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The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Futures
A New York Times Notable Book
We are doomed to repeat history if we fail to learn from it, but how are we affected by the forces that are invisible to us? In The Invisible History of the Human Race, Christine Kenneally draws on cutting-edge research to reveal how both historical artifacts and DNA tell us where we come from and where we may be going. While some books explore our genetic inheritance and popular television shows celebrate ancestry, this is the first book to explore how everything from DNA to emotions to names and the stories that form our lives are all part of our human legacy. This book shows how trust is inherited in Africa, silence is passed down in Tasmania, and how the history of nations is written in our DNA. From fateful, ancient encounters to modern mass migrations and medical diagnoses, Kenneally explains how the forces that shaped the history of the world ultimately shape each human who inhabits it. The Invisible History of the Human Race is a deeply researched, carefully crafted, and provocative perspective on how our stories, psychology, and genetics affect our past and our future.
We are doomed to repeat history if we fail to learn from it, but how are we affected by the forces that are invisible to us? In The Invisible History of the Human Race, Christine Kenneally draws on cutting-edge research to reveal how both historical artifacts and DNA tell us where we come from and where we may be going. While some books explore our genetic inheritance and popular television shows celebrate ancestry, this is the first book to explore how everything from DNA to emotions to names and the stories that form our lives are all part of our human legacy. This book shows how trust is inherited in Africa, silence is passed down in Tasmania, and how the history of nations is written in our DNA. From fateful, ancient encounters to modern mass migrations and medical diagnoses, Kenneally explains how the forces that shaped the history of the world ultimately shape each human who inhabits it. The Invisible History of the Human Race is a deeply researched, carefully crafted, and provocative perspective on how our stories, psychology, and genetics affect our past and our future.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
175 people are currently reading
6380 people want to read
About the author
Christine Kenneally
12 books88 followersChristine Kenneally is Australian and received her Ph.D. in linguistics at Cambridge. She has written about language, science, and culture for publications such as the New Yorker, the New York Times, Scientific American, Discover, and Slate.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 239 reviews
April 5, 2023
Ca să vorbim franc, nu e chiar așa de secretă. ADN-ul nu ne spune aproape nimic despre trecutul îndepărtat, nu ne spune de ce boli vom muri și nu ne spune nici măcar dacă ne tragem din dacii liberi, din sciți sau de la Rîm. Și cu atît mai puțin nu ne spune ceva despre viitor. Mulți și-au făcut iluzii. Dar vremea iluziilor a trecut.
Povestea cu ADN-ul seamănă cu povestea arborilor genealogici și a sîngelui albastru. Mergi un secol înapoi și-i pierzi urma. Mai mergi două și o regăsești. Știința genealogică e un fals temei pentru păcatul vanității. Cînd curge dintr-un nas - oricît de aristocratic -, pînă și sîngele cel mai albastru e roșu.
Voi da un singur exemplu. L-am găsit, firește, în cartea de față. Un șarlatan (profesor academic, bineînțeles) a înființat - prin 2001 - un laborator de studiere a genomului uman, deservit de cei mai iluștri savanți. L-a denumit, firește, „Oxford Ancestors”. Lumea s-a lăsat fraierită și a început să expedieze pe adresa atelierului științific mostre de ADN. Contra cost, nici nu mai trebuie să precizez.
Printre curioși a fost și un contabil american din Miami, Thomas Robinson. A așteptat el cît a așteptat și, într-un sfîrșit, a primit un telefon. Un telefon năucitor. De la însuși Bryan Sykes, bossul stabilimentului (în 2019, firma s-a închis). Informația l-a zdrunciant pe bietul Robinson. L-a făcut vedetă peste noapte, i-a dat insomnii. Expertul îl anunța cu entuziasmul prudent al adevăratului om de știință că posedă un cromozom Y (cromozomul care se transmite doar de la tată la fiu), care își avea originea în „materialul genetic” risipit generos de-a lungul și de-a latul Asiei de însuși temutul Ginghis Han. Să ai cromozomul lui Ginghis Han, nu e de ici de colo. Interviuri, articole, ședințe foto. Lumea vrea să te pipăie...
După ce i-a trecut euforia, Robinson a căutat o confirmare și a trimis o mostră din ADN-ul propriu și la „Family Tree DNA”. Răspunsul l-a bulversat. L-a cuprins din nou insomnia. Reprezentantul buticului genetic i-a spus că nu are nici o înrudire cu hanul mongol și că strămoșii săi îndepărtați au trăit de fapt în cu totul altă parte, prin Suedia sau Groenlanda. Dacă nu cumva în Africa de Sud. Gazetarii s-au liniștit, l-au lăsat în pace, și Robinson și-a recăpătat liniștea și somnul. Găsiți povestea la pp.220-224. Sînt urme și pe net...
Mai nou, scrie Christine Kenneally, știința a stabilit că „genele nu ne determină viața în măsura în care credeam” (p.378). Ne-am înfierbîntat degeba. Rolul decisiv îl joacă tot cultura. Ca și în psihologie. Nu există psihologii ale popoarelor, pardon de expresie. Există numai deprinderi culturale.
Deocamdată, ADN-ul e de folos în două (și numai două) cazuri. Cînd e vorba de a stabili o paternitate și cînd se caută un killer (nu suficient de) isteț...
Povestea cu ADN-ul seamănă cu povestea arborilor genealogici și a sîngelui albastru. Mergi un secol înapoi și-i pierzi urma. Mai mergi două și o regăsești. Știința genealogică e un fals temei pentru păcatul vanității. Cînd curge dintr-un nas - oricît de aristocratic -, pînă și sîngele cel mai albastru e roșu.
