Do we own our possessions, or do they own us? That's one of the questions pondered in Tracy's memoir Objects of Our Affection (Bantam, $25.00) Following their mother's death, Tracy and her sister were faced with the daunting task of sifting through her belongings - acres of heirlooms, from an elegant, satin-bottomed chair that might have once been occupied by George Washington to a pair of dueling pistols purportedly owned by Aaron Burr. But were these worth anything more than the stories they contained? When the sisters decide to put selected pieces up for auction, they are both sobered-and occasionally surprised-by the prices they fetch and the remorse they feel when the deals are done. Have they sold their family's soul?

Tracy weaves engaging nuggets of military and social history into her tale - this book will definitely attract the Antiques Roadshow crowd.