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Book Review of Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love
VolunteerVal avatar reviewed on + 645 more book reviews


This is a fascinating memoir: on a whim, author Dani Shapiro took a DNA test and the results sent her reeling - there is no way her beloved father is her biological father. This is incredibly significant because through her father, Ms. Shapiro received her strong religious and ethnic Jewish identity.

This revelation sparks a year of internet deep dives, interviews with people connected to her deceased parents, and deep soul searching. Hers is an examined life (this is her fifth memoir at age 54) and she is completely candid as readers follow her journey of discovery, one which answers some lifelong questions.

I highly recommend this memoir if you like reading about family secrets, nature vs. nurture, or the ethics of reproduction issues in the 1950s and 60s.