Voi da un singur exemplu. L-am găsit, firește, în cartea de față. Un șarlatan (profesor academic, bineînțeles) a înființat - prin 2001 - un laborator de studiere a genomului uman, deservit de cei mai iluștri savanți. L-a denumit, firește, „Oxford Ancestors”. Lumea s-a lăsat fraierită și a început să expedieze pe adresa atelierului științific mostre de ADN. Contra cost, nici nu mai trebuie să precizez.
Printre curioși a fost și un contabil american din Miami, Thomas Robinson. A așteptat el cît a așteptat și, într-un sfîrșit, a primit un telefon. Un telefon năucitor. De la însuși Bryan Sykes, bossul stabilimentului (în 2019, firma s-a închis). Informația l-a zdrunciant pe bietul Robinson. L-a făcut vedetă peste noapte, i-a dat insomnii. Expertul îl anunța cu entuziasmul prudent al adevăratului om de știință că posedă un cromozom Y (cromozomul care se transmite doar de la tată la fiu), care își avea originea în „materialul genetic” risipit generos de-a lungul și de-a latul Asiei de însuși temutul Ginghis Han. Să ai cromozomul lui Ginghis Han, nu e de ici de colo. Interviuri, articole, ședințe foto. Lumea vrea să te pipăie...
După ce i-a trecut euforia, Robinson a căutat o confirmare și a trimis o mostră din ADN-ul propriu și la „Family Tree DNA”. Răspunsul l-a bulversat. L-a cuprins din nou insomnia. Reprezentantul buticului genetic i-a spus că nu are nici o înrudire cu hanul mongol și că strămoșii săi îndepărtați au trăit de fapt în cu totul altă parte, prin Suedia sau Groenlanda. Dacă nu cumva în Africa de Sud. Gazetarii s-au liniștit, l-au lăsat în pace, și Robinson și-a recăpătat liniștea și somnul. Găsiți povestea la pp.220-224. Sînt urme și pe net...
Mai nou, scrie Christine Kenneally, știința a stabilit că „genele nu ne determină viața în măsura în care credeam” (p.378). Ne-am înfierbîntat degeba. Rolul decisiv îl joacă tot cultura. Ca și în psihologie. Nu există psihologii ale popoarelor, pardon de expresie. Există numai deprinderi culturale.
Deocamdată, ADN-ul e de folos în două (și numai două) cazuri. Cînd e vorba de a stabili o paternitate și cînd se caută un killer (nu suficient de) isteț...
December 8, 2018
What science (especially DNA) can tell us about who we are (and where we come from) has grown exponentially in the last few decades. DNA is only part of the story. How our personal history or family history (coded in DNA) intersects not only with a bigger history (migrations and such) but technological innovations, social movements and even attitudes makes Christine Kenneally’s Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Futures a fascinating read. I would have liked more focus on specific cultural histories; however, this story/study was engaging. 3.5 stars bumped to 4 stars.
October 1, 2014
I received this book as part of a Goodreads First Reads giveaway, and it was an interesting read on the impact of inheritance. Kenneally introduces a later chapter in the book with a fantastic Confucian quote that I think aptly describes the main thrust of the book: “By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart.” Despite the subtitle I assumed the main argument of this book would be to highlight the migration of variances in human DNA around the world. I was wrong – while this is discussed, the main topic of the book is the combination of genetic and cultural inheritance, and what it means for individuals and societies. It is an interesting and at times surprising book.
It is not surprising that the Kenneally must discuss eugenics at some point. In her first section, she describes different attitudes about inheritance. Kenneally’s discussion of the eugenics movement, and Madison Grant in particular, is very revealing. A major conservationist and friend and ally of Theodore Roosevelt, Grant is lauded for his environmentalist tendencies. The paternalism and racism with which he approached eugenics was born in his mind out of the same progressive motivations. It is chilling and interesting to me that so divergent outcomes, with today’s moralistic hindsight, could be birthed by the same primary motivation. “In today’s world, where conservation is considered a necessity and a virtue and racism is regarded as deplorable, Grant is a hard person to understand. But for him, preserving his beloved redwoods and bison, putting human beings on display, and saving the Nordic race were all part of the same package. Grant believed that all these actions were a benevolent form of stewardship.” (58)
Nazi genealogy and eugenics picked up on Grant’s work. Hitler’s physician Major General Karl Brandt referenced Madison Grant’s The Passing of the Great Race in defense of Nazi activities: “Mistaken regard for what are believed to be divine laws and a sentimental belief in the sanctity of human life tend to prevent both the elimination of defective infants and the sterilization of such adults as are themselves of no value to the community. The laws of nature require the obliteration of the unfit and human life is valuable only when it is of use to the community or race.” (76) I find this very disturbing indeed.
The second part of the book discusses primarily what is NOT passed down. Discussing the importance of memory and inheritance. “Totalitarian power thrives when it alienates people from basic information about themselves.” (92) It is a dehumanizing process, and repeated in moments of slavery, communist regimes, and other totalitarian states.
Lastly, Kenneally finishes with a discussion of how transmitted information affects individuals and societies. Economic impacts of distant historical events through time have now been studied. Horizontal transmission (things learned from peers in a society) and vertical transmission (what gets passed down in a society) both have a massive impact. The impact of vertical transmission of cultural and societal behaviors is quite large and surprising.
All in all, this is an easy read and a thoughtful, more personal than expected, book about how we become who we are.
