Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA - Softcover

Hill, Richard

4.23

866 ratings by Goodreads

9781475190830: Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1475190832 ISBN 13: 9781475190830

Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub, 2012

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Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA was a Global Ebook Awards gold medal winner and a Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist. It is Richard Hill's true and intensely personal story of how he pieced together the long-kept secret of his own origins. This highly suspenseful book is a page-turning saga of personal detective work that will appeal to anyone who loves a good mystery.

But this isn't fiction. It's an engrossing account of an adoptee trying to reclaim the biological family denied him by sealed birth records. This fascinating quest, including the author's landmark use of DNA testing, takes readers on an exhilarating roller-coaster ride and concludes with a twist that rivals anything Hollywood has to offer.

Easy to read and hard to put down, Finding Family is the first book to chronicle the paradigm-shifting application of genetic genealogy to adoption search. Whether you're searching for your own roots or just craving a darn good read, Finding Family is a book you will likely devour in one sitting...and wholeheartedly recommend to others.

In the vein of a classic mystery, Hill gathers the seemingly scant evidence surrounding the circumstances of his birth. At his adoptive father's deathbed, he discovers shocking information that leads him to methodically chase down leads, which sometimes yield poignant glimpses of his birth parents, sometimes garner resistance, and as frequently flat-line in disappointment.

As his resolve shores up, the author also avails of new friends, genealogists, the Internet, and the latest DNA tests in the new field of genetic genealogy. As he closes in on the truth of his ancestry, he is able to construct a living, breathing portrait of the young woman who was faced with the decision to forsake her rights to her child, and ultimately the man whose identity had remained hidden for decades.

During the course of Hill's mission, Finding Family offers guidance, insight, and motivation for anyone engaged in a similar mission, from ways to obtain information to the many networks that can facilitate adoption searches. Best of all, the author demystifies how DNA and genetic genealogy can produce irrefutable results in determining genetic connections. In an intimate, personal voice, Hill sheds light on this new science that is helping adoptees bypass sealed records and similar stumbling blocks. It is certain to inspire those who are in search of their birth parents as well as others who are uncertain of their biological ancestry.

Richard Hill's groundbreaking use of DNA testing in adoption search was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. His DNA Testing Adviser web site makes genetic genealogy understandable to all.

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About the Author:

Richard Hill's groundbreaking use of genetic genealogy tests in adoption search was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. In order to share his success secrets and tips with other adoptees and genealogists, Hill created an educational web site, DNA-Testing-Adviser.com, which makes genetic genealogy understandable to all.
His first book, "Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA," is a memoir recounting his personal experience as an adoptee searching for his biological family. His second, "Guide to DNA Testing," presents a concise, easy-to-understand overview of genetic genealogy testing today.

Richard gives talks and interviews on DNA testing. As the unifying expert who bridges the fields of genetic genealogy and adoption search, he has become the go-to person for adoptees and others seeking to find lost relatives or confirm suspected relationships.

The author has a BS in physics, an MBA, and more than thirty years experience in marketing.

Review:

In this debut memoir, one man embarks on a nearly three-decade quest to find his biological family...Hill's prose is clear and straightforward throughout, marked by a methodological tone that reflects his careers in science and marketing. Seamlessly and descriptively, he folds a decades-long process into a comprehensible narrative. His years of meticulous note taking translate into an inspiring story about his dedicated search for the truth.An engaging, page-turning memoir that thoughtfully puts together the pieces of a family puzzle. --Kirkus Reviews

Richard's story reads like a good mystery novel. He is methodical, creative, determined and unexpectedly funny. I couldn't put the book down.--CeCe Moore, Blogger, Your Genetic Genealogist

This book is what we used to refer to as a barn-burner! Gets ahold of you and just won't let you go!...a wonderfully executed masterpiece. Whether you are interested in genetic genealogy, adoption searches or just like a good heart-warming mystery, you'll love this book!--Roberta Estes, Blogger, DNAeXplained

"Finding Family" tells a gripping, inspirational story, but it also does more: It provides a genuinely useful self-help guide for adopted people, genealogists and anyone else who wants to explore their personal history.--Adam Pertman, Executive Director, Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute and author of Adoption Nation.

A fascinating new page-turner. [I was] completely unable to put it down... I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in genealogy, family secrets, genetic genealogy, or mystery in general. The book is a complete and entertaining saga from A to Z.--Blaine Bettinger, Blogger, The Genetic Genealogist

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