The story Ari Ali tells is heartbreakingly wise and beautiful, and yet it is wrung out of great loss. Ali’s determination to trace out the fractures underlying her family’s distance and isolation from each other eventually brings her home—but only after she walks through many years of tangled, complicated grief. By honestly naming deep sorrows frozen away in denial, Ali unlocks the power of healing for her family. She also unlocks the power of healing for countless other families who have experienced cultural dislocation, family separation, faith disorientation and traumatic death. Ali’s story is woven from innumerable points of personal connection against the backdrop of immense cultural and historical shifts. Ultimately, it provides a beacon of hope for every one of us who long to experience the healing power that can flow when we uncover hidden truths about our own family inheritance.​

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Sara Wenger Shenk

Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary president emerita

October 20, 2024