Comments (37)

Inheritance

a Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love
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Oct 30, 2023728_emily rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This was a poignant and beautifully written book. I liked how the author took us along with her in "real-time" as she discovered more about her family history. It seemed she wrote with great honesty about her emotional journey.
Apr 19, 2023
I liked this book while I was reading it. Though I thought of the author as "drama queen". I have a hard time believing she questioned she "Jewishness". Even I know, that Judaism passing down the maternal side of the family, She was born…
Mar 21, 2023sparklep1 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book was a page-turner for me. And like any good book, I was sad to see it end. I wanted more.
Aug 19, 2022SAPL_Adults_StaffPicks rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
SUPER SUMMER BOOK REVIEW: A remarkable story of Dani Shapiro's read life discovery in mid-life that her father was not in fact her biological father. Thoughtful, introspective writing takes us through her process of grief, hope,…
Jul 19, 2022Deann123 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Dani Shapiro had the ability to draw me into her story and keep me reading voraciously. Her journey of discovering her biological father after having an ancestry.com DNA test led me as a reader to follow her emotional journey and efficient…
Mar 14, 2022IV27HUjg rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I'd read this 3 years ago, this time as audiobook I have a different take on it. The author reads, which is often a huge mistake, Shapiro has a good voice for my ear. A book I might easily pickup at any point & still learn something new…
May 25, 2021dcreynolds2 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I found this book utterly fascinating. Hard to put down. Lots to say and question about family, ancestry and identity. First book I’ve read by Dani Shapiro. Won’t be the last. I really like her writing style. It was recommended by a friend…
Feb 16, 2021lizardi rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This is the first book I have read by this author, and she is a skilled writer. She delves into worlds I knew little about: Judaism, DNA reveals, and upper middle class lives. Absorbing reading, though I agree that it is repetitive. It…
Nov 18, 2020
The first book I've read of Dani Shapiro's and I enjoyed her writing, I will be reading another book of hers. Inheritance was recommended to me by Writer's Digest and I was intrigued to see her writing style. She is descriptive in a punchy…
Sep 30, 2020ryner rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Growing up blond and blue-eyed in a Jewish family, Dani Shapiro had always been regarded as little bit different, but she never really stopped to give that feeling any serious thought until adulthood, when a DNA test revealed that her…
Aug 16, 2020Tica77 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Being a fan of genealogy, I found this book fascinating. Based on the author’s own experience of discovering she had been conceived using a sperm donor, it evolves against the backdrop of her Jewish background. Much of this story conjures…
patriciadrose
Jun 24, 2020
I doubt there is anyone more self-indulgent and less self-aware than Dani Shapiro. I was horrified that she immediately contacted a stranger without giving any thought to the possible damage she could be doing to him and his family. She…
Jun 22, 2020AMWayment rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
As a lark, Dani and her husband take a test offered by Ancestry that millions of others have taken. Spit into a test tube and a few weeks later find out more about your roots. But for Dani, when the results come back, it is mind blowing.…
Jan 29, 2020
M read this; very interesting and a good read.
Jan 08, 2020
Interesting wanted to learn more
Nov 20, 2019INVS rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
A decent, quick read on a subject of great interest to me. I've used two different DNA test kits with a preference to Ancestry and Family Search.org for free record searches. Were my foundations so rocked as this account I'd be…
Nov 05, 2019vickmeister rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
What happens when the very foundation of who you think you are is shattered to the core? Raised as an Orthodox Jew, secure in the love of the man she knew as her father, Dani is at first slightly baffled by some unexpected results in her…
Oct 15, 2019darladoodles rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A powerful and moving memoir that takes a deep dive into the world of reproductive technology. Dani is 54 and discovers through DNA testing that a man she has never met is actually her bio dad. The father she grew up with is technically…
Sep 30, 2019
Chapter 25 and Chapter 30 - will have most relevance to anyone, who feels a need for the cultural assurance that they are "enough" to be called--in this case-- Jewish. After all, we're all "mixed." Families are complicated. Shapiro is…
Sep 04, 2019mynovelesquelife rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
RATING: 2 STARS (Review Not on Blog) I am probably in the minority with this one, but I could not get into this memoir. I didn't feel any connection with Dani. I didn't relate, like or feel invested in the outcome of her story. I…
Sep 03, 2019IndyPL_CarriG rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
For someone who knows very little about their biological relatives, this book was an eye-opener. When the author takes a DNA test for fun and finds out that her father is not her biological father, her world falls out from under her. It…
Sep 01, 2019EmilyEm rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
From book back cover, from writer Jennifer Egan: ‘"Inheritance" is Dani Shapiro’s at her best: a gripping genetic detective story and a meditation on the meaning of parenthood and family. It raises profound questions about the quandaries…
Aug 23, 2019SJPL_020 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Really enjoyed this narrative. The author is genuine and vulnerable in her exploration of what defines culture, family, ethnicity, and identity.
Jul 29, 2019MrsZimmLovesBooks rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
Found the content disturbing as for me personally, it opened an ethical Pandora's box
Jul 14, 2019jya3 rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
I don't understand the positive commentary on this book. There was a great deal of pointless dissonance in this book that made me feel that the writer was self indulgent. Sure you didn't have the dad you thought you had but at least you…