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When You Shake the Family Tree: Untangling the Roots of True Identity Through DNA
". . . a prime example of how sharing one's story with powerful vulnerability can deeply impact others." -Elizabeth Lyons, author of Write the Damn Book Already
"This courageous memoir is proof that we can be cycle breakers." -Kim Strobel, speaker, author, educator, and happiness coach
What if your parents weren't really your parents?
What if somebody you loved kept a deep, dark secret from you for your entire life?
What if your real family was right next door all along?
In the summer of 2021, when author Margo Reilly published her tell-all memoir, When the Apple Falls from the Tree, she hadn't a single clue that an at-home DNA test kit would send her midlife identity crisis further into uncharted waters.
When You Shake the Family Tree is a vulnerable sharing of Margo's search for self. An emotional quest of connecting the dots that suddenly made her whole life make sense. Rejection and family secrets were themes she knew all too well. Her jaw-dropping DNA discovery journey will force you to grab your tissues and question whether you've been told the truth by your family.
Dive into these pages to learn how Margo followed her intuition to uncover who she truly is.
"This courageous memoir is proof that we can be cycle breakers." -Kim Strobel, speaker, author, educator, and happiness coach
What if your parents weren't really your parents?
What if somebody you loved kept a deep, dark secret from you for your entire life?
What if your real family was right next door all along?
In the summer of 2021, when author Margo Reilly published her tell-all memoir, When the Apple Falls from the Tree, she hadn't a single clue that an at-home DNA test kit would send her midlife identity crisis further into uncharted waters.
When You Shake the Family Tree is a vulnerable sharing of Margo's search for self. An emotional quest of connecting the dots that suddenly made her whole life make sense. Rejection and family secrets were themes she knew all too well. Her jaw-dropping DNA discovery journey will force you to grab your tissues and question whether you've been told the truth by your family.
Dive into these pages to learn how Margo followed her intuition to uncover who she truly is.
184 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 12, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 10, 2025
Excellent!!!
January 21, 2025
Waking up everyday as a child and know you have a family and that this your DNA. Then wake up as an adult and find out your childhood has been destroyed. Great book on family and when you really find out who you really are. Love this book :-)
March 26, 2026
The thereafter of real parent revelation
An interesting genealogy book where the author's Ancestry DNA test reveals another man as her real father not the person who raised her. That man is a former neighbor who had a one night stand with her mother. Whether her live in father and mother decided to go on living as though the pregnancy was legitimate or to just ignore the possibility of a different father, life went on as though they were her real parents. The author grew up being different from her siblings in a family troubled by parental alcoholism and resulting child cruelty. She later found that her younger brother also had a different father.
Most of the book relates to the DNA revelation and her ideas about literally jumping into another family with her real father after 50 years.
The book reads slow at first with repetitive thoughts but improves later. Author states she began book ahead of revelation and reaction. it would seem that she hoped for a whole new life immediately after meeting her real father and that didn't happen.
An interesting genealogy book where the author's Ancestry DNA test reveals another man as her real father not the person who raised her. That man is a former neighbor who had a one night stand with her mother. Whether her live in father and mother decided to go on living as though the pregnancy was legitimate or to just ignore the possibility of a different father, life went on as though they were her real parents. The author grew up being different from her siblings in a family troubled by parental alcoholism and resulting child cruelty. She later found that her younger brother also had a different father.
Most of the book relates to the DNA revelation and her ideas about literally jumping into another family with her real father after 50 years.
The book reads slow at first with repetitive thoughts but improves later. Author states she began book ahead of revelation and reaction. it would seem that she hoped for a whole new life immediately after meeting her real father and that didn't happen.
October 17, 2025
As a fellow DNA memoir author (Autumn Leaves: A DNA Memoir), I personally felt connected to Margo's vulnerability and need to search out the truth. Whether you've faced similar struggles or not, there's something profoundly moving about the way she confronts the past. It is beautifully written and keeps you wanting more! Highly recommend!
May 2, 2025
This was thought provoking…makes me wish to discover I had more family to find!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews