Hey, everyone, it's Tin Bidermias, and this is NPR's Book of the Day.

We inherit a lot from our families, genetics, personality traits, stories.

For Cassandra Jackson, part of that inheritance was the trauma of an event that happened before she was born,

but one that was central to her life and

also shrouded in secrecy. It was simply known as The Rec, and that's the title of her new

memoir. In it, she contends with the legacy of a deeply traumatic event that shaped her father,

and the journey it took to confront the legacy of familial pain,

all of which was spurred by Jackson's own journey to motherhood.

The memoirs many threads are connected by Jackson's vulnerability and honesty,

all of which she discusses with NPR's Aisha Rosco.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.

On our new show, Sources and Methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,

helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

When Cassandra Jackson was a little girl growing up in Alabama, her father would take her around to visit elderly relatives.

She'd get a slice of cake, maybe, some Kool-Aid to wash it down.

Then she'd hear the old folks say how much she looked exactly like her grandmother, someone they missed.

These were strange visits to Cassandra, as were the occasional trips to the cemetery.

I am six years old and standing next to a gravestone with my name on it.

The little girl with my name is buried here along with her mom, who was my father's sister and her dad.

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