Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Inheritance
Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love | Dani Shapiro
The acclaimed and beloved author of Hourglass now gives us a new memoir about identity, paternity, and family secrets--a real-time exploration of the staggering discovery she recently made about her father, and her struggle to piece together the hidden the story of her own life. What makes us who we are? What combination of memory, history, biology, experience, and that ineffable thing called the soul defines us? In the spring of 2016, through a genealogy website to which she had whimsically submitted her DNA for analysis, Dani Shapiro received the stunning news that her father was not her biological father. She woke up one morning and her entire history--the life she had lived--crumbled beneath her. Inheritance is a book about secrets--secrets within families, kept out of shame or self-protectiveness; secrets we keep from one another in the name of love. It is the story of a woman's urgent quest to unlock the story of her own identity, a story that has been scrupulously hidden from her for more than fifty years, years she had spent writing brilliantly, and compulsively, on themes of identity and family history. It is a book about the extraordinary moment we live in--a moment in which science and technology have outpaced not only medical ethics, but the capacities of the human heart to contend with the consequences of what we discover. Timely and unforgettable, Dani Shapiro's memoir is a gripping, gut-wrenching exploration of genealogy, paternity, and love.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
MindyK59
post image
Pickpick

One day the author took a DNA test and found out that her father was not her biological father. Her parents never told her and now they were no longer living. She set out to find her biological father and understand her history better. This was her story about that journey. I can‘t imagine what that must have been like for her.

review
megnews
post image
Pickpick

Couldn‘t have asked for a better book to finish out the year. I have a big interest in genealogy and dna and have wanted to read this for awhile. A nearby library is having a book discussion on it in January. Invited my mom to join me. We both loved the book. I‘ll definitely be reading more Shapiro.

Lcsmcat If you liked this, I recommend The Milkman‘s Son by Randy Lindsay. (I‘ve read both and liked them both.) 1y
megnews @Lcsmcat thanks for the recommendation. I‘ll check it out. 1y
42 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
Susanita
post image
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you for playing! 2y
35 likes1 comment
review
Sully1
post image
Pickpick

Great memoir about a surprising paternity result from ancestry.com. Dani's quest to understand where she came from is to be commended!

blurb
jlhammar
post image

Shapiro was in her 50s when she learned that her father was not her biological father. She wrote this remarkable memoir about that experience. She is now a passionate advocate for bringing truth to light, believing that it has “the power to liberate, heal, and even uplift us.” Also recommended her podcast, Family Secrets.

#Lies!! #BookMoods
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Eggs Excellent - I read this a few years back! 2y
54 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
Amoon
post image
Pickpick

When Dani Shapiro was 54, she discovered on ancestry.com that the man she thought was her father was not. Through research she finds out who her true biological father is and contacts him. The events that follow are truly heart wrenching and complex. It causes readers to wonder what they would do in similar situation. It also induces us to think about truth and the ethics involved in dealing with infertility. Very well written and honest.

7 likes1 stack add
review
BarbaraJean
post image
Pickpick

I‘d never given much thought to what it would be like for a person in midlife to discover their parentage was not what they‘d believed it to be. This memoir is a fascinating account of Shapiro‘s journey to reconcile her personal history with her discovered DNA. She explores both the personal side of the story as well as medical ethics, changing practices in fertility medicine, and the impact and responsibility carried by our genetics. Recommended!

BarbaraJean A belated #NewYearWhoDis read—thanks to @MeganAnn for the recommendation! 3y
Cathythoughts I love this cover 3y
MeganAnn Missed this tag last week. I‘m so glad you like it! I found this fascinating as well and definitely some topics I hadn‘t thought about before. I picked it up because it was on my #newyearwhodis reading list from @4thhouseontheleft the year before. 3y
BarbaraJean @MeganAnn I need to make sure I check out both @4thhouseontheleft's #newyearwhodis list as well as yours this coming year--such great picks. 😊 3y
44 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
akfreeborn
post image
Pickpick

Dani Shapiro was shattered when she discovered unexplainable results on her dna kit and sent her life into a unsettling time as she discovers her “origin” story. This memoir delves into family, religion, medical ethics and what makes us belong. Fascinating account and well written!

28 likes1 stack add
review
sprainedbrain
post image
Pickpick

Completely blown away by how much I loved this memoir about Shapiro‘s unexpected discovery that her dad was not her biological father. It‘s a complex story of discovery and what makes a family, and I found myself crying a little bit more than once. So good, and I loved the author‘s narration on audio.

