there.
As I now have three family members (including my husband) in the U.S. military, I felt for the Pearce family and their loss. Her grandpa's own story is quite amazing too, surviving WWII as a POW for two years.
In saying that, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the uncomfortable feeling I had throughout most of this book. Rotondi and her family are obviously very privileged and I wish she would have addressed that. As another reviewer says: Too much rich girl discovers the world.
I came across What We Inherit in my search to find books to help me better understand what my father-in-law endured when he fled Laos in the 70s. Not exactly what I was looking for, but I'm mostly glad I read it. I can see why others find this so compelling. My favorite parts involved the war in Laos and the people who live there.
As I now have three family members (including my husband) in the U.S. military, I felt for the Pearce family and their loss. Her grandpa's own story is quite amazing too, surviving WWII as a POW for two years.
In saying that, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the uncomfortable feeling I had throughout most of this book. Rotondi and her family are obviously very privileged and I wish she would have addressed that. As another reviewer says: Too much rich girl discovers the world.
October 10, 2021
Story about MIAs and Vietnam is interesting even if the book is a bit slow moving. It's a short listen. So if the topic interests you, then I recommend the book.
November 14, 2024
This is an impressive book. Premise: Four years after her mother's death, 23-year-old Rotundi sets out to discover just what happened to her MIA uncle who's AC-130 was shot down over Laos during the Vietnam War. Much of the book is about Rotundi (re)connecting with her mother's ghost, as it were—especially when it comes to the file cabinet full of letters, memos, and other off documents related to her mom's brother's disappearance. The uncle, Jack Pearce, was an airman, and we don't know just what happened to him until the very end. Rotundi deftly weaves experiences of her journey through Laos (with her bit-of-a-reduced-to-caricature-ever-ready-and-loyal sidekick, Liz) with memories of her mom, the final years of cancer, chemo, mixed with the never-ending search for answers about what happened to her brother, Jack.
Spoiler: there is closure, on all fronts.
I have my qualms. Middle-class white girl journeying to third-world country to finally grieve for the uncle she never knew (um, mother actually) is more than a little cliche. It's to Rotundi's credit she points this out at moments—the immense privilege afforded Americans in other parts of the world, but also the suspicion in places that, to this day, remain somewhat hostile to imperialists.
And you can understand why: Laos remains one of the most bombed countries in the world. Tons of UXO still in the ground there. The secret war in Laos is an often unmentioned part of the Vietnam war. That doesn't reduce the suffering inflicted on so many Laotian civilians due to American airpower. Some images remain with me: little kids in school uniforms skirting the edge of a giant blast crater; the museum where statues of a parent and child are constructed out of bomb fragments; the 83-year-old Jack Pearce Sr.—a POW himself from Stalag 17 in Europe, thirty years as a Pennsylvania state trooper, going into his grave believing his son, Jack Jr., was still alive and that the government he spent his entire life serving had lied to him.
Remarkable book. Recommend.
Spoiler: there is closure, on all fronts.
I have my qualms. Middle-class white girl journeying to third-world country to finally grieve for the uncle she never knew (um, mother actually) is more than a little cliche. It's to Rotundi's credit she points this out at moments—the immense privilege afforded Americans in other parts of the world, but also the suspicion in places that, to this day, remain somewhat hostile to imperialists.
And you can understand why: Laos remains one of the most bombed countries in the world. Tons of UXO still in the ground there. The secret war in Laos is an often unmentioned part of the Vietnam war. That doesn't reduce the suffering inflicted on so many Laotian civilians due to American airpower. Some images remain with me: little kids in school uniforms skirting the edge of a giant blast crater; the museum where statues of a parent and child are constructed out of bomb fragments; the 83-year-old Jack Pearce Sr.—a POW himself from Stalag 17 in Europe, thirty years as a Pennsylvania state trooper, going into his grave believing his son, Jack Jr., was still alive and that the government he spent his entire life serving had lied to him.
Remarkable book. Recommend.
May 1, 2020
Jess Rotondi is a dear friend and I am delighted to have had the opportunity to read this book hot off the presses!
