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Key themes: 2002

	We are a family
	My name made my life
	Raising children
	Important family occasions
	Families in adversity
	Staying single and escaping family life
	The roles of father and mother
	I couldn't have done it without my family....
	Old age
	Family break-up and death

Key themes: 2001

	Making a new start
	Neighbours and the place where I live
	Being a parent
	Work
	Coming out the other side
	Racism and prejudice
	Dreams and obsessions
	Loss
	I was there

All about the 2001 series

True Lives Homepage

My name made my life

All about: My name

Our families give us our names, and most of us are proud of the identity they give to us. In this programme, we hear from people whose lives have been greatly affected by the names of their families and what they mean to other people.


Seif al-Islam Gaddafi is the eldest son of the Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi:

"Having the name Gaddafi could create problems for you. Most European countries refused me permission to reside or study - not because I am a bad person, but because I'm a Gaddafi. It was discrimination.

The press everywhere created an image for my father - he became a symbol of radicalism and violence.

But I am proud of my father and I am proud of his reputation. He might be seen as bad outside Libya, but he is good at home.

My father and his reputation are a part of my life. He is beloved in Islamic countries and that is an advantage for me. I have to build on that."

Nell Osterman wrote to us about being descended from the famous United States president, Abraham Lincoln:

"Living up to a family name can be just as difficult as living one down....

My family's history can be traced all the way back to when my hometown was founded. And my grandmother was a Lincoln, with all that the name implied.

Abraham Lincoln

I grew up among tea parties and luncheons, in a town where people dressed up to go shopping, and where everyone knew everyone else's business.

My near-idyllic childhood rivaled any storybook: I remember ballet lessons, piano lessons, and learning to mind my manners. I spent long Summer days picking wildflowers in the meadows, riding my bicycle, and dressing my doll. It was a time when Summer lasted forever; with glorious sunsets that you could get lost in.

But I didn't know that the nice clothes we wore meant that food was scarce, that we would not have eaten sometimes if it had not been for the kindness of our neighbours and the produce from mother's garden. There was a social expectation because of who we were.
Even when I was out on my own, my first apartment was rented to me only on the basis of the landlord knowing my grandmother.

So where am I now? Living as far west as one can drive in North America – in Alaska. No one here knows my family history. I live in a hut, not a fine house. I wear flannel shirts and old work pants.

But I still remember my childhood. I picnic in a forest that goes on for hundreds of miles, still pick wild flowers, and still gaze at glorious sunsets that you could get lost in....."