Another excellent read thanks to #NewYearsWhoDis!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Crazeedi I enjoyed this too 3y
Librariana Will have to opt for the audio version of this after your review 😊💜📚 3y
Amiable FYI, the author does a podcast called “Family Secrets” where she interviews other people who have uncovered similar kinds of secrets in their families. 3y
See All 8 Comments
monalyisha I‘ve been meaning to read this — for so long I nearly forgot! Thanks for reminding me. 😊 3y
Reviewsbylola I enjoyed this one too. 3y
TheKidUpstairs I'm glad you loved it! I read this last year on @Cinfhen 's recommendation - it was one of her top reads of 2019 - so I'm happy to keep the recommendation train going! 3y
Cinfhen Yay!!! I loved this one too!!! So glad you passed it along, Megan 💕💕💕 3y
Chrissyreadit I have this thanks to a Litsy swap- I love this review. 3y
101 likes7 stack adds8 comments
review
Beccacraft
Pickpick

This book follows the author‘s journey to discover her true paternity, and the emotions she experiences along the way. I did not ever feel like I was invested in her story and did not find it extremely compelling, and was only slightly interested in the outcome.

review
Hillea2
Mehso-so

Not the biggest page turner I‘ve ever read, but I did become invested in her story.

review
Lauren890
post image
Pickpick

This was my first read of hers and I almost couldn‘t stop listening to the audiobook once I started. I really wanted to know how things would turn out. She writes so fairly and with self-awareness about events that happened so recently- I found that impressive. It‘s a moving story and made me want to read more of her work.

blurb
Cinfhen
post image

#ManicMonday #LetterI
📚 (tagged book) another fabulous memoir
✒️Eowyn Ivey
📺I Dream of Jeannie
🎤 Imagine Dragons
🎼Impossible Shontelle

https://youtu.be/NWdrO4BoCu8

JoScho Thanks for playing 🧡🧡🧡 4y
57 likes1 comment
blurb
SaraFair
post image

I kind of know this story from the abbreviated version on her podcast. I love her voice however, and the interesting stories from “Family Secrets” enough to listen to the whole book. What else to do while shredding old tax documents? I want the details!!

Amiable Doesn‘t she have the best voice for a podcast? I love listening to “Family Secrets.” 4y
SaraFair @Amiable - yes she does and it‘s like each one is a little book. There‘s no telling how many secrets are out there to be told. 4y
15 likes2 comments
review
BarbaraBB
post image
Pickpick

By a DNA test Dani Shapiro finds out that her orthodox Jewish father was not her real father - she was conceived by a sperm donor. This is an honest and intimate report of how she deals with this new reality and how she reflects on her past and her upbringing with this new knowledge.

@veritysalter Thanks for sending me this one 😘❤️. @Cathythoughts This one certainly fits the #parentandchildmemoir prompt for #Booked2020!

Cinfhen Loved this book!!! Especially after reading this memoir by Dani Shapiro prior 4y
BarbaraBB @Cinfhen That one sounds like a hit or miss for me. I can love books about women who remind me of myself but sometimes it‘s just too much. Do you think I‘d like this one??? 🤔 4y
Cinfhen No, I think you can pass on Devotion. I feel like after reading Inheritance you‘ve gotten a pretty good picture of the author. 4y
See All 10 Comments
BarbaraBB @Cinfhen I think you‘re right and I trust your opinion. Excited to start this one now - finally: 4y
LeeRHarry Good to know that it‘s a good read 😊 4y
Chelsea.Poole I loved this one! 4y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Oooh, I hope you love The Enchanted. It‘s so unique!! 4y
Cinfhen Im nervous 😬 hope it‘s special for you 🙏🏼 4y
BarbaraBB @Cinfhen I‘ve read the first two chapters and am enjoying it very much! No need to be nervous! ❤️ 4y
Cinfhen Whew 😅 4y
75 likes2 stack adds10 comments
quote
BarbaraBB
post image

Beautiful painful poem

Cathythoughts ❤️💔 4y
TrishB Lovely 💔 4y
QuintusMarcus My gosh, who remembers Delmore Schwartz nowadays? 4y
BarbaraBB @QuintusMarcus I‘d never heard of him 🙈 4y
59 likes4 comments
review
Addison_Reads
post image
Pickpick

I have had this book on hold through Overdrive forever it seems, and I was so excited when I finally received it. 💚

Books like this one are why I love memoirs so much! Dani Shapiro brings us into her life and shares the heartbreak and pain, but also the love and acceptance with us.

