The Soul of the Family Tree: Ancestors, Stories, and the Spirits We Inherit

Written by Lori Erickson

Narrated by Lori Erickson

Growing up in a passionately Norwegian-American Iowa town, Lori Erickson rolled her eyes at traditions like Nordic Fest and steaming pots of rømmegrøt. But like many Americans, she eventually felt drawn to genealogy, the "quintessential hobby of middle age." Her quest to know more about the Vikings and immigrants who perch in her family tree led her to visit Norse settlements and reenactments, medieval villages and modern museums, her picturesque hometown and her ancestor's farm on the fjords.

Along the way, Erickson discovers how her soul has been shaped by her ancestors and finds unexpected spiritual guides among the seafaring Vikings and her hardscrabble immigrant forebears. Erickson's far-ranging journeys and spiritual musings show us how researching family history can be a powerful tool for inner growth. Travel with Erickson in The Soul of the Family Tree to learn how the spirits of your ancestral past can guide you today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ChristianAudio.com
• Release date: Sep 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781545919705

Lori Erickson

Lori Erickson is one of America's top travel writers specializing in spiritual journeys. She is the author of Near the Exit: Travels with the Not-So-Grim Reaper (which won a Silver INDIES Award for 2019 Religion Book of the Year from Foreword Reviews) and Holy Rover: Journeys in Search of Mystery, Miracles, and God. Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic Traveler, and Better Homes & Gardens, among others. She lives in Iowa City, Iowa, with her husband.

Reviews for The Soul of the Family Tree

[dhelmen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Memoir, history, dna, travel. It has everything I enjoy reading and made the perfect 'relax before bed' reading.

[spinsterrevival · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this as the author takes a journey to find out the history of her ancestors. I appreciated learning more about Norse and Viking history as I’m not very familiar with it, and I loved how the author both learns and shares genealogical knowledge with us too. As with any good read, this has me wanting to learn more for myself as well; I may actually dig out some of those papers of family trees I put together over thirty years ago when I was fourteen.

[mamakats · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed reading this book as it was well-written and quick-paced latenight chapters. The book came just before a family tragedy so apologies for the tardy review. I thought I would read it before I delved into my own family history, but such was not to be the case. Following Erikson's travels and learning as an armchair genealogist is not necessarily exciting, but definitely soothing which seemed so much needed when I received my copy. Who knew how true that would be in my life just a few short months later? This doesn't offer any deep or hard-hitting research techniques that will help you delve into the trenches of your dark family secrets, but it is a good read following Erikson's adventures in getting to know her family and in a way, herself.

[bookwallah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A book on someone's personal journey -- sounds boring right? Not!Stir in some Norse mythology as personal "guides" to discovering ones roots, and a great story teller and bam you have a compelling story.Recommended for everyone reaching that age where you begin looking back in time to claim your roots, and for anyone who thinks there is only one way to do genealogy.

[seongeona · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed everything because of my own experience with looking into my Norwegian ancestry. I haven't yet made the journey to the homeland, but that yearning resonates with me. There is something amazing about seeing an ancestor's handwritten name or their name on the passenger lists, stepping foot in the same place they once walked, and learning about their everyday lives. I, too, had to learn about history, religion, language, crafts, etc, relating to my people. I did the reenactor thing and joined an Asatru group or two. I fully believe our ancestors call out to us. They want to be known. While this work likely won't be interesting or valuable to readers who aren't interested in genealogy, their own Norwegian heritage, or to those who don't like memoirs of the average person, it is a wonderful read for those of us who have ever exclaimed "Those damned Vikings!" whilst coming across some unexpected, surprising info whilst tracing our Scandinavian heritage. My advance reader copy came from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I gifted my mother a final, published copy because it is she who started me on my journey of geneology all those years ago.

[carrie88-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed reading Lori Erickson's book, "The Soul of the Family Tree" which includes a nice mix of history as well as her own experiences as she discovers more about her heritage. It is relatable to others, who want to discover more about their own ancestors. It was interesting to read about what she learned and what it meant to her as she traveled around meeting other interesting people.

[franklymydarling · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lori Erickson’s The Soul of the Family Tree is a light, enjoyable romp through her discovery of her family history. The book is probably best classified as a memoir and travelogue with a bit of Viking, Norwegian, and Norwegian-American history thrown into the mix. I personally don’t have Viking or Norwegian heritage, but this fun book makes me wish I did!I received a free advance reading copy of this book from the publisher through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

[tamidale · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Those who have an interest in genealogy and Scandinavian history will enjoy Lori Erickson’s new book about searching her family tree and how it relates to her spiritual life.To my knowledge, I have no family background that includes any Vikings, but I found this intriguing and enjoyed how she included the myths and related them to how we view the world today.Erickson was fortunate enough to be able to travel to the places that related to her family history and was even able to find the location of the land they once farmed.There are photographs included, so that made the experience of reading this even more relatable.Many thanks to NetGalley and Westminster John Know Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

[willowone_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Soul of the Family Tree was a great read. I love genealogy and have done quite a bit of searching out the family history in my own family. This book gives an inside look at what it is like to begin that search. Information that you must have to start your search, places you must look. Granted I am not of Norwegian descent but the process was interesting to read. It gave me some ideas to use on my own search and it was interesting to read Ms. Erickson's stories. I respect that she included the good, the bad, and the ugly. That she did not cover up and gloss over her family history and stories. She makes a point of helping the reader understand that you inherit a history and the stories and people that come with it aren't your choice. They are your family for better or for worse. I do not believe this is for the genealogist that is just looking for what to do in a list. This is for the reader that wants to see geneology unfold in real-time with a real-life family. It also has a lot of great Scandinavian, Norwegian history to boot.I received this book as a part of the Library Early Reviewers group in exchange for my honest review.