It is not surprising that the Kenneally must discuss eugenics at some point. In her first section, she describes different attitudes about inheritance. Kenneally’s discussion of the eugenics movement, and Madison Grant in particular, is very revealing. A major conservationist and friend and ally of Theodore Roosevelt, Grant is lauded for his environmentalist tendencies. The paternalism and racism with which he approached eugenics was born in his mind out of the same progressive motivations. It is chilling and interesting to me that so divergent outcomes, with today’s moralistic hindsight, could be birthed by the same primary motivation. “In today’s world, where conservation is considered a necessity and a virtue and racism is regarded as deplorable, Grant is a hard person to understand. But for him, preserving his beloved redwoods and bison, putting human beings on display, and saving the Nordic race were all part of the same package. Grant believed that all these actions were a benevolent form of stewardship.” (58)
Nazi genealogy and eugenics picked up on Grant’s work. Hitler’s physician Major General Karl Brandt referenced Madison Grant’s The Passing of the Great Race in defense of Nazi activities: “Mistaken regard for what are believed to be divine laws and a sentimental belief in the sanctity of human life tend to prevent both the elimination of defective infants and the sterilization of such adults as are themselves of no value to the community. The laws of nature require the obliteration of the unfit and human life is valuable only when it is of use to the community or race.” (76) I find this very disturbing indeed.
The second part of the book discusses primarily what is NOT passed down. Discussing the importance of memory and inheritance. “Totalitarian power thrives when it alienates people from basic information about themselves.” (92) It is a dehumanizing process, and repeated in moments of slavery, communist regimes, and other totalitarian states.
Lastly, Kenneally finishes with a discussion of how transmitted information affects individuals and societies. Economic impacts of distant historical events through time have now been studied. Horizontal transmission (things learned from peers in a society) and vertical transmission (what gets passed down in a society) both have a massive impact. The impact of vertical transmission of cultural and societal behaviors is quite large and surprising.
All in all, this is an easy read and a thoughtful, more personal than expected, book about how we become who we are.
October 10, 2014
Disclosure: I received this book free as a "First Read" from Goodreads.
The words "history", "Human Race", and "DNA" in the title and subtitle mislead the potential reader. The book is really about personal identity and the discovery of ancestry. The author specifically mentions the scientific community holding investigations into one's heredity as less than important, and the author argues that these things "matter" and "have significance." While they may have significance to the people who have discovered things about themselves that have impacted their sense of personal identity, no evidence is given to refute the overall attitude of the scientific community. Rather, it is clear through the book that personal journeys and not scientific discovery are most important to the author. Pages are dedicated to the latest scientific breakthroughs, and the author does seem to believe in the importance of scientific advancement. However, in the end, it always comes back to how it affected an individual who heard the news. This makes for an entertaining and emotional piece of fluff. As long as that's what you're looking for, it's a pretty good book. The best parts involve the research into specific groups of people who are especially affected by their place in the world, whether it be because of persecution, governmental indifference, or susceptibility to disease. If the title had been "Our Invisible Past: How Our Ancestry and Our Knowledge of Our Ancestry Shape Our Personal Identities", then it would have been a more accurate title, but, then again, I wouldn't have read a book with that title.
The words "history", "Human Race", and "DNA" in the title and subtitle mislead the potential reader. The book is really about personal identity and the discovery of ancestry. The author specifically mentions the scientific community holding investigations into one's heredity as less than important, and the author argues that these things "matter" and "have significance." While they may have significance to the people who have discovered things about themselves that have impacted their sense of personal identity, no evidence is given to refute the overall attitude of the scientific community. Rather, it is clear through the book that personal journeys and not scientific discovery are most important to the author. Pages are dedicated to the latest scientific breakthroughs, and the author does seem to believe in the importance of scientific advancement. However, in the end, it always comes back to how it affected an individual who heard the news. This makes for an entertaining and emotional piece of fluff. As long as that's what you're looking for, it's a pretty good book. The best parts involve the research into specific groups of people who are especially affected by their place in the world, whether it be because of persecution, governmental indifference, or susceptibility to disease. If the title had been "Our Invisible Past: How Our Ancestry and Our Knowledge of Our Ancestry Shape Our Personal Identities", then it would have been a more accurate title, but, then again, I wouldn't have read a book with that title.
November 9, 2014
DNA and the riveting meta-history of being human
This fascinating reader-friendly book covers a diverse but related set of topics including ancient human origins, the history of our fascination with genealogy and ancestors, the inexplicable longevity of ideas that arise in a culture almost incidentally, the latest sometimes surprising finding about the workings of the human genome, and the benefits, risks, and limits of DNA testing for disease likelihood, cultural identity, and prehistoric ancestry.
The Invisible History of the Human Race is the kind of book that compels me to interrupt otherwise occupied people in the hope that they’ll share my deep interest in the thought-provoking passage I’ve just read and want to discuss it. Here is some of what intrigued me the most:
*The gene whose mutation causes Huntington's disease is ancient enough to be found in slime mold. It’s crucial to slime mold, when it’s disabled the slime mold will sicken, but when a nearly identical human copy of the gene is inserted the slime mold revives.
*Someone can be your direct blood ancestor but contribute nothing to your actual DNA--it’s not as simple as having one-sixteenth of your DNA from each of your great-great-grandparents.
*Ideas tend to stick around way past their expiration date. For instance, the author cites research indicating that in areas where people farmed wheat and began using the plow, which requires a lot of upper body strength, the idea developed that men should be in the field/world and women should stay in the home--it was seen as natural and right. Now hundreds of years later, and even though no one in the area is still farming, that belief persists, having been passed down somehow through generations, and is more prevalent than in communities which didn't use the plow, like in places where rice was farmed instead. The pernicious latent influence of institutions like slavery is also discussed in this chapter.
