By Elyse Umlauf-Garneau
A hand-written recipe. A doodle. A voice.
All such things bring a flood of memories and a slice of joy when families reminisce about a loved one.
Corina Kellam found a way to package those memories into something that can be held, heard and read. Her company, Life History Books (http://www.lifehistorybooks.com), produces family memoirs that capture the fundamental nature of a person or family.
The process starts with personal historians who interview individuals or multiple family members. Life Books then produces a memoir based on those conversations.
The finished product can include not only a written history, but also audio and video clips and family artifacts.
"Each book is custom and has a different flavor and personality," Kellam says.
Life Books produces both memoirs for living people and tribute books for family members no longer living that uncover personality traits, quirky stories, and the things that a family or person value most.
"It's pretty rare that a family gets together to reminisce and answer the really big questions," comments Kellam. Personal historians interview family members either in person or by phone and ask about those topics that routinely get lost in the day-to-day shuffle.
Questions, both big and small, address everything from the benchmark events in people's adult life, who their role models and mentors were, what they found surprising or difficult about marriage, along with what they'd change if they could, as well as wisdom they'd like to impart to the next generation.
Lighter fare is part of the process too. Interviews explore funny family incidents, how nicknames and holiday tradition emerged and what people's favorite toys and food were during childhood. In doing the books, Kellam routinely uncovers interesting family lore.
One woman, for example, talked about tossing a pillow out a hotel window at a cute boy she saw walking by. That's the way a grandmother described meeting her husband. Others reveal what it meant to them to be a father, struggles they faced while growing up, and what informs their political and religious values.
Clients can review and edit the content, choose the book's overall aesthetic, colors and fonts, and provide family treasures, such as photos and recipes, letters and postcards, family trees, artwork, marriage licenses, and so forth, to scan and incorporate.
The concept dovetails well with societal changes, some of which have been brought on by the recession, believes Kellam. "People are drawing into their families, thinking about what's important, respecting older people, and getting their traditions down," Kellam observes. " I do think there's been a shift in values and that the family is being valued more highly than it was before."
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