People who shaped me
“Tell me about a relative you wish you'd known — a great-grandparent, an ancestor, an aunt who died young.”
Tips for asking
The stories you've heard, the photograph if there is one, the gap they leave.
Listen for
What's the question you'd most want to ask them, if you could sit down together for an hour?
More from People who shaped me
“Tell me about a friend who was funnier than you, or kinder than you, or braver than you — and what they pulled out of you.”
“Was there a friend or relative whose later-life decline you were close to?”
“Tell me about a doctor, nurse, therapist, or carer who looked after you well at a vulnerable time.”