Christine Kenneally’s other book, The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language, also hooked me completely and I highly recommend it too. It’s similarly broad in scope and would appeal to readers interested in the origins and evolution of human language, the history of language research, and the proto-languages of animals. I first read it years ago and am still thinking about it.
This fascinating reader-friendly book covers a diverse but related set of topics including ancient human origins, the history of our fascination with genealogy and ancestors, the inexplicable longevity of ideas that arise in a culture almost incidentally, the latest sometimes surprising finding about the workings of the human genome, and the benefits, risks, and limits of DNA testing for disease likelihood, cultural identity, and prehistoric ancestry.
The Invisible History of the Human Race is the kind of book that compels me to interrupt otherwise occupied people in the hope that they’ll share my deep interest in the thought-provoking passage I’ve just read and want to discuss it. Here is some of what intrigued me the most:
*The gene whose mutation causes Huntington's disease is ancient enough to be found in slime mold. It’s crucial to slime mold, when it’s disabled the slime mold will sicken, but when a nearly identical human copy of the gene is inserted the slime mold revives.
*Someone can be your direct blood ancestor but contribute nothing to your actual DNA--it’s not as simple as having one-sixteenth of your DNA from each of your great-great-grandparents.
*Ideas tend to stick around way past their expiration date. For instance, the author cites research indicating that in areas where people farmed wheat and began using the plow, which requires a lot of upper body strength, the idea developed that men should be in the field/world and women should stay in the home--it was seen as natural and right. Now hundreds of years later, and even though no one in the area is still farming, that belief persists, having been passed down somehow through generations, and is more prevalent than in communities which didn't use the plow, like in places where rice was farmed instead. The pernicious latent influence of institutions like slavery is also discussed in this chapter.
Christine Kenneally’s other book, The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language, also hooked me completely and I highly recommend it too. It’s similarly broad in scope and would appeal to readers interested in the origins and evolution of human language, the history of language research, and the proto-languages of animals. I first read it years ago and am still thinking about it.
March 10, 2015
I would correct the title to reflect that this book is on the history and sociology of geneology and ancestry. I thought this book would be more about the science of DNA and maybe even epigenetics which I find fascinating. Apparently there are ancestral non-DNA markers passed down which affect behavior, ideas, feelings and psychology. But there were only a couple of paragraphs on epigenetics, just enough to say it's not yet understood. This book embodied a philosophical approach rather than hard science. It's really not about DNA itself, it's about implied ancestry.
For science, the author said that the Y chromosome does not shuffle when the sperm recombines with the ova as the other 22 chromosomes do. If a son does not sire another son, that Y chromosome dies out there. Otherwise it is passed on unchanged and can be traced back in time to the beginning. Since females lack a Y chromosome, their DNA can give no paternal information. The Y chromosome apparently binds the X chromosome travelling with it so intermingling of that X chromosome is skipped for that generation. This was the main scientific information I gleaned.
Ancestry is a fascinating and addicting hobby so this book was interesting from the point of view from humanities, surveying philosophy, history, politics, psychology, sociology. The history of the Mormon data bank was impelling. There was current information about the companies that are selling DNA analyses, and their history and what they do and do not do. It seems that many people put online their family trees according to family history and surnames, and more information is gained from that than from any DNA analysis.
"The Worst Idea in History" was an interesting chapter. It discusses how breeding sheep and Darwin's theories led to the idea of human racial purity and eugenics which Hitler adopted and made government policy. The United States governments also adopted a eugenics policy, and from 1907 and into the 1970's people who were considered tainted or abnormal were forcibly sterilized so that their DNA would not be perpetuated.
There were chapters on how the Romans affected Britain, how the genes of Genghis Khan affected millions, African slavery, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings (his first wife's half-sister who was 75% white), the Melangeons, Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Australian ancestry. This author is Australian and there was interesting information about convicts and aborigines.
To paraphrase an interesting quote from a man with an IQ of 84: "Humans are nothing but carriers for genes. They ride us like racehorses from generation to generation. Genes don't think about good and evil. They don't care if we're happy or sad. We are just a means to an end for them, the only thing they think about is what makes the ride for them."
For science, the author said that the Y chromosome does not shuffle when the sperm recombines with the ova as the other 22 chromosomes do. If a son does not sire another son, that Y chromosome dies out there. Otherwise it is passed on unchanged and can be traced back in time to the beginning. Since females lack a Y chromosome, their DNA can give no paternal information. The Y chromosome apparently binds the X chromosome travelling with it so intermingling of that X chromosome is skipped for that generation. This was the main scientific information I gleaned.
Ancestry is a fascinating and addicting hobby so this book was interesting from the point of view from humanities, surveying philosophy, history, politics, psychology, sociology. The history of the Mormon data bank was impelling. There was current information about the companies that are selling DNA analyses, and their history and what they do and do not do. It seems that many people put online their family trees according to family history and surnames, and more information is gained from that than from any DNA analysis.
"The Worst Idea in History" was an interesting chapter. It discusses how breeding sheep and Darwin's theories led to the idea of human racial purity and eugenics which Hitler adopted and made government policy. The United States governments also adopted a eugenics policy, and from 1907 and into the 1970's people who were considered tainted or abnormal were forcibly sterilized so that their DNA would not be perpetuated.
