THE LOST FAMILY by Libby Copeland
Many family historians and genealogists have taken the plunge and had their DNA tested and probably with more than one commercial company. Most tests confirm the lineage that the subject had already documented in their genealogical research. Some individuals might be surprised at the distribution of ethnicity in their results. But what happens when those DNA results indicate that the family and relatives that the subject assumed were biologically related are not? What happens when a branch of the family tree is “lopped off” by biological truth? What are the ramifications when an adoptee’s DNA matches finally identify a birth family that may not want to be found? In The Lost Family (Abrams Press; March 3, 2020), journalist Libby Copeland explores the unintended consequences of at-home DNA testing and what happens when the concepts of family, race, and ethnicity which shape an individual’s identity are upended.