Risking it all

From Robert Whitcomb “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

Eileen Warburton’s new book, Chasing Chance:  Stories of the Peirce-Prince Families in America, is riveting American history structured through the interwoven narratives of two families who arrived in New England from England in “The Great Migration’’ of Puritans to New England, 1620-1640.

“Chance” in this context means accepting risk.

This is not some dry genealogical tome. Rather, this brilliantly researched,  written and illustrated work narrates the sagas of memorable characters, many heroic, some not, in ways that can suggest life lessons for everyone.  What to do, what not to do.

The cast of characters include austere and deeply religious Puritans, alleged witches, sea captains, Confederate officers, business moguls, scholars, artists, statesmen,  war heroes and founders of towns, states, and companies.  They’re never shown as stock figures but as idiosyncratic people in the round, with anger, occasional ruthlessness and other problematic elements mixed in with such admirable qualities as courage in the face of high, even lethal risks, ingenuity, generosity, civic leadership and plenty of romance.