The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Are

very interesting. It was hard to put down. I wanted to know the answers to the NPE stories.Even the technical parts of the book were interesting. Some ethical issues I hadn't thought about.The only criticism I had was I really wanted to follow the people's stories straight through, not broken up by explanations of DNA or the ethics of the technology.Maybe two parts of the book would have been better.

I was hoping to get a book chockful of stories of different people looking for and/or finding family or being found -- positive, negative and neutral. She did am expert job of weaving Alice Plubech's (sp?) story throughout the book and that was a very intresting story (where Alice ended up discovering that her father who had been an adoptee with no real knowledge of his birth family after being put up for adoption after his mother died when he was quite young, that her father and another baby born the same day in the same hospital were switched at birth). A long, complicated and engrossing story, indeed.On the down side -- for me -- was that there was a LOT more pages dedicated to trying to convey the science(s) behind the DNA matches, and I found myself just finally flipping past a lot of those pages. I wanted human interest stories. There were a few more -- but nothing super memorable. Had I realized that she did not cover more possibilities, at least, of what can happen when connecting with lost family I probably to be honest would not have bought this book at all.All that said, the author is a very good writer and even managed to keep my interest enough to say it was a page-turner. Fancy that!

For anyone thinking of gifting a friend or family member a DNA test kit — add this book to the order so they know what they’re getting into.As a genealogist, this book is a must read — in fact, I’ve already sent it to several fellow genealogists. Whether we research for ourselves or others, as a hobby or a profession, we have been entrusted with the life and death details of real people. It can and should be done responsibly, humbly and with compassion — but what does that look like when secrets are uncovered?This book deeply, repeatedly and unflinchingly lays out the unintentional consequences that can and do come about when genetic genealogy is used to trace a family’s history through time.It also challenges us to think more intentionally about the meaning of family, of ancestry, of privacy and of identity. And it walks us through the ever-changing world of genetic genealogy — from the early days and early adopters to the current day and beyond.The Lost Family is a great read for anyone interested in family history, in the science of genetic genealogy or in the social constructs of race, ethnicity, family and self. It hits at the core of who we are — and what happens when everything we think we know about ourselves changes.

I bought this book expecting a DNA detective story with a bit more detail about the science behind the technology allowingthose of us fascinated by family history to dig deeper and know more. I got that, but so much more. Libby Copeland uses the story of a so-called "early adopter" of commercial DNA testing to give a glimpse into the warp-speed pace of genetic testing and technology in the last 20 years, but she does so with an eye to the moral, ethical, and legal ramifications of science technology that is out-pacing our ability to control it. Her framing story of a woman looking for the missing history of her father's small, disrupted, and scattered family frames larger questions posed by the easily available, incredibly detailed science behind commercial DNA testing by companies like Ancestry.com and 23andMe. DNA tests enjoyed a huge popularity in the last 5 years and they're a boon for genealogical explorers attempting to find "lost" relatives to piece together a family's story, but among the innocuous--and even heartwarming-- connections are land mines of personal privacy revelations that can break up families just as easily.Copeland is a good writer and her book propels one through a lot of very arcane genetic science to the deeper questions of personal privacy and unintended consequence that have become the shaky underpinning of an exponentially expanding technological capacity in DNA research and invention. The lack of regulation-- or indeed, even consideration--of genomic advances, she argues, is creating life-changing problems for us all.I highly recommend this book for armchair scientists, not-so-amateur genealogists, and anyone who questions the use of genetic information in our potential near future and our fragile past.

Thought provoking.As someone who has not taken a test and never had the desire to, this was an interesting read. Touching on why it matters if I don't ever, but also how my choice may not matter at all.I enjoyed the scientific bits but found them to be shallow and disappointing, especially seeing as the science interrupted the stories being told. I found myself losing interest in the real life stories more and more as they seemed to drag on unnecessarily and the interruptions pushed my interest over the edge.Overall, I appreciate the questions asked, conversations started, and thoughtfulness put into this book.

Excellent explanation of DNA testing and its many possible outcomes, along with stories of individuals whose lives were disrupted by information revealed. Very clearly written and compelling. So well done. I can't recommend it enough. One of the best books I've read in recent years. Well constructed and compelling reading.

Ce livre illustre comment faire un livre de 300 pages d'une histoire qui pourrait être racontée (beaucoup plus clairement) en 5 pages. C'est malheureusement le cas de beaucoup de "best-sellers" américains écrits par des journalistes (et non des spécialistes de la discipline que le livre aborde).

Really enjoyed this book. Gave good overall picture of DNA history supported by case studies to illustrate. Well worth a read for anyone interested in the DNA story.

This is a very thoughtfully researched book. It is NOT a how to guide to researching your family, it is not the place to look for support if you've had an unexpected DNA discovery or are embarking on the search as, for example, and adoptee aware of the missing pieces in their genetic origins. While there are some family stories woven into the document, they come alongside a very considered analysis of the ethics and consequences (expected and otherwise) of commercial DNA testing from a variety of perspectives. Truly thought provoking, one of the best pieces of work on the subject I've come across on this topic.THANK YOU

raises questions about ethics and identity. deep, broad, thorough, and fascinating.

So disorganised and rambling