TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE

Ordinary People, Amazing Discoveries: when DNA and ancestry stories change your life

An Ancestry Adventure: When DNA testing unearths family secret

Caught by Surprise: A relative’s DNA search reveals secret family members

Upending the Family Tree: DNA reveals life-changing answer to “Who am I?”

Ancient Wisdom: A long-ago ancestor’s journal changes the course of her life

Setting Sail: How one man’s story changed my life

One “Shaky Green Leaf”: Ancestry.com clue helps “bring runaway slave home”

CHAPTER TWO

Surprise! Surprise! Unearthing startling familial revelations as you discover your roots

Mamma Mia: DNA test reveals clues to biological father

Anything Is Possible: “You and I are sisters!