The author, Todd Neel, having coffee with cousin, Tom Molloy, in Gallway, Republic of Ireland. (photo by Tom Molloy)

About Family Hunger

This book is a social worker's perspective on family history and genealogy including topics such as dysfunctional families, DNA, adoptions, addictions, boundaries, attachment, trauma, and resiliency. Passionate sharing about meaningful connections, finding and meeting relatives, mortality, travel to find Irish and Scottish heritage including wonderful Irish humor. Inspires readers to write their own life story, and assist other family members to record theirs. Eulogy shared and modeled. Encourages active communications and relationships with relatives and chosen family when healthy and safe. We can do together what I cannot do alone!  

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Themes throughout this book are: 

​•    Write your own life story;
 
•    Seek out and be in relationship before it’s too late;
 
•    Recognize and acknowledge and honor your chosen family (your friends or maybe your family members that you like to be with);
 
•    Gather others’ life stories and encourage them to write or record and share theirs before it is too late!
 
•    Be conscious that there may be some family members that you do not want an active relationship with and that is okay – some relationships are better from afar.
 
•    We can do together what I cannot do alone!
 
The clock is ticking … do it, or don’t do it, but make a conscious, deliberate choice. 

Breathe life into your own family tree as you watch this author breathe life into and out of his family tree, here. We can change history!

History

I was inspired by Alex Haley's "Roots" while my Grandma, in her 90's, was living with us. My college instructor was inspired by this TV show and so taught his course "Roots: A Psychological Analysis", where he taught us how to draw Genograms, fill out Family Group Sheets, how to interview, etc. Without this prompting I would not have asked my Grandma and parents such questions about our family history, and I may not have started my career as a genealogist. My first chapter, "Who am I? And how did I get here? - Psychology and Genealogy", was written in 1979, about forty years ago.