History, in the retelling, tends to lose important details and context, substituting a few dramatic embellishments along the way. Take the first Thanksgiving story, for instance. Enshrined in school texts, the tale has been idealised to the point of disbelief. Even as an adolescent, I recall thinking, ‘This just doesn’t stack’. (Don’t get me started on the Bible). But no one wanted to hear my cynical take on the holidays, let alone on life. That’s what writing’s for 😉
