Owning the Past. Healing the Present. Worn down by work and a failed relationship, a mentally, physically, and spiritually exhausted young man visits his aunt Joni at her home in peaceful Hidden Valley Lake, California. Over several days and evenings, she takes him on a journey through their shared history. From slave-owning great-great-great-great-grandfather Burwell in the early nineteenth century to the philandering Junius, murderous Murphy, and alcoholic William, the tales Aunt Joni imparts to her young nephew never shy away from the hard truths of the family's acts and legacy. Along the way, she instructs him in science, medicine, philosophy, and religion-and explains the importance of acknowledging and apologizing for the sins of one's ancestors. Part family history, part memoir, and part profound examination of how the past informs and influences our present, Torch Time Tales lays bare one woman's most intimate, invaluable possession: her spiritual estate.