The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Uncovering Secrets, Reuniting Relatives, and Upending Who We Are

I loved this book. I never really considered all the implications in purchasing a “fun holiday gift” like a DNA kit. I would recommend this book to anyone considering getting tested. I’m not trying to discourage anyone from getting tested. It can help you break through genealogy brick walls. But it is also important to think about the possible earth-shattering implications if you find out something you don’t expect.

This is a good explanation, with well-chosen examples, of the current state of genealogical DNA testing. I’d read the author’s Washington Post story about one of the families in the book, so I knew the solution to that mystery, but it was still an enjoyable journey. As a veteran of DNA testing (I purchased 2 of the first 100 direct to consumer tests ever sold in 1999), I was expecting to find a fair number of mistakes and misunderstandings on the part of the author, but I found only a few small things. It was also fun to revisit the history of the field and see mentions of citizen-scientist colleagues who I’ve known from conferences for years now.