There were chapters on how the Romans affected Britain, how the genes of Genghis Khan affected millions, African slavery, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings (his first wife's half-sister who was 75% white), the Melangeons, Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Australian ancestry. This author is Australian and there was interesting information about convicts and aborigines.
To paraphrase an interesting quote from a man with an IQ of 84: "Humans are nothing but carriers for genes. They ride us like racehorses from generation to generation. Genes don't think about good and evil. They don't care if we're happy or sad. We are just a means to an end for them, the only thing they think about is what makes the ride for them."
May 29, 2015
an absolute mess of a book which put me in a bad mood every time I picked it up. lacking in structure or focus. ambles through its alleged topic without a point of view. most deceptive is the title which falsely promises a cohesive summary of Dna science . if I'm not mistaken "Dna" isn't even mentioned until the midway point of the book. and this is most certainly not a history of the human race invisible or visible. good riddance.
November 3, 2018
The title of this is very misleading; I (along with many other readers, clearly) expected something different: more about genes, more about DNA, more *science*. I don't think that expectation is unreasonable, especially given the subtitle of the book. Although it claims to be "how DNA and..." does something, DNA isn't even mentioned until about half-way through, and even after that, much of what is said is far more about historical events and social attitudes than it is about science. There is far more here about *genealogy* - i.e. family history, finding your ancestors, etc. - than about DNA; it's really not a science book.
Setting aside this mis-selling, it could still have been an entertaining and interesting read, but even there, it doesn't really live up to its promise. It's somewhat rambly, with far too much detail on far too many anecdotes about individuals and groups of people, far too much repetition, and I found that I began to skim rather than hear in detail how yet another person had a parent who wouldn't give straight answers but an aunt or uncle who gave them hints about some family secret. The author makes it clear that she is in favour of wider genetic testing and greater use of its results, but while she touches on the possible negative consequences of that, she doesn't really cover them adequately. So, 2* because I found this so disappointing.
Setting aside this mis-selling, it could still have been an entertaining and interesting read, but even there, it doesn't really live up to its promise. It's somewhat rambly, with far too much detail on far too many anecdotes about individuals and groups of people, far too much repetition, and I found that I began to skim rather than hear in detail how yet another person had a parent who wouldn't give straight answers but an aunt or uncle who gave them hints about some family secret. The author makes it clear that she is in favour of wider genetic testing and greater use of its results, but while she touches on the possible negative consequences of that, she doesn't really cover them adequately. So, 2* because I found this so disappointing.
January 1, 2016
Normally, this would be the kind of book I would walk right past in a bookshop. Science, race, identity. Shudder.
But, two things happened:
- Black Inc. send out a monthly email, and this book was on special as an ebook
- this book was shortlisted for The Stella Prize
So, I began reading the book on my ipad (not something I have successfully done to date) expecting it wouldn't be too interesting... only to discover her writing style is marvellous and I couldn't resist reading more.
Still struggling with ebooks, I dashed to the local library and finished reading this as an old fashioned paper and ink book - which relates nicely to the story in the book about The Doomsday Book II.
And that is the thing, the way this book is constructed is what makes it magic. With a background in journalism and science, Christine Kenneally uses 'information strung together with anecdote and narrative' to share research and ideas and then supported and tied together with stories and anecdotes.
Looking at genealogy, genetic research, records, archaeological evidence and theory the author demonstrates how ideas of personal traits (both physical and behavioral) could possibly be shaped and handed down from our ancestors many, many generations ago and what this shows.
Why do people search for their family history and what do they do with what they find? What does this say about us? All sensitively presented, supported and discussed.
I loved reading this book and have talked excitedly to others about reading it. The Lifted Brow wrote a great piece about the author and the her work and I feel that I would like to go back and reread parts of the book again.
An excellent book that I think doesn't get the attention it deserves.
But, two things happened:
- Black Inc. send out a monthly email, and this book was on special as an ebook
- this book was shortlisted for The Stella Prize
So, I began reading the book on my ipad (not something I have successfully done to date) expecting it wouldn't be too interesting... only to discover her writing style is marvellous and I couldn't resist reading more.
Still struggling with ebooks, I dashed to the local library and finished reading this as an old fashioned paper and ink book - which relates nicely to the story in the book about The Doomsday Book II.
And that is the thing, the way this book is constructed is what makes it magic. With a background in journalism and science, Christine Kenneally uses 'information strung together with anecdote and narrative' to share research and ideas and then supported and tied together with stories and anecdotes.
Looking at genealogy, genetic research, records, archaeological evidence and theory the author demonstrates how ideas of personal traits (both physical and behavioral) could possibly be shaped and handed down from our ancestors many, many generations ago and what this shows.
Why do people search for their family history and what do they do with what they find? What does this say about us? All sensitively presented, supported and discussed.
I loved reading this book and have talked excitedly to others about reading it. The Lifted Brow wrote a great piece about the author and the her work and I feel that I would like to go back and reread parts of the book again.
An excellent book that I think doesn't get the attention it deserves.
May 22, 2020
If you expect to find a lot of information about human races, differences and so on, this may not be the book for you.
I was also expecting something else, but in the end I learned a lot of things I did not know about DNA, what gets passed down, perceptions on genealogy, painful and happier stories of people meetings their pasts, and fascinating analyses on how behaviors and attitudes are inherited too, like distrust in areas affected by slavery. While I'm sure much of the information has been simplified so noobs like me can get it, I still found it very intellectually stimulating and gave me a new appreciation of the past. Worth checking out, it's among the better pop science titles out there.
I was also expecting something else, but in the end I learned a lot of things I did not know about DNA, what gets passed down, perceptions on genealogy, painful and happier stories of people meetings their pasts, and fascinating analyses on how behaviors and attitudes are inherited too, like distrust in areas affected by slavery. While I'm sure much of the information has been simplified so noobs like me can get it, I still found it very intellectually stimulating and gave me a new appreciation of the past. Worth checking out, it's among the better pop science titles out there.
November 29, 2014
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Futures seeks to show how "the concept of ancestry can bring genetics and history together fruitfully." Author Christine Kenneally is very successful in this objective, weaving together stories of genealogy, historical records, and genetic science. She divides the book into three sections:
I. Ideas About What Is Passed Down Are Passed Down - a somewhat awkward way of describing the four chapters that deal with the negative perceptions of genealogy, hidden family histories, and the terrible ideas behind eugenics and the Third Reich's racial doctrines. Kenneally explores the way that our genealogical history has been tied to social status and a sense of belonging in exclusive groups.
II. What is Passed Down? - a mix of information on genealogy and DNA. Kenneally also uses this section to talk about what is not passed down - those parts of our past that we remain silent about.
III. How What Is Passed Down Shapes Bodies and Minds - two short chapters on how our family history or the information in our genes affect us today. These continue the conversations in section II to give a modern look at how our society thinks about these issues.
I think the best parts of The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Futures are those sections that help to illuminate how each of us is part of a broader fabric that extends backwards and forwards in time. In "Do Not Ask What Gets Passed Down," Kenneally writes:
Kenneally also is careful to point out that, despite the modern advances in recording information and examining our genetic code, modern technologies and businesses are incredibly temporary. From the Domesday genealogical information burned on to laser discs that can no longer be read to the genetic testing company sold and your information sold with it, we need to be cautious in how we proceed with documenting and sharing our histories.
The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Futures seeks to show how "the concept of ancestry can bring genetics and history together fruitfully." Author Christine Kenneally is very successful in this objective, weaving together stories of genealogy, historical records, and genetic science. She divides the book into three sections:
I. Ideas About What Is Passed Down Are Passed Down - a somewhat awkward way of describing the four chapters that deal with the negative perceptions of genealogy, hidden family histories, and the terrible ideas behind eugenics and the Third Reich's racial doctrines. Kenneally explores the way that our genealogical history has been tied to social status and a sense of belonging in exclusive groups.
II. What is Passed Down? - a mix of information on genealogy and DNA. Kenneally also uses this section to talk about what is not passed down - those parts of our past that we remain silent about.
III. How What Is Passed Down Shapes Bodies and Minds - two short chapters on how our family history or the information in our genes affect us today. These continue the conversations in section II to give a modern look at how our society thinks about these issues.
I think the best parts of The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Futures are those sections that help to illuminate how each of us is part of a broader fabric that extends backwards and forwards in time. In "Do Not Ask What Gets Passed Down," Kenneally writes:
We live in a temporal envelope. For most of us the horizon extends forward maybe two generations and back just two or three. It is hard to break out of the mind-set that we stand at a crucial center point of that span and that all the people who came before were merely precursors to us. It isn't until you populate the family tree that it becomes clear how brief a human life is, how soon it is over, and how you only play a bit part in a story line that expands out and contracts back and goes off in directions that no one can predict or control.
Kenneally also is careful to point out that, despite the modern advances in recording information and examining our genetic code, modern technologies and businesses are incredibly temporary. From the Domesday genealogical information burned on to laser discs that can no longer be read to the genetic testing company sold and your information sold with it, we need to be cautious in how we proceed with documenting and sharing our histories.
April 20, 2015
Great writer, good reporter. But, goodness, how difficult to follow. To do it over, I might start with the Epilogue, then move to the last chapter. That's the only way I can figure to understand what points she is making. Somebody should have helped her organize this rambling thing. The author could take some clues from great educators: Tell us what you will say and why. Then say it. Repeatedly, I was following some path of information, simply to see it disappear, or later be disavowed entirely. Probably the biggest point is that cultures can last a long, long time. And that's surprising? To me the most important information involved all the evidence why, when we try to trace our ancestors, we come to severely incorrect conclusions. Clandestine, and other forms of questionable relationships, have been wildly under-acknowledged, even when the "data"--weddings, birth certificates, etc. seem to point otherwise.
December 21, 2017
Very well written. The content is presented in an absorbing fashion that feels accessible even for a lay person like me, yet it is as finely organized as a dissertation. It was the best non-fiction book I read in 2017, a year in which I read several great non-fictions in various fields. This book made me so interested in genetics that I’ve signed up for a course on the subject offered by Duke University on Coursera.
April 2, 2016
Expected more focus on genetics and DNA. Instead, a lot of journalistic relations of author's trips and discussions with the various individuals that are involved in genealogy and genetics. Made a few following notes:
- Inside each cell of each person is a massive library of DNA, 3 billion base pairs that have been passed down to us.
- Women have 2 X chromosomes, whilst men have one X and one Y chromosome. The Y chromosome is passed down from father to son as is. The X chromosome is always from the mother. In case when something goes wrong with the copying process there are differences between the Y of a father and that of his son.
- Mothers have their own genetic markers too, but they aren’t part of the human genome. Rather, they are found in mitochondria, which float in the space between the bubble of a cell nucleus and its outer layer. Mitochondria have their own DNA, which is passed down from mothers to their children in the ovum.
- Apart from the Y and X chromosomes, the rest of the genome is called the autosome. These 22 chromosome pairs are all the ones that get recombined before they are passed on.