What We Inherit follows Jess, a young woman grieving the loss of her mother, from Boston to Laos in an effort to find closure for herself and her family. After her mother's death, Jess discovers that years before her birth, her mother and grandparents had engaged in a decades-long search to find a son that went missing in Laos during the Vietnam War. Much of that war was and remains murky to many Americans, but the Pearce family finds themselves entangled in its dark heart—coming up against secrets our government doesn't want them, or anyone, to know as they search for their lost son.
Jess's background as an editor for Huffington Post is evident as the book trips along in brief chapters that left me wondering what comes next. This is an author who knows how to hold a reader's attention in the internet age. Part memoir, part a richly-researched work of journalism, the flowery language Jess employs to describe her experience as a young woman in a far-off foreign country for the first time juxtaposes nicely with the robust and muscled prose that speeds the plot.
This book is a perfect book club pick because it will give readers the opportunity to discuss grief, family secrets, the impact of warfare, the power of faith, and the pleasures of travel. That's a lot of fuel for a fascinating conversation!
What We Inherit follows Jess, a young woman grieving the loss of her mother, from Boston to Laos in an effort to find closure for herself and her family. After her mother's death, Jess discovers that years before her birth, her mother and grandparents had engaged in a decades-long search to find a son that went missing in Laos during the Vietnam War. Much of that war was and remains murky to many Americans, but the Pearce family finds themselves entangled in its dark heart—coming up against secrets our government doesn't want them, or anyone, to know as they search for their lost son.
Jess's background as an editor for Huffington Post is evident as the book trips along in brief chapters that left me wondering what comes next. This is an author who knows how to hold a reader's attention in the internet age. Part memoir, part a richly-researched work of journalism, the flowery language Jess employs to describe her experience as a young woman in a far-off foreign country for the first time juxtaposes nicely with the robust and muscled prose that speeds the plot.
This book is a perfect book club pick because it will give readers the opportunity to discuss grief, family secrets, the impact of warfare, the power of faith, and the pleasures of travel. That's a lot of fuel for a fascinating conversation!
June 7, 2022
Jessica Pearce Rotondi has written a suspenseful and intriguing memoir that centers on the life of someone she never met. Combining her investigative skills and vivid writing we are taken into the prison camp her grandfather survived in World War II and the Vietnam war era that downed her uncle’s plane and cast a shadow over her mother’s life. With palpable curiosity and patient compassion, she uncovers layers of the survivors� (her grandparents, an uncle and her mother) pain of not knowing what happened after the plane was shot down, a searing pain that was covered with silence. It is only after the death of the author’s mother, that she discovers a box containing news clippings and letters documenting the family’s fierce crusade to support the belief that her uncle survived the crash. Through the author’s adroit writing we see and feel the intangibles we often inherit from our relatives. What she inherits is an urgency to frame the truth. Excerpts of letters from her family, correspondence from government officials, disappearing and incomplete reports, along with conflicting newspaper articles provide the pieces of the puzzle. Gathering her courage and information she travels to Laos to find the truth and to bring peace to her family and to the reader. A suspenseful and emotional read that I highly recommend!
October 8, 2021
Did Uncle Jack die in Laos in 1972? How would one find out? A search for human remains...? A tooth, perhaps...? How would one be sure it was his?
People speak about their grief and share it differently depending on their circumstances. In 1976, before the author was born, U.S. veterans surround her then-54-year-old grandfather “asking him to talk about his experience as a prisoner of war. They want to know what it was like to jump out of a burning plane, what he saw crossing the Alps on foot as the Germans fled. Instead, he talks about his missing son and the need to bring America’s boys home from Vietnam and Laos. Father and son, both shot down, son still missing. The local papers love it.� Then, also, the recognition: While “my family could eat TV dinners and outwardly go on with our lives,� by contrast “the Lao were still living in homes pocked by bombs. War heroes from that time are on their currency. Their grief could not be private because it was woven into the very fabric of their lives.�
A search for answers on behalf of family, and an exploration of what it means to let go or not let go.
People speak about their grief and share it differently depending on their circumstances. In 1976, before the author was born, U.S. veterans surround her then-54-year-old grandfather “asking him to talk about his experience as a prisoner of war. They want to know what it was like to jump out of a burning plane, what he saw crossing the Alps on foot as the Germans fled. Instead, he talks about his missing son and the need to bring America’s boys home from Vietnam and Laos. Father and son, both shot down, son still missing. The local papers love it.� Then, also, the recognition: While “my family could eat TV dinners and outwardly go on with our lives,� by contrast “the Lao were still living in homes pocked by bombs. War heroes from that time are on their currency. Their grief could not be private because it was woven into the very fabric of their lives.�
A search for answers on behalf of family, and an exploration of what it means to let go or not let go.
May 24, 2021
70 // “What neither of us perhaps realized was that we can’t relive things for the people we love; all we can do is try to understand them, love them, and know when to let them go.�
WHAT WE INHERIT is a beautiful memoir about searching for the truth in a family’s history—an incredible history of loss and hope and, ultimately, love. shortly after her mother’s death, @jessicarotondi discovered declassified CIA reports and newspaper clippings about her uncle Jack, who disappeared during the “Secret War� in Laos. this book combines the secrets Jessica uncovers with her travels to the last known place Jack was alive, all researched and written in the midst of dealing with her own grief. the story is so gripping; I was on the edge of my seat reading it and was invested in this family and their search for the truth. I learned things about the war and also my own grief, and it felt like such an honor to read this moving book. highly recommend!
I had the opportunity to speak with Jessica about her book over on @momsdonthavetimetogrieve so be sure to check out that IG Live!
WHAT WE INHERIT is a beautiful memoir about searching for the truth in a family’s history—an incredible history of loss and hope and, ultimately, love. shortly after her mother’s death, @jessicarotondi discovered declassified CIA reports and newspaper clippings about her uncle Jack, who disappeared during the “Secret War� in Laos. this book combines the secrets Jessica uncovers with her travels to the last known place Jack was alive, all researched and written in the midst of dealing with her own grief. the story is so gripping; I was on the edge of my seat reading it and was invested in this family and their search for the truth. I learned things about the war and also my own grief, and it felt like such an honor to read this moving book. highly recommend!
I had the opportunity to speak with Jessica about her book over on @momsdonthavetimetogrieve so be sure to check out that IG Live!
August 29, 2021
What We Inherit is a powerful memoir about the deeply human yearning for answers in the face of loss. It's also a devastating indictment of the U.S. Government's callous treatment of MIA families and, by extension, of the soldiers who risk and lose their lives fighting for America. The arrogance of the military and intelligence agencies displayed in this story is not surprising, but it is breathtaking. The disillusionment of this military family is one of the saddest aspects of this beautiful book.
As compelling as the story is the quality of the writing and the novel structure of the narrative. So much is impossible to know in this true story, and it's difficult to sort out the secrets and lies from the simple gaps in evidence or witnessed history. Yet Rotondi draws her own and her grandfather's grief like strong thread through the missing pieces. Their alternating perspectives complete the puzzle of this family memoir with unexpected emotion.
As compelling as the story is the quality of the writing and the novel structure of the narrative. So much is impossible to know in this true story, and it's difficult to sort out the secrets and lies from the simple gaps in evidence or witnessed history. Yet Rotondi draws her own and her grandfather's grief like strong thread through the missing pieces. Their alternating perspectives complete the puzzle of this family memoir with unexpected emotion.
August 6, 2022
Throughout her life, Jessica Pearce Rotondi's family told stories about her Uncle Jack who disappeared when his plane was shot down in Laos in 1972. Her grandfather, who was a POW during WWII spent a lifetime searching for information about what happened to his son. After her mother died, Jessica resolved to uncover whatever evidence might still exist that could explain her uncle's death.
This tragic story underscores the ways in which an unexplained death can continue to haunt a family through subsequent generations. Jessica's investigation also calls into question the lesser known details regarding the secret war that the CIA orchestrated in Laos during the 1970s. In the end, her search for answers raises more questions that she can ever resolve.
This tragic story underscores the ways in which an unexplained death can continue to haunt a family through subsequent generations. Jessica's investigation also calls into question the lesser known details regarding the secret war that the CIA orchestrated in Laos during the 1970s. In the end, her search for answers raises more questions that she can ever resolve.
May 12, 2020
What We Inherit is an exquisite story that traverses a grieving daughter's loss, a family's hidden saga, and the landscape of a country's secret war. Jessica Pearce Rotondi -- my dear friend and personal role model -- recounts how, in the days after losing her mother to cancer, she uncovers her family's decades-long search for an uncle who went MIA in Laos in 1972. The discovery sends her searching for answers, and the journey is one of personal and historical reckoning. Told with poignancy and grace, this story will resonate for anyone who has lost a loved one and been left with unanswered questions.
May 13, 2020
Until now, I never started reading a book in the morning and finished it in the same day. I couldn’t put down What We Inherit until I eagerly- and tearfully- read the last page. Three generations of Pearces, traveling through decades, try to find the answer to the question, “Where’s Jack?� Rotondi bravely sets out to find the answer. But What We Inherit is more than even that. The layers of loss crystallize, and the tireless determination inspires. This true story of one family's journey reaches out to all of us. This is about being human in a very imperfect world- about courage and about love.
May 21, 2020
I loved everything about this book - the story itself is just heartbreaking but at the same time uplifting in the strength shown by the author and by the family of American heroes. Yes, there are many in this book, in many different ways - including the author herself. It's hard to believe this is nonfiction and that these situations actually happen to a family, but I know every part of it is true and so beautifully written. Gripping, heartwarming, intriguing, and this will keep you engrossed from the first word through the last. Definitely recommended! It's an amazing story and told perfectly!
March 21, 2021
For the Murebella Book Club and we had a chance to read this book and it was interesting to find how her family never gave up to see what happened to their son to their brother if he died or was he rescued was a POW or not
Interesting at the very end when you read what I realize in my time among them is that no matter how far you travel in this world your inner world comes with you the people that you love never really leave you there just in your ❤️
Interesting at the very end when you read what I realize in my time among them is that no matter how far you travel in this world your inner world comes with you the people that you love never really leave you there just in your ❤️
March 24, 2021
This is an outstanding book of a family saga and the questions that arise about the past. Ms. Rotondi
writes beautifully, about the quest for answers surrounding the disappearance of an uncle who she never met. She embarks on a quest to discover what happened to him while on a bombing mission in Laos during the Vietnam war. Weaving her story around the loss of her mother to cancer. It is very worthwhile and I am very happy that I had the opportunity to read it.
writes beautifully, about the quest for answers surrounding the disappearance of an uncle who she never met. She embarks on a quest to discover what happened to him while on a bombing mission in Laos during the Vietnam war. Weaving her story around the loss of her mother to cancer. It is very worthwhile and I am very happy that I had the opportunity to read it.
June 20, 2020
Great debut! Heart wrenching story about a family looking for their son after his plane was shot down during war and the affects through several generations. Really enjoyed this and loved the last line in the book, “What neither of us perhaps realized was that we can’t relive things for the people we love; all we can do is try to understand them, love them, and know when to let them go.�
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2020
Would
Give it a 3.8 - I enjoyed it but wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. Having been to Laos and read up on the US involvement there I was so sad to learn through this book of how the government handled those troops who were MIAs and POWs there. The authors family’s journey and the author’s own journey to come to grips with the loss of a family member while serving the US is the story told in this book and is an important one.
Give it a 3.8 - I enjoyed it but wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. Having been to Laos and read up on the US involvement there I was so sad to learn through this book of how the government handled those troops who were MIAs and POWs there. The authors family’s journey and the author’s own journey to come to grips with the loss of a family member while serving the US is the story told in this book and is an important one.
June 24, 2024
A very poignant, touching book. How did I never know about this secret war in Laos! The older I get, the more I learn what our government has done behind our backs, what the CIA has done. It's horrifying. I can't even imagine the angst this family went through in the search for their son, their brother, their uncle.
May 22, 2020
This book is a beautifully written account of a truly thrilling story. It is a page-turner that combines a family mystery, travelogue, and a coming of age story. I loved it right through the last page.
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