An eloquent
memoir that explores personal and universal issues of paternity, genetics,
science, ethics and truth.
Through nine books, Dani Shapiro has mined her own experiences,
trying to find meaning in events that have shaped her life. Shapiro's ongoing
literary narrative continues with Inheritance, an
unflinching, deeply personal account of how a DNA ancestry test irrevocably
altered her life and the familiarity therein. The shocking results forced
Shapiro to question her identity and everything she believed about herself and
her family history over 54 years of living.
Shapiro grew up an observant Orthodox Jew shaped by
her parents and a large "dynastic clan" in New Jersey. Religion and
her spiritual life became the bedrock of her existence until she ultimately
rebelled, breaking with Judaism while in college. When Shapiro was in her 20s,
a catastrophic car accident claimed the life of her father, whom she deeply
loved and respected. It also left her mother afflicted by years of related
injuries until her death. Shapiro eventually reconnected with the traditions of
her Jewish heritage after she became a mother herself.
Several years ago, Shapiro decided on a lark to
have her DNA analyzed. The report ultimately revealed a life-altering truth:
Shapiro's father was not her biological parent. Relentless in her tenacity, she
goes in search of the man who was. She grapples with the secrecy of her parents
and the meaning of family while seeking to reconcile the consequences of this
revelation.
Shapiro (Hourglass) is always an
intellectual, analytical storyteller. The engaging way in which she renders the
suspenseful details of this forthright, meaningful odyssey will keep readers
totally enthralled.
Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro
Knopf, $24.95, Hardcover, 9781524732714, 272 pages
Publication Date: January 15, 2019
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NOTE:
This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review on Shelf
Awareness: Reader's Edition (January 18,
2019), link HERE