- Three major companies are involved in testing DNA: 23andMe, Family Tree DNA and Ancestry DNA.
- Inside each cell of each person is a massive library of DNA, 3 billion base pairs that have been passed down to us.
- Women have 2 X chromosomes, whilst men have one X and one Y chromosome. The Y chromosome is passed down from father to son as is. The X chromosome is always from the mother. In case when something goes wrong with the copying process there are differences between the Y of a father and that of his son.
- Mothers have their own genetic markers too, but they aren’t part of the human genome. Rather, they are found in mitochondria, which float in the space between the bubble of a cell nucleus and its outer layer. Mitochondria have their own DNA, which is passed down from mothers to their children in the ovum.
- Apart from the Y and X chromosomes, the rest of the genome is called the autosome. These 22 chromosome pairs are all the ones that get recombined before they are passed on.
- Three major companies are involved in testing DNA: 23andMe, Family Tree DNA and Ancestry DNA.
March 31, 2016
Don't be fooled by positive reviews on the book cover. It is not "the richest, freshest, most fun book on genetics in some time" as New York Times Book Review claims (usually NY Times reviews are spot on, and the fact that they praised this particular piece of writing made me think that the review was written by one of the author's friends). The text lacks logical structure important for any type of research. Author's language is poor and repetitive. Instead of properly introducing ideas she wastes whole paragraphs describing what people she met were wearing, or what kind of weather was on the day she went to a research facility. At times it's just painful to read.
If you pick this book because you want to learn more about history and mechanisms of DNA, put it down. It has no new information on either. And as someone pointed before in their review: first mention of DNA (claimed subject of the research) comes way past page 150. At most the book is the author's personal journal of the time she tried to come in terms with her passion for genealogy.
If you pick this book because you want to learn more about history and mechanisms of DNA, put it down. It has no new information on either. And as someone pointed before in their review: first mention of DNA (claimed subject of the research) comes way past page 150. At most the book is the author's personal journal of the time she tried to come in terms with her passion for genealogy.
July 10, 2021
Judulnya agak misleading
Mungkin kalau tertarik sama sejarah ancestry dari sisi sejarah, atau sosiologi buku ini menarik banget. Tapi kalau mau liat dari sisi genetika nya buku ini ga bisa kasih banyak.
Dibandingkan sama buku non fiksi yg aku baca, buku ini kurang fokus. Framing dari penulis kurang bisa aku tangkap juga. Banyak beberapa bumbu di paragraf yang kurang penting dan jadinya muter2 terus.
Tapi buku ini kasih pesan yang bagus banget. Kita ini cuma fragments dari leluhur. Dan manusia itu sebenarnya sama, jadi yang namanya ras itu ga akurat kalau ditinjau dari sisi biologi. Dan buku ini menjelaskan juga kalau genealogy itu fungsinya ga cuma untuk justifikasi kekuasaan orang kaya aja tapi banyak juga kegunaannya terutama untuk cari tau identitas kita sendiri dan jadi orang yang lebih open minded sama perbedaan.
Mungkin kalau tertarik sama sejarah ancestry dari sisi sejarah, atau sosiologi buku ini menarik banget. Tapi kalau mau liat dari sisi genetika nya buku ini ga bisa kasih banyak.
Dibandingkan sama buku non fiksi yg aku baca, buku ini kurang fokus. Framing dari penulis kurang bisa aku tangkap juga. Banyak beberapa bumbu di paragraf yang kurang penting dan jadinya muter2 terus.
Tapi buku ini kasih pesan yang bagus banget. Kita ini cuma fragments dari leluhur. Dan manusia itu sebenarnya sama, jadi yang namanya ras itu ga akurat kalau ditinjau dari sisi biologi. Dan buku ini menjelaskan juga kalau genealogy itu fungsinya ga cuma untuk justifikasi kekuasaan orang kaya aja tapi banyak juga kegunaannya terutama untuk cari tau identitas kita sendiri dan jadi orang yang lebih open minded sama perbedaan.
June 8, 2018
The book summarizes the information that is covered elsewhere – e.g., the interest in and concerns about the use of genealogical information, its misuse (eugenics), DNA’s role in passing along physical characteristics and health problems, and the use of DNA to trace migration patterns of early humans (and the intermixing with Neanderthals). The book pulls together and updates the information and puts it in one place, but the title and subtitle, and hype on back flap, oversells. The book is not about the deep DNA structures that discuss the evolution of behavior and it is not “a wholly original book” that, from the back cover, “shows us how our societies and our selves got to be the way they are.” It is, though, “first-class story telling.”
September 16, 2020
I didn't like this one.
From the title and the description, I was expecting a science-driven look at interesting aspects of heritability, genetics, and maybe even epigenetics, and how they relate to our shared history and ancestry.
This book is not really that.
The Invisible History of the Human Race is instead much of the author's personal quest to trace her family tree, and other tangentially related topics; including an obligatory chapter about Francis Galton, eugenics, and the Nazi Reich, and then a bunch of other somewhat irrelevant writing. There is even a bit of writing here describing the short lifespan of compact discs...
Kenneally doesn't get into the technical aspects of inheritance and DNA until near the end of the 8th chapter (about the second half of the book).
Thankfully, the subject material and pace picked up a bit after that, as I was ready to put the book down at about this point...
The writing style and the formatting of The Invisible History of the Human Race left much to be desired for me. Kenneally writes with a somewhat jumbled, rambling, and long-winded style. I found my attention wandering many times while reading this.
I would not recommend this one.
2 stars.
