The Stranger in My Genes: A Memoir

by Bill Griffeth

Overview

Bill Griffeth, longtime genealogy buff, takes a DNA test that has an unexpected outcome: "If the results were correct, it meant that the family tree I had spent years documenting was not my own." Bill undertakes a quest to solve the mystery of his origins, which shakes his sense of identity. As he takes us on his journey, we learn about choices made by his ancestors, parents, and others, and we see Bill measure and weigh his own difficult choices as he confronts the past.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780880823449
Publisher:	New England Historic Genealogical Society
Publication date:	09/20/2016
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	196
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

BILL GRIFFETH is co-anchor of Closing Bell on CNBC. A member of the production team that founded Financial News Network in 1981, Bill has extensive experience in business television and is a multiple ACE Award nominee. He has written several other books, including By Faith Alone: One Family’s Epic Journey Through 400 Years of American Protestantism (2007). Bill lives in New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Introduction
PART I
The E-mail
My Family, as I Knew It
You're Still My Little Brother
Nothing Makes Sense
Grandma Griffeth
Swab Carefully
Families Are Good at Keeping Secrets
Outlier
Chuck's Test Results Arrive
The Mystery of Ansel Griffeth
I'm Done with This Whole DNA Thing
Losing My Father
Can I Still Do My Job?
A Lesson from Family History
Results
Nothing Has Changed in Your Life
PART II
Who Is My Father?
Mom's Complicated Family
I Want to Be Your Mother
Let's Talk about My DNA Issue
Mistake
Doug's Family Secret
Back to Normal
PART III
MeetingDo You Recognize Him?
My New Family History
Dear Mr. Wyman
Are You Taking Notes?
Finding My Father
Father's Day
New Ancestor Hunt
Epilogue
Acknowledgments

What People are Saying About This

Nathaniel Philbrick

“A seemingly routine genetic test launched television journalist Bill Griffeth on a fascinating, often harrowing quest to discover the truth about his parentage. Both a memoir and a mystery story,The Stranger in My Genesis a riveting page turner.”

Molly Gillespie

I cannot stop talking about Stranger in My Genes!....(It) reads like an epic episode of “This American Life.” But it is Bill’s honest description of his struggle with his genetic blow that gives the book its strength. I couldn’t wait to get back to it during lunch breaks or at the end of the day, yet at the same time I worriedly watched the page numbers pass, knowing I was closing in on the end. My only complaint? I wish it were double the length. Sure to be my staff pick this Fall.

Editorial Reviews

"A gripping memoir."—Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe


“A courageous personal account, The Stranger in My Genes brings science and genealogy together in a powerful story of family secrets. Bill Griffeth has infused his passion for the unfettered truth into riveting revelation. I couldn't put it down.”—Mary Tedesco, co-host of Genealogy Roadshow

From the Publisher