What do you think?
Rate this book
The Adoptee's Guide to DNA Testing: How to Use Genetic Genealogy to Discover Your Long-Lost Family
Reconnect with your roots! Adoptees, foundlings, and others with unknown parentage face unique challenges in researching their ancestors. Enter this a comprehensive guide to adoption genealogy that has the resources you need to find your family through genetic testing. Inside, you'll • Strategies for connecting your genealogy to previous genealogists • Detailed guides for using DNA tests and tools, plus how to analyze your test results and apply them to research • Real-life success stories that put the book's techniques into practice and inspire you to seek your own discoveries
- GenresNonfictionReference
358 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 7, 2018
8 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 14, 2021
This is a book that is written about an up and coming field in which I happen to be personally involved, and while this is not the best book ever, it is certainly an interesting piece of material. The author clearly has a lot of experience in looking at certain family backgrounds and has sought to parlay this experience in a new field into being a notable figure. I do not think this book will do that, but if you are curious about genetic genealogy and you are a part of the book's target audience this is a good book for now and eventually perhaps there will be better books on the material. It must be admitted that the field itself is new, and most people who practice it do so online, and so this book is a bit behind the curve because it is a book about something that is in an active process of growth and development, something that may change still further as time goes on and as more testing is able to be done to help people connect their DNA with others.
This book is a relatively short one about 200 pages and it is divided into four parts and eleven chapters with various supplemental material. The book begins with a foreword and an introduction. After that the first part of the book contains a discussion of how one starts one's journey (I), including chapters about starting one's search for birth family (1), proven search strategies that do not involve DNA, and the basics of DNA testing (3). After that the second part of the book looks at DNA testing companies (II). The author then discusses types of DNA testing that one can do (Y, mtDNA, and autosomal DNA testing) (4), and then looks at various companies and how they operate, including AncestryDNA (5), Family Tree DNA (6), 23andMe (7), and MyHeritage DNA (8), most of which I am familiar with from my own family research. The third part of the book then discusses various advanced tools for genetic genealogy (III), including establishing a biological connection (9), analyzing one's DNA with Gedmatch (10), and triangulating one's DNA (11). The fourth part of the book then includes various case studies that show how genetic genealogy was able to solve family mysteries in at least some fashion that may inspire and motivate the reader (IV). After this there are some frequently asked questions and worksheets in the appendix as well as an index.
I must admit that this book disappointed me. I'm not really sure why. The contents of this book are certainly interesting enough, and I would relish reading another book on this subject, perhaps a bit more broadly aimed, written by someone who was less interested in talking about themselves and more interested in celebrating others. This book feels too personal, in a way. A book that is as dependent as this one on personality suffers because the author's personality is not particularly appealing. And that is a shame. I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but the author just did not convey herself in a way that I found to be that appealing. Perhaps it will be different for you, and if you find yourself to be an adoptee who wants to find more information about your birth family and want to use genetic genealogy to better find out about your relatives, this is a good book to use. It should be remembered, though, that the experience of adoptees is not necessarily going to be the same as that for others, and that much of one's experience will likely depend on the willingness of the birth family to recognize the presence of the adoptee as one of their own.
This book is a relatively short one about 200 pages and it is divided into four parts and eleven chapters with various supplemental material. The book begins with a foreword and an introduction. After that the first part of the book contains a discussion of how one starts one's journey (I), including chapters about starting one's search for birth family (1), proven search strategies that do not involve DNA, and the basics of DNA testing (3). After that the second part of the book looks at DNA testing companies (II). The author then discusses types of DNA testing that one can do (Y, mtDNA, and autosomal DNA testing) (4), and then looks at various companies and how they operate, including AncestryDNA (5), Family Tree DNA (6), 23andMe (7), and MyHeritage DNA (8), most of which I am familiar with from my own family research. The third part of the book then discusses various advanced tools for genetic genealogy (III), including establishing a biological connection (9), analyzing one's DNA with Gedmatch (10), and triangulating one's DNA (11). The fourth part of the book then includes various case studies that show how genetic genealogy was able to solve family mysteries in at least some fashion that may inspire and motivate the reader (IV). After this there are some frequently asked questions and worksheets in the appendix as well as an index.
I must admit that this book disappointed me. I'm not really sure why. The contents of this book are certainly interesting enough, and I would relish reading another book on this subject, perhaps a bit more broadly aimed, written by someone who was less interested in talking about themselves and more interested in celebrating others. This book feels too personal, in a way. A book that is as dependent as this one on personality suffers because the author's personality is not particularly appealing. And that is a shame. I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but the author just did not convey herself in a way that I found to be that appealing. Perhaps it will be different for you, and if you find yourself to be an adoptee who wants to find more information about your birth family and want to use genetic genealogy to better find out about your relatives, this is a good book to use. It should be remembered, though, that the experience of adoptees is not necessarily going to be the same as that for others, and that much of one's experience will likely depend on the willingness of the birth family to recognize the presence of the adoptee as one of their own.
July 17, 2018
Weinberg's useful guide intended to assist adoptees in their quest to identify birth families is beneficial to anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of genetic genealogy. She explains the types of tests offered, the testing companies offering each, and a bit about the differences in the results. She then offers information on how to reach out to matches, how to make use of GEDmatch's tools, and using other third party tools. She closes with several case studies designed to inspire those seeking their families. Appendices include frequently asked questions and worksheets which could be adapted to Excel spreadsheets to help keep track of genetic genealogy research. The book contains an index. Any book on genetic genealogy will likely be out-of-date on at least one or two points by the time it is printed. Her frequently asked questions poses a question about the safety of testing results. It is clear the section was written before the announcement concerning the Golden State Killer's discovery through using genetic genealogy databases. Several more arrests were made using the databases after this. I suspect the next edition will include a "caution" statement although it won't discourage the use of the databases for most individuals. I wish she had covered more third party tools, although I'm certain the editors were trying to keep the book a manageable size. The illustrations help the reader visualize the information presented. This book belongs in most libraries and private genealogy collections along with Blaine Bettinger and Debbie Parker Wayne's Practical Genetic Genealogy and Blaine Bettinger's The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy. I will be ordering my own copy and recommending it in my DNA lectures and workshops. This review is based on an electronic advance copy received through NetGalley with the expectation an honest review would be written.
June 20, 2018
#TheAdoptee'sGuideToDnaTesting #NetGalley #Genealogy #Heritage
An excellent handbook for any person looking to recreate the genealogy tree. the book covers subjects such as the 101 genealogy, ADN, the most used ADN online search services, the famous GEDMatch, modern techniques and very usuful real cases.
An excellent handbook for any person looking to recreate the genealogy tree. the book covers subjects such as the 101 genealogy, ADN, the most used ADN online search services, the famous GEDMatch, modern techniques and very usuful real cases.
December 21, 2019
This book will provide some useful background information if you're trying to use DNA testing to find unknown ancestors (as in the case of an adoptee). However, I found that there were quite a few instances in this book where information was explained in a very misleading (or outright incorrect) way, and there were some odd comments that seemed unprofessional.
For example, on page 86, the author calls her own ethnicity "boring." This suggests that there is more value or excitement in some ethnicities over others, and it may be offensive to those who have similar ancestry as the author. There was also a statement on page 19 that said you "might find an ethnicity you don't especially like...." That was really weird to me, like the author was trying to cater to racist readers or something (I'd like to believe she didn't mean it to sound like that, but it was really an odd and unnecessary statement). As another example, on page 91 a sentence starts off with "A lot of this will likely go over your head...." I feel like this was a really poor way to word this. It sounds like the author thinks she is much smarter than her readers, or her readers are ignorant (or both).
Chapter 2 provides a very brief overview of non-DNA search strategies for adoptees. The weird thing is that a "tip" in this chapter says not to start with DNA (in a book called "The Adoptee's Guide to DNA Testing"). As a person who volunteers to help adoptees use DNA testing to help in their searches (and as a person who chose to read a book titled "The Adoptee's Guide to DNA Testing"), I would never discourage someone from using DNA testing unless it was a financial issue for them. Sometimes DNA test results can take months to come back, and it's a good idea to go ahead with the DNA testing and then use other search methods in the meantime while you're waiting for results. Even if your non-DNA search results in success, your test results will still be useful because you can then examine your matches and confirm that you have found the correct birth family.
There are also many instances in the book where information is incorrect or misleading. It would take too long to list all the examples, but I will give a couple. On page 87, it talks about someone (an "unknown match") who matches the author's paternal grandfather, but not that grandfather's paternal first cousin (or that first cousin's son). The author, for some reason, concludes that the unknown match must be "endogamous" or that the match is related to him on his maternal side. First, it's not clear why endogamy would be assumed here (there's no reason to assume it based on the information given on this page, especially since this person doesn't match on the grandfather's paternal side based on the information we are given). But the author also doesn't explain a third (and relatively likely) possibility: that the unknown match could be related on the grandfather's paternal side, but the relationship is distant and the DNA from that paternal side that was passed down to the grandfather and his first cousin was not the same DNA that was passed down to the unknown match.
There's also a section on page 129 that seems to suggest that you should not use Ancestry's shared matches feature at all. The author provides an example where she used the shared matches feature and identified someone who was related to both her mother and a cousin. She assumed they must all be related to each other in the same way, and it turned out they weren't. The lesson here should be that you should be aware of these types of situations and keep them in mind when reviewing matches. Understand that shared matches are literally just that; Ancestry is showing you a list of people to whom both you and the person in question are related. They might be related in different ways, but you keep that in mind when reviewing matches. The likelihood of shared matches being related in the same way is high (for most people), and to exclude this valuable resource from your birth family research could be highly detrimental. It would be better to explain how this works so adoptees know what they are looking at when they review their shared matches.
Overall, this book may provide some useful information for adoptees and other people looking into unknown ancestry. However, I would suggest Blaine T. Bettinger's "The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy" over this one. That book is similar in layout, but is written in a much more methodical and practical way, with accurate and helpful information.
For example, on page 86, the author calls her own ethnicity "boring." This suggests that there is more value or excitement in some ethnicities over others, and it may be offensive to those who have similar ancestry as the author. There was also a statement on page 19 that said you "might find an ethnicity you don't especially like...." That was really weird to me, like the author was trying to cater to racist readers or something (I'd like to believe she didn't mean it to sound like that, but it was really an odd and unnecessary statement). As another example, on page 91 a sentence starts off with "A lot of this will likely go over your head...." I feel like this was a really poor way to word this. It sounds like the author thinks she is much smarter than her readers, or her readers are ignorant (or both).
Chapter 2 provides a very brief overview of non-DNA search strategies for adoptees. The weird thing is that a "tip" in this chapter says not to start with DNA (in a book called "The Adoptee's Guide to DNA Testing"). As a person who volunteers to help adoptees use DNA testing to help in their searches (and as a person who chose to read a book titled "The Adoptee's Guide to DNA Testing"), I would never discourage someone from using DNA testing unless it was a financial issue for them. Sometimes DNA test results can take months to come back, and it's a good idea to go ahead with the DNA testing and then use other search methods in the meantime while you're waiting for results. Even if your non-DNA search results in success, your test results will still be useful because you can then examine your matches and confirm that you have found the correct birth family.
There are also many instances in the book where information is incorrect or misleading. It would take too long to list all the examples, but I will give a couple. On page 87, it talks about someone (an "unknown match") who matches the author's paternal grandfather, but not that grandfather's paternal first cousin (or that first cousin's son). The author, for some reason, concludes that the unknown match must be "endogamous" or that the match is related to him on his maternal side. First, it's not clear why endogamy would be assumed here (there's no reason to assume it based on the information given on this page, especially since this person doesn't match on the grandfather's paternal side based on the information we are given). But the author also doesn't explain a third (and relatively likely) possibility: that the unknown match could be related on the grandfather's paternal side, but the relationship is distant and the DNA from that paternal side that was passed down to the grandfather and his first cousin was not the same DNA that was passed down to the unknown match.
There's also a section on page 129 that seems to suggest that you should not use Ancestry's shared matches feature at all. The author provides an example where she used the shared matches feature and identified someone who was related to both her mother and a cousin. She assumed they must all be related to each other in the same way, and it turned out they weren't. The lesson here should be that you should be aware of these types of situations and keep them in mind when reviewing matches. Understand that shared matches are literally just that; Ancestry is showing you a list of people to whom both you and the person in question are related. They might be related in different ways, but you keep that in mind when reviewing matches. The likelihood of shared matches being related in the same way is high (for most people), and to exclude this valuable resource from your birth family research could be highly detrimental. It would be better to explain how this works so adoptees know what they are looking at when they review their shared matches.
Overall, this book may provide some useful information for adoptees and other people looking into unknown ancestry. However, I would suggest Blaine T. Bettinger's "The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy" over this one. That book is similar in layout, but is written in a much more methodical and practical way, with accurate and helpful information.
November 19, 2018
Solid explanations throughout.
March 16, 2020
A wonderful written book this book explains a lot of information .
August 31, 2018
The sub-title of this book is a little misleading. There are reasons why even DNA will not solve an adoptee's questions, there are families that prefer to remain "lost"
That being said, the information related about DNA and the science behind its use is excellent. The book is organized clearly and written quite conversationally. I gained valuable tips and methodology that I will put to use and share. The Adoptee's Guide to DNA Testing is a reference book that will benefit genealogists at all levels.
That being said, the information related about DNA and the science behind its use is excellent. The book is organized clearly and written quite conversationally. I gained valuable tips and methodology that I will put to use and share. The Adoptee's Guide to DNA Testing is a reference book that will benefit genealogists at all levels.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews