“Uncovering Hidden Truths: Caroline Topperman Reveals the Secrets Behind ‘Your Roots Cast a Shadow'”
MDH: In the process of researching and writing this book, you discover unflattering things about your grandparents, your paternal grandfather who chose loyalty to the Communist Party over his own family, your maternal grandfather who was a womanizer, and your grandmother, who could be gobsmackingly selfish. Did you have any internal talks with yourself about the pros and cons of writing a story that both honors and exposes your family members?
CT: I didn’t really know my paternal grandparents. So, to me, they were just names. My maternal grandparents were the best grandparents you could have. Yes, they were shitty parents; I knew a lot about these things before I wrote the book, so it really didn’t come as a surprise. My mother died in 1995, and my grandmother basically moved in with us just before. She was not great to be around, you could see how she really wanted everything to be about her. But it was a part of life. I chose to put it in because they were human, and whatever lasting trauma they had, which I can’t even imagine, was part of who they were. I decided I’d rather talk about these things openly. It made it easier that they were all deceased.
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