[khiemstra631 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Soul of the Family Tree is a genealogy book with a twist. Author Lori Erickson includes some standard information about how to begin building a family tree and the effects of the DNA "revolution" on genealogical methodology. This books also explores a great deal of Viking history and mythology and how the author used them to gain a more spiritual sense of her genealogy. She has adopted two people from Norse history, Leif Eriksson and Gudrid the Far Traveler as her guides in her genealogical quest. Since her ancestry is basically 100% Norwegian, she focuses on all things Norse in the book. While it's a little hard to explain in a typical book review, it all comes together and works quite well. Erickson does indeed get in touch with her "inner Norwegian". Since my husband is half Norwegian and I have visited Norway, I found it edifying to read about all of these various aspects of Norwegian culture. Also, her sections on how the Vikings traveled the world and especially dominated the northern half of the British isles, explained the mystery of the Scandinavian DNA in my own background. My ancestors most likely never set foot in Scandinavian regions; instead, Scandinavia came to them in the form of Viking conquerors. This revelation alone made the book a worthwhile read for me. In the final two chapters of the book, the author and her immediate family journeyed to Norway to see the region her great-grandparents inhabited before their journey to America in ca. 1850. This little travelogue was also quite enjoyable and brought back memories of my own trip to Norway. The author reconnected with Norway, but realized that it is Norwegian-settled Iowa that is really her home. So, the book is part genealogy manual, part spiritual diary, part mythology book, with a final section of travelogue. It all comes together to make a good read.

[christiana5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'll begin with a disclaimer - I'm one of those folks who've fallen down the genealogy rabbit hole, so this book was right up my alley. I was pulled in pretty quickly, and while my approach to research is a bit more methodical and document based than Ms. Erickson's, I found her stories quite interesting, as well as her ponderings about her own approach to genealogy. I also have a bit of Scandinavian DNA, and haven't figured out where that comes from, so her speculations about how widely Viking DNA travelled were personally interesting too. I especially appreciated Ms. Erickson's acknowledgements of the less savory aspects of our ancestors' behaviors - slavery, murder, sacrifices - while there are no easy answers, I'm glad she didn't ignore the topic. This is probably not the book for everyone, but for those who enjoy genealogy, family stories, or Viking history, it's a worthy read. I received this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review. Kudos to the publisher for sending it very quickly, and I also have to note that it's a very high quality book, especially for a paperback - the paper is quite thick and lovely; I continually thought I'd turned multiple pages only to find I hadn't. This would make a great gift for the right person.

[dndizzle · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

While some may be interested, I just couldn't find myself getting into this and eventually put it down for good. I'll make sure someone else can read it that might be interested in it.

[1randal-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I requested this book from NetGalley, thinking it was going to be about genealogy. The beginning was, but where the book really grabs you is when the author starts talking about Norse history. Being of Norwegian heritage, I found her stories and anecdotes to be very interesting. I read several of them to my wife (who is even more Norwegian than me). It was educational and fun.

[dgryan1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Based on the description of this book, I expected it to be interesting, but I did not expect it to be quite so entertaining. The author's voice is wonderful, full of humor and insight. This book is not about the in's and out's or "how-to's" of genealogical research. Rather, as the title suggests, this book is more about the connections we can make to our pasts and the way those connections can shape us or deepen our understandings. I learned all sorts of things about the Vikings, Norse culture and mythology, and some of the significant finds connected to the Vikings, but the book's focus is to offer insight into why exploring our roots and the wider history surrounding our ancestors and their stories is so meaningful and significant. A quote that serves as an example of the entertaining style of the author as she discusses the Viking gods is, "The color and drama of the Norse world greatly appealed to me, but at the same time I had to acknowledge that this branch of my spiritual clan had its faults: bitter feuds, broken marriages, wanton promiscuity... Not to mention some pretty serious medical issues. Divine pregnancies could result in the birth of children who were serpents or wolves (imagine what it would have been like to have one of those show up on a pregnancy ultrasound)...I was grateful, frankly, not to share a genetic link with them"(p. 90).She writes that genealogy can be viewed as more than compiling dates and names, and can include connections to those who have gone before us. A web of lines stretching back in time that influences us because of our ancestors' past choices as well as our own actions today. One of the loveliest thoughts Erickson shares is "Perhaps part of the pleasure we feel in genealogy is our ancestors' pleasure in being remembered. As we research their lives, sing their songs, eat their traditional foods, and carry on their customs (well, at least the benign ones, not the raiding and pillaging), they get the chance to live again in us (153)."An entertaining quick read that left me with the desire both to return to Ancestry.com and to research Viking longboats as well as Norway, Denmark, and Sweden!

[thornton37814 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lori Erickson became interested in her family history, but her infatuation focused more on the Norwegian ethnicity and potential connection to Leif Ericson than to correctly tracing her ancestry or a true exploration of her spiritual heritage. For most of the book she focused on what she wanted to learn rather than verifying the information first. While the narrative does not bore, it fails to demonstrate sound genealogical research. It does perhaps emphasize the influence of epigenetics. She finally visited a museum, hiring a research to investigate one line. Although she mentions the conversion of many Norwegians to the Lutheran faith and Norse mythology, she never really explored those connections in the light of her own family history. It seemed to be more at a macro level than the micro level. I found myself disappointed a Christian publishing house published this book whose author's own statements fail to acknowledge the power of the Cross, opting instead for a dualistic-type religion. This review is based on an advance readers' edition provided through LibraryThing Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.