From the title and the description, I was expecting a science-driven look at interesting aspects of heritability, genetics, and maybe even epigenetics, and how they relate to our shared history and ancestry.
This book is not really that.
The Invisible History of the Human Race is instead much of the author's personal quest to trace her family tree, and other tangentially related topics; including an obligatory chapter about Francis Galton, eugenics, and the Nazi Reich, and then a bunch of other somewhat irrelevant writing. There is even a bit of writing here describing the short lifespan of compact discs...
Kenneally doesn't get into the technical aspects of inheritance and DNA until near the end of the 8th chapter (about the second half of the book).
Thankfully, the subject material and pace picked up a bit after that, as I was ready to put the book down at about this point...
The writing style and the formatting of The Invisible History of the Human Race left much to be desired for me. Kenneally writes with a somewhat jumbled, rambling, and long-winded style. I found my attention wandering many times while reading this.
I would not recommend this one.
2 stars.
October 25, 2014
I was expecting this book to have far more examples from rigid scientific and empirical studies, but it provided more of an anecdotal approach, which still proved to be very interesting. This is not to say that the author excluded more traditional experimental studies from this work but only that she relied less on this approach and more on individual case studies.
The first few chapters focused so strongly on specific examples with so little emphasis rigorous experimental data that their role as exemplars was not as strong as they might otherwise have been, but the examples were still of such quality as both to hold the reader's attention as well as to shed some light on the larger picture of human ancestry and inter-relatedness.
All in all, this was a fascinating read describing in many close, personal examples how we humans are related and how our ancestry has shaped who we are.
The first few chapters focused so strongly on specific examples with so little emphasis rigorous experimental data that their role as exemplars was not as strong as they might otherwise have been, but the examples were still of such quality as both to hold the reader's attention as well as to shed some light on the larger picture of human ancestry and inter-relatedness.
All in all, this was a fascinating read describing in many close, personal examples how we humans are related and how our ancestry has shaped who we are.
August 17, 2014
Received as a ARC. A very interesting read that explores our human genetics. Provides a rich history of our earliest ancestors that will leave you thinking. Can tell research was very well done. Would definitely recommend to a friend.
January 31, 2015
Got me curious
Intrigued me enough to order a genetic sequencing kit from 23andMe. Soon enough I'll know how Neanderthal I am and how much of my Norse appearance is really from wandering Swedes.
Intrigued me enough to order a genetic sequencing kit from 23andMe. Soon enough I'll know how Neanderthal I am and how much of my Norse appearance is really from wandering Swedes.
September 9, 2016
Excellent and very accessible book. Kenneally starts with the personal and moves fluidly into the historical then the universal, touching on issues of heritage, politics, ethnicity, medicine and the human future along the way.
May 29, 2020
A fascinating and easy read on population genetics and how DNA informs our personal history and vice versa. I gained a better understanding of my identity in the context of the much larger tree of humanity. I even ended up digging deeper into my family’s roots and ancestry right after!
June 18, 2020
'Your genome is just the first hand that life deals you. How you play it is up to you.'
Superbly researched, although the opening dragged with the 'history of family history'. Cringed in parts with words like 'triracial' (relating to the Melungeons). Much of the topic is a difficult area to navigate and Kenneally does a stellar job; I still believe, however, that using the word 'race' within a contemporary context only gives racists more fodder.
Aside from that (and Kenneally certainly contextualises her usage of the term), there is interesting trivia, including some now scientifically-proven gossip about Jefferson's sired offspring; the science of genomes (and the fact that we can switch quite a bit off); our genetic heritage; and the latest scientific research at the time of publication.
Well written too.
Superbly researched, although the opening dragged with the 'history of family history'. Cringed in parts with words like 'triracial' (relating to the Melungeons). Much of the topic is a difficult area to navigate and Kenneally does a stellar job; I still believe, however, that using the word 'race' within a contemporary context only gives racists more fodder.
Aside from that (and Kenneally certainly contextualises her usage of the term), there is interesting trivia, including some now scientifically-proven gossip about Jefferson's sired offspring; the science of genomes (and the fact that we can switch quite a bit off); our genetic heritage; and the latest scientific research at the time of publication.
Well written too.
August 16, 2019
Slow. But a bit of a different take on the dna story. This book also covers other forms of inheritance around family and culture. In a bit that feels like Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, the author covers subjects like the impact on trust multiple generations later of slavery. And not passing information between generations. A lot of the normal dna stories are covered in a bit of a different way. This would make a good extra book on the shelf but not a first book on the subject. 3.5 of 5.
December 4, 2019
Incredibly boring for such a interesanting topic. The author is a journalist not a scientist and not a great one I might add. She oozes of frustration thet genealogists don't have the reputation they deserve and uau, what a great job they are doing. This book is much more focused on genealogy then genetics and instead of being able to merge this topics in a logical way, the author goes on and on with boring genealogy stories. A real waste of my time this book.
May 11, 2020
Not the most exciting book ... you can tell that because it took me more than a month to finish it! Basically a combination of genealogy and genetics, the book tries to be more important than it is. I found some parts interesting, particularly the anecdotal stories from around the world. Because the writer is Australian, we got a slightly wider viewpoint than those provided by US authors, which was a perk.
November 30, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. I liked her style of writing, explanations, and examples. It gave me so much to think about and increased a desire to learn more about DNA and how it affects me and those around me.
February 18, 2019
wasn't sure what the book is about
November 6, 2022
Interesting reading, a bit too commercial and scattered for my taste. However, recommendable as a first introduction into the topic.
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