I can definitely see why this book is so popular. It was emotional, powerful, and unforgettable.

Chelsea.Poole I love this book! 4y
43 likes1 comment
review
TheKidUpstairs
post image
Pickpick

A fascinating, beautiful, heartfelt tale that asks you to think about family, love, identity, self, lies, and truth. Thank you to @TheBookHippie and @Cinfhen for the #YearofReadingLitsy recommendation!

#Booked2020 Parent/Child Memoir
@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

#ReadwithMrBook Librarian Recommendation @MrBook

Cinfhen So glad you loved it too!!! 4y
alisiakae Glad you liked this! I loved it too 4y
TheBookHippie I so loved this!!! So happy you did too (edited) 4y
85 likes3 comments
blurb
Princess-Kingofkings
post image

finished up this audiobook and walked 2 miles before lunch 👟🎧📖

blurb
TheKidUpstairs
post image

I just came across this Book Turtle in my library book 😂😂🐢

I don't know which of my co-workers left this for me to find, but it gave me a nice morning smile!

MidnightBookGirl Very sweet! 4y
ephemeralwaltz Very cute!! 4y
Librariana Aww!! I know I have a picture book laying around here called 4y
Librariana May need to find it ⬆️ and read it today! Glad your little buddy made you smile 😊 4y
94 likes1 stack add4 comments
blurb
Carolyn11215
post image

#weeklyforecast I finally managed to start tagged book this past week and will hopefully finish today. The Little Sister is for #booked2020 and The Story Sisters is for #doublespin.

blurb
TheKidUpstairs
post image

Up next for #YearofReadingLitsy - this one recommended by @TheBookHippie and @Cinfhen so you know it's going to be good!

Cinfhen Woohoo!!! I hope you love it 💕 4y
TheBookHippie Oh I hope you enjoy it!!! 4y
73 likes2 comments
review
InnerSavvy
post image
Pickpick

Interesting listen about a woman who found out she was conceived via sperm donor.

review
IamIamIam
post image
Mehso-so

What makes a person themselves? Nature or nurture? In this book, a devout Orthodox Jew finds out she's not genetically related to her father and goes on a quest to find her "real" family. I had a hard time with this, as I always do with discussing biological parents. Shapiro does have a lot of interesting points of contention in today's technological age, DNA testing being readily available in the advent of early artificial insemination practices.

IamIamIam My views are clouded by a biological father who was granted custody but could have been a stranger for all the attention I was paid and being raised with an ethnic family who didn't include me in their tight knit ways, or even help me learn the language to converse with my grandmother. I feel that biology doesn't always trump the people who stuck it out in the trenches day in and day out. 4y
IamIamIam And lots of thanks to @dariazeoli for getting me involved in this one!!! It seems like I'm cranky and curmudgeonly about reading it but it gives lots of food for thought, regardless of how I felt because of my own situation. 😁😄🤗 4y
marleed @IamIamIam I was glad to have read this and even recommended it several times even though I was on the so-so line for my personal thoughts. ...My son was conceived AIH - artificial insemination by husband. My son knows this because it‘s such a funny story not because I thought it was info he needed. Would if there was a mistake (there wasn‘t) - that was not a decision in my providing that story to him. 4y
See All 6 Comments
dariazeoli Our experience informs our opinions, right? I appreciated you sharing yours for sure! 👍 4y
IamIamIam @dariazeoli I appreciated hearing your stories too! I do love being brought out of my comfort zone! This was a great book to explore ideas we may have had fixed through a certain lens without thinking through all different situations. 😁 4y
IamIamIam @marleed I'm so glad you were able to conceive through the blood, sweat, tears (and semen 😂) of these pioneers in the field! It's really not something that ever crossed my mind as far as the inclusion of donors in a biological child's life! 4y
37 likes6 comments
review
Readswithcoffee
post image
Panpan

#unpopularopinion The author takes a paternity test and finds out her father is not her bio dad. I understand that a memoir is self-reflective. This book, however, was self-indulgent and melodramatic. She wanted what she wanted regardless of how it impacted others. She also completely ignores the very privileged lifestyle in which she was raised and its impact on this situation. Struggled to finish. One positive: Info on Judaism was interesting.

