This is a fascinating look at how the greek national identity grew in Macedonia. It is a complicated history that many Greeks seem to gloss over or deny. The Macedonia of the 1700's was much more Slavic and Muslim than it was Greek. It wasn't until nationalism(bulgarian to the north and greek to the south) and a weakening Ottoman rule that greek national identity entered the picture. Overall this book deals with the questions of national identity in an interesting way and traces the development of families in Macedonia and how Macedonia became greek.