Review 539: The Lost Family

The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Uncovering Secrets, Reuniting Relatives, and Upending Who We Are by Libby Copeland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is primarily about genealogy research, but it goes way beyond that, and is completely focused on the DNA aspect.

The author notes near the end that the technology is rapidly changing and she was worried that just while researching and writing that it would be outdated by the time of publication. Maybe. And here it is now several years later. I would point out that even so, the story contained within was fascinating enough even if some of the tech becomes outdated.

The frame of the book follows a woman, Alice Collins, that discovered a strange family mystery when she took her first DNA test. It revolved around her father who turns out not to be Irish but Jewish. It takes Alice several years to resolve some of the family mysteries. Along the way she gives DNA kits to people that possibly are relatives, finds people who are thought to be cousins, turn out not to be genetically, yet still feel like family. There are several other stories like this, discovering mysteries, such as your father is not your biological father, or your family comes from a different part of the world that family lore has said.

DNA has also helped adopted children find their birth parents, or half-siblings. Sperm donor children find out who their father is. These types of stories are expanding and changing who is family.

DNA also has a way of tracking down people that other police methods had been unable, with one of the bigger cold case being solved, finding the serial killer nicknamed The Golden State Killer. Yet these police investigations also raise questions about of privacy and consent.

There is much more in this book than these notes here. I quite enjoyed the book, which I listened to an audio copy from my library. I’m considering purchasing a print copy for future rereading or referencing for my own genealogy research.