In Search of a Name by Marjolijn van Heemstra

          In search of a Name tells a thought provoking story about Marjoljin van Heemstra, who has always heard stories of her great uncle's heroism. Marjolijn uncle was a resistant fighter who orchestrated a bombing that resulted in the death of a Nazi spy gaining the title of a hero from his family. When Marjolijin is bestowed with her great uncle’s signet ring by her grandmother she is tasked with the burden of naming her son after him. Now pregnant with her first son she embarks on a journey to unveil the truth about her uncle, as time passes and the weeks grow closer to her son's birth Marjolijn begins to doubt everything she has been told to believe. 

           In short, I enjoyed Van Heemstra story. The pacing was nice as the story was written as if the readers are uncovering a crime as she had to break down numerous timelines and statements to clearly paint a picture of the events leading up to the bombing. A plus to the pacing were the chapters counted down weeks towards the pregnancy, it made it easier and more exciting to know how close we were getting to finding out the truth. Overall what I enjoyed most was the themes Van Heemastra presented in the book which was essentially to do your own research when it comes to history. The book is a lesson on how history can be screwed to fit ideals that people want to be true. A point she mentions is that history is like a game of telephone as its past down from generation to generation truth gets muddled by intentions and denial. Van Heemstra herself is having an internal fight to uphold the hero and promise she made even though as she unveils more about those dark days the signet ring she wore with pride begins to feel heavy with guilt as her uncle's moral judgment comes into question.

          In conclusion I rate this book a 3 out of 5 as the ending was unfulfilling as we were left with unanswered questions. I recommend this book for the overall lesson it can offer other individuals on how doing your own research is important when it comes to history and having the facts straight.