Staci Lola Drouillard's new memoir has many merits, none more important than its generous spirit. Rather than grabbing the lead role for herself, the Grand Marais, Minn., author cedes the spotlight to family members who taught her valuable lessons about history, love and family.

Seven Aunts is a rich group portrait of her parents' sisters. Betty, Carol, Diane, Doreen, Faye, Gloria and Lila all spent at least some of their lives on Lake Superior's North Shore. Mothers and wives, homemakers and wage earners, they stabilized families threatened by privation, illness and discrimination.

Drouillard's aim — "to help ease the pain of the past" — implicitly encourages readers to step away from modern life's hurries and consider their forebears' experiences.

Read the review at Star Tribune.