Suet624 Yes, I felt much the same as you. I gave it a so-so which is rare for me. Somehow I felt all along that she just knew this would be good material for a book. 4y
Suet624 And I should add that I have liked several of her books very much. So I was disappointed to feel this way about the book. 4y
Readswithcoffee @Suet624 Interesting observation on your part. I have not read any other books by this author. Perhaps if I had, I would not have been quite so harsh. Maybe I would have bumped my rating up to so-so. 4y
sprainedbrain Oh I‘m glad I sent this one back to the library unread. 😬 4y
Herschelian I thought I would find this very self indulgent, but it is a very interesting and thought provoking book. DNA testing has opened up so many secrets, and the ramifications are only just being realised. 4y
42 likes5 comments
blurb
SheReadsAndWrites
post image

"When I was a girl I would sneak down the hall late at night once my parents were asleep."
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

26 likes1 stack add
review
Bklover
post image
Pickpick

Just finished this (thanks for pointing me to this one @dariazeoli !) I found this fascinating and as an adoptee I very much related to some of her feelings. This is a memoir about finding out through a DNA test that the author‘s father is not her birth father. Many things I completely empathized with, and some things I found far-fetched, but only because of my personal reactions to similar events. (I‘m probably just more screwed up🙃) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

dariazeoli We‘re all a little screwed up 🙃 So glad you liked it! I‘m looking forward to my next reading session 4y
93 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
LiteraryinLawrence
post image
Pickpick

I‘ve been gravitating towards nonfiction novels and graphic novels lately. This one was definitely a #blameitonLitsy read and I read through it in 24 hours! I had never heard of this memoirist before, although now I feel like I know her really well. She candidly and eloquently expresses her journey through discovering the truth about her parentage and going from certainty (wrong but she was always certain of it) to uncertainty to acceptance.

104 likes1 stack add
blurb
dariazeoli
post image

‪The #NonfictionNerds Goodreads group that @laurenslibrary started last month is reading the tagged book in February! All are welcome, and the discussion thread is open:

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1061034-nonfiction-nerds‬

Voting for March‘s book starts tonight.

(The moderator post was open, so I took it to keep the group going. I love nonfiction and am excited to read more of it! I‘m happy to give the spot up if Lauren asks.)

NeedsMoreBooks Thanks! 4y
Bklover Just finished it! 4y
Daisey I finally got a chance to check out the group and joined. Not sure I can fit in the February book, but I‘ll be interested to see what books are chosen in the coming months. 4y
45 likes4 comments
review
jdiehr
post image
Pickpick

Imagine sending off a DNA sample on a lark and finding out your dad is not your biological father. This is what happened to Dani Shapiro. She was the product of donor conception and never knew a thing.

I spent much of my time listening to this audiobook saying, "Can you imagine??"

An enjoyable and thought provoking read. I highly recommend it.

26 likes1 stack add
review
MeganAnn
post image
Pickpick

A thought provoking, emotional memoir. Shapiro found out through a DNA test that her father was not her biological father, but instead she was conceived by a sperm donor. I found this fascinating! Shapiro allows the reader to feel her roller coaster of emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them. The ramifications and possibilities of her situation are enormous and traumatic and I enjoyed the way she presents them. #newyearwhodis book 2
5🌟

monalyisha Five stars? Nice! 🙌🏻 Also, sweet nail color combo! 4y
54 likes1 comment
blurb
MeganAnn
post image

I‘ve been suffering from a book hangover after Daisy Jones & The Six. I was a little worried that anything I picked up after was going to feel insubstantial or difficult. This one has pleasantly surprised me! It‘s interesting and thoughtful. I can relate to her connection with the past she thought was hers and understand how she feels shattered after finding out it may not be. Up to page 72 so far and loving it! ❤️
#newyearwhodis Book 2

Chelsea.Poole Love this one! ♥️ 4y
Amiable I really liked this one 4y
alisiakae I‘m glad you like it! 4y
60 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
katiebee
Pickpick

The audiobook was a great listening experience

BarbaraTheBibliophage I haven‘t read this yet, but her podcast Family Secrets is fab. 4y
katiebee I am loving the podcast, too! It was such a treat to find out about it after I finished the book! 😀 4y
VioletBramble Welcome to Litsy!! 4y
katiebee Thank you!! 😀📚 4y
5 likes4 comments
blurb
Samplergal
post image

Next up. DNA a and paternity. Similar to a book my cousin‘s wife wrote. Exposed by DNA. By Katie Hopkins. This is likely happening often now.

Crazeedi Great book 4y
57 likes2 stack adds1 comment
blurb
Amiable
post image

Day 8 of #adventrecommends ...

A favorite read of 2019

review
Mitch
post image
Pickpick

The first of Shaprio's books i've read, & i'll definitely be back for more. She tells the story of accidentally discovering her genetic identity with warmth & passion. The first half is a real page turner as the mystery unfolds & she connects with the story of her creation. The pace then shifts as she broadens to contemplate wider issues of religion, family and genetics. I found it heart breaking at times, sad at times and very thought provoking.

Cinfhen I really loved this book! I went on a Dani Shapiro reading binge after this book!!!! 4y
Blaire @Cinfhen same! After receiving the audio of inheritance from you!! and then went on to listen to a couple others. Really enjoyed it on audio. (edited) 4y
Cinfhen Same @Blaire I thought her narration was really engaging and added to all of the memoirs 🎧♥️ 4y
97 likes2 stack adds3 comments
blurb
Mitch
post image

On the train to Bath - spending the day browsing the Christmas market. Got at least 90 minutes to start a new book!

Chelsea.Poole I love this one! ♥️ 4y
Nute Reading on a long train commute...I‘ve never had that experience, but it seems so perfect to me! Have a fun day today!🙂 4y
Emilymdxn Sounds like a lovely plan! I really want to read that book too 4y
Mitch @Emilymdxn it‘s good. She tells a compelling story and it moves very fast! 4y
Mitch @Nute ahh - I always book my ticket for the quiet carriage - no phones, whispered voices and time to read! 4y
76 likes5 comments
review
thebluestocking
post image
Pickpick

A journalist‘s memoir about finding out via DNA testing that her father was not her father because of the use of a sperm donor. This looks at infertility medical advances through the lens of the children born as a result. Interesting and heartbreaking.

Amiable I was enthralled by this book! Also, did you know that the author has a podcast called “Family Secrets,” where she interviews other people who have discovered secrets in their own families? 4y
thebluestocking It was so good!! I remember hearing about the podcast, but I haven‘t checked it out. Thanks for the reminder! 💙 4y
72 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
Crazeedi
post image
Pickpick

4⭐
I read this and was fascinated by Danis stunning discovery that changed the whole way she viewed her existence. Testing DNA has consequences far reaching and unexpected results. The pluses and minuses can't be understated. A compelling book

alisiakae There are so many amazing things that affordable 🧬 testing helps to achieve, but I do think companies like Ancestry need to do a better job informing customers what they are really getting into when they buy a kit. Most people do it for ethnicity reports, having no clue that they will also get matched to living biological relatives, and what that can mean. NPE are quite common. 4y
MicheleinPhilly @4thhouseontheleft When I did 23andMe I had to read a boatload of disclaimers about potential revelations and relatives and the like before I was allowed to access my results. 4y
arubabookwoman My husband just had a bone marrow transplant, and his donor is a female. Any DNA testing of his blood or blood products would show as female. Other readings (from skin, hair, saliva etc) still read as male. 4y
See All 8 Comments
LeeRHarry @arubabookwoman I work in this area and that is very handy for follow up monitoring 😊 4y
BibliOHIOphile Just bought. Do you listen to her podcast? 4y
Crazeedi @BibliOHIOphile dani Shapiro has a podcast? No I havent listened to it 4y
BibliOHIOphile Yeah it‘s a good one, it‘s called Family Secrets 4y
Crazeedi @BibliOHIOphile I'll check ot out 4y
92 likes2 stack adds8 comments
review
Court7
Pickpick

Will written, difficult, beautiful, hopeful.

review
Hooked_on_books
post image
Bailedbailed

I thought I‘d give this book a try because it sounded interesting—a woman learns her father is not her biological father after an Ancestry DNA test. But frankly it‘s reading like overwrought melodrama to me. And I just don‘t relate, but I‘ve always felt how one feels is more important to family than biology. #unpopularopinion

Texreader Good to know. Thanks for the honesty. Genealogy is a hobby of mine and I might have wanted to read this one. But your bailing and review are persuasive 4y
cathipink I finished this, but felt the same- I had a hard time connecting with her. 4y
LauraBeth I‘m always down for an unpopular opinion! 😀 4y
See All 7 Comments
Copwithabook The audiobook didn‘t seem so bad. I remember thinking it was fairly good 4y
Hooked_on_books @Copwithabook A lot of people really loved this book! I‘m just not among them. When I looked at the other reviews, those that disliked it seemed to have a similar response to mine. We‘re a small subset. 4y
Copwithabook @Hooked_on_books it happens. I recently had to put down On Earth We‘re Briefly Gorgeous for the same reasons 4y
Hooked_on_books @Copwithabook We‘re in agreement on that one. It kept taking off in different directions so often I just couldn‘t get into it. 4y
43 likes7 comments
review
Lcsmcat
post image
Pickpick

A quick read, it nevertheless gave me lots to think about. How do you balance the 1960s idea of what‘s right with the current idea? A promise of anonymity, with easy access to DNA testing? The rights of the child v. the rights of the parents? And what effect do secrets have on families and individuals?

review
alisiakae
post image
Pickpick

This was an incredibly honest and emotional memoir, definitely the best I‘ve read so far this year. Her writing evokes the raw, guttural emotions that comes from a shocking DNA discovery. She describes the pain, trauma and processing of all the conflicting feelings perfectly; I felt much the same way on my personal journey discovering biological family. Thought-provoking and a must read!

#NFNov
#nonfiction2019 : With History

Insightsintobooks I loved this book as well as her other book Devotion. 4y
Crazeedi I just got this from overdrive today! I had it on hold for like 4 months! 4y
rsteve388 6 pts 4y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa Sounds great! 4y
99 likes3 stack adds4 comments
blurb
alisiakae
post image

#bookandlunch 🥪 🥑 📖

Hoping to finish this one today.

ImperfectCJ Beautiful photo! Is that GF bread? 4y
alisiakae @ImperfectCJ It is! Udi‘s. Not my first choice for GF bread, but I always keep a bit on hand in the freezer. 4y
ImperfectCJ @4thhouseontheleft Thought it looked familiar! Trader Joe's Multigrain GF is my not-favorite-but-on-hand. My favorite store-bought is from a local bakery that supplies the Whole Foods in Asheville, NC (or at least it did in 2014). Insight Meditation Center in Barre, MA, also has spectacular GF bread. I got the recipe, but it's for large batches and doesn't scale down well. And so ends my “GF breads of the US“ tour. 🙄 4y
See All 10 Comments
Sharpeipup Udi‘s is not my favorite either but they‘ve improved the recipe in recent years. 4y
Sharpeipup @ImperfectCJ add sift gluten free to your GF bread map...it‘s a small batch bakery in Minneapolis 4y
ImperfectCJ @Sharpeipup Time for a visit to Minnesota! (City Cakes in Salt Lake City is excellent, too. Vegan as well as GF.) 4y
alisiakae @ImperfectCJ Which bakery? We‘ve bought delicious GF bread from an Asheville bakery before, Rhu! It‘s available in the grocery delivery coop we belong to, most of the products are from Western NC. (edited) 4y
ImperfectCJ @4thhouseontheleft I actually don't know the name of the bakery. I just remember that I got it at Whole Foods and it was from NC. There used to be a dedicated GF bakery (in Mooresville, maybe?) that supplied WF, and I think I assumed it was from that one. But we're headed through Asheville again next summer, and now I know to check out Rhu! 4y
tracey38 That's a pretty fall picture. Your lunch looks yummy. 4y
alisiakae @tracey38 Thank you! It was yummy. 4y
91 likes10 comments
quote
alisiakae
post image

#NFNov #TIL : I love that Dani Shapiro takes us through the step by step of her discoveries. Kind of morbid, but obituaries are a gold mine for genealogists and adoptees searching for family.

This is the obituary that filled in the missing 🧩 that led me to the cousin that would help me identify my birth father: https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/obituaries/clara-dickson-wagner/article_c919e68b...

GlassAsDiamonds Wow! That‘s quite amazing! 😊😊😊 (and that‘s one hell of an obituary too!) 4y
Clwojick Ohh! Going to have to read the obit once I‘m off work. ♥️♥️ 4y
rsteve388 4 pts 4y
59 likes3 comments
blurb
Lcsmcat
post image

Trying to distract myself from election results with a new book. Thanks to @4thhouseontheleft for reminding me that this was in my shelf waiting to be read.

Cinfhen SUCH A GOOD BOOK!!!!!!! 4y
alisiakae I just finished it, and thought is was excellent! 4y
45 likes2 stack adds3 comments
blurb
alisiakae
post image

It was a busy and exhausting day! I‘m feeling worn out, so I cancelled attending a social event tonight, and this is where I‘ll be! A book, throat coat tea, and some downtime at home is sorely needed.

TheBookHippie I loved this book! 4y
Lucy_Anywhere Very cosy! 4y
tracey38 Sounds like you did the right thing! 4y
98 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
alisiakae
post image

I have a new strategy this year! I have a bunch of nominee books checked out from the library, I am trying to read during the voting period, before casting a vote.

Next up is the tagged book, which also counts for #NFNov and #nonfiction2019 #history.

It‘s a topic close to home, since I found my birth family with DNA testing, including. birth father who had no clue I existed, so I was dragging my feet on reading it. Now is the time! #Goodreads

Amiable This is a great book. I also saw the author talk about her experience at a bookstore in Connecticut when the book first came out. She has a fabulously soothing voice —she hosts a podcast called “Family Secrets,” if you haven‘t already discovered it! 4y
Bookwormjillk Oh, I love the Goodreads awards! I‘ll have to go check out the list. 4y
Chrissyreadit Wow! It sounds like DNA testing made a huge difference! All it did for me was confirm I‘m related to my brother- and I wish we were not. 4y
See All 15 Comments
alisiakae @Amiable I haven't, thanks!! I'll check out the podcast. 4y
alisiakae @Chrissyreadit It did. My search for my birth family turned up nothing until DNA testing went mainstream. I had the first name of my birth mother (but nothing else), and the father was always listed as Unknown on my adoption paperwork. I would have never found him without DNA, and we now have a close relationship! He last saw my birth mother when she would have been 3 months pregnant, and had no clue about the pregnancy. 😊 4y
alisiakae @Bookwormjillk I see a lot of nominations that are popular on Litsy! 4y
Amiable @Chrissyreadit Ha! I said the same thing —I took the Ancestry DNA test sort of hoping to find a different family. But I‘m definitely related to my sister and my mother —and I wish we were not as well. 4y
Amiable @4thhouseontheleft I love hearing these types of stories! The husband of a friend of mine discovered a first cousin he‘d never known—turns out his uncle had left Vietnam after serving in the war and didn‘t know he‘d gotten a woman pregnant. That baby — a daughter —is now living in London, and she flew to the US last summer to meet her father. 4y
alisiakae @Amiable @chrissyreadit 😂 😂 Family is such an interesting thing, isn't it? I don't have the best relationship with my parents, and my mom never wanted me to search for my birth family, so we still have a strained relationship over it. Although they have bonded with my two younger half-sisters, and just met one recently. None of us were raised with our bmom, she chose an adoption plan for all 3 of us. 4y
alisiakae @Amiable That is really neat! These stories, as well as NPE's (non paternal events) like the author's story, are incredibly common. DNA testing is truly changing the way we view family history and identity, and definitely shaking some skeletons in the closet. I personally think it is a good thing if handled delicately and gently, and may help to break some of the old taboos that still linger. 4y
Chrissyreadit @Amiable oddly I‘ve always wondered if a half sibling would show up from Vietnam Nam because I know my father had a girl friend there. But he did not know of one when he was alive. 4y
Chrissyreadit @4thhouseontheleft I agree about family needing to be redefined. Sometimes family works- sometimes it doesn‘t. My niece moved in with us and has so much pain as a result of her parents. It would have been better and easier if they had let us adopt her than keeping an unwanted/unvalued child. Meantime I‘m going to go ahead and redraw my family tree to one I prefer...😎 (edited) 4y
Amiable @4thhouseontheleft During the author presentation there was a very interesting discussion about whose rights should prevail -- the adopted person looking for information (medical and otherwise) about their roots, or the biological parent who gave up the child with an expectation of privacy. Nobody could have predicted 60 years ago that DNA would enable us to track down our biological families- - whether or not those families wanted to be found. 4y
alisiakae @Amiable That is a common debate. The other side of that argument is that adoptees don‘t have the same legal and social rights as non-adopted in regards to access to original birth certificate and identity. I‘m obviously biased, but the laws prevented my birth mother and I from reuniting and meeting each other before she passed away in 2009 (we were both searching for each other in the 2000‘s), a situation I will forever wish was different. 4y
rsteve388 1 pt 4y
88 likes15 comments