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The Lost Family
- How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Are
- Narrated by: Cindy Kay
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
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The Lost Family
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Summary
A deeply reported look at the rise of home genetic testing and the seismic shock it has had on individual lives
You swab your cheek or spit into a vial, then send it away to a lab somewhere. Weeks later you get a report that might tell you where your ancestors came from or if you carry certain genetic risks. Or the report could reveal a long-buried family secret and upend your entire sense of identity. Soon a lark becomes an obsession, an incessant desire to find answers to questions at the core of your being, like "Who am I?" and "Where did I come from?" Welcome to the age of home genetic testing.
In The Lost Family, journalist Libby Copeland investigates what happens when we embark on a vast social experiment with little understanding of the ramifications. Copeland explores the culture of genealogy buffs, the science of DNA, and the business of companies like Ancestry and 23andMe, all while tracing the story of one woman, her unusual results, and a relentless methodical drive for answers that becomes a thoroughly modern genetic detective story.
The Lost Family delves into the many lives that have been irrevocably changed by home DNA tests - a technology that represents the end of family secrets. There are the adoptees who've used the tests to find their birth parents; donor-conceived adults who suddenly discover they have more than 50 siblings; hundreds of thousands of Americans who discover their fathers aren't biologically related to them, a phenomenon so common it is known as a "non-paternity event", and individuals who are left to grapple with their conceptions of race and ethnicity when their true ancestral histories are discovered. Throughout these accounts, Copeland explores the impulse toward genetic essentialism and raises the question of how much our genes should get to tell us about who we are. With more than 30 million people having undergone home DNA testing, the answer to that question is more important than ever.
Gripping and masterfully told, The Lost Family is a spectacular book on a big, timely subject.
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What listeners say about The Lost Family
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- OldnCreaky
- 05-12-23
Amazing Story of Family DNA test
I enjoyed this story. I'm very interested in the light DNA testing shines into family genealogy. This was certainly an unexpected tale.
It can be a bit tricky to follow who's who , but that's true to life!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- David
- 19-03-20
Ethical & other hazards of commercial DNA testing
This will be of interest to anyone who has taken a DNA test with Ancestry or other such companies. Although technical in part it is well written, and well narrated. A heart warming story of genealogical detective work and family discovery is interwoven with chapters dealing with the ethical and practical implications of this kind of readily available and very popular testing
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 25-09-21
Narrated with feeling. Story was passionate..
Loved this book. Great narration. Written with honesty and positive happy ending. Great listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- TheSkatersmum
- 23-06-22
Fantastic genetic genealogy true stories and info.
Alice's DNA story is woven through an interesting, sometimes worrying, at other times uplifting, well-researched backgound on DNA tests. Political, social and mental health implications are all addressed. Experts are consulted and further examples of different stories are sprinkled over the chapters. Adoption, donor conception , unexpected parentage, foundlings, unexpected etnicity are all covered, as well as the use of other people's DNA tests to solve criminal cold cases, health genetics and the future implications of DNA testing.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mike G
- 14-01-22
Pronunciation of a key name irritated me.
I have a niggle / irritation about the pronunciation of a name. I'm sure "John Joseph" is not pronounced "John Yosef".
I know of several people with this name who are usually called "John Joe".
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 08-06-22
Absolutely brilliant
Made a complex subject matter make sense. Sensitive reflections but not overly sentimental. Great research it seems. As a hobby genealogist, I wholly recommend it.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- mark middleton
- 01-10-21
Waiting for a punch line
I'm sorry but I really struggled to finish this book. I has so much potential but just never really went anywhere. it was like listening to someone read scientific genealogy notes they'd found under their bed
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- J Maye
- 20-07-23
Fascinating topic, but too long, detailed and technical
This book introduces a world of genealogy geeks and DNA-testing to the uninitiated like me. The family research is fascinating since the results produced can be life-enhancing for some, devastating for others.
However I found the book much too long and unwieldy and the delivery a little soporific. I wanted to stay with it and learn, but wasn’t able to.
I agree with the reviewer who said it lacked a punchline. It would have been more satisfying if it had led to some kind of conclusion.
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