Illuminating Family is a deeply researched and highly personal memoir. The narrative provides insights into intimate family history and on the political and social milieu of the world in which the author's paternal family lived. Set during the last half of the nineteenth century and most of the twentieth century in Catalunya, Cuba, and ultimately the United States, Illuminating Family is more than a family document, recounting the uncovering of nagging family riddles. It describes how individual family members reacted to adversity, immigration, success, identity, and politics. Ultimately, it's an immigration story, offering understanding of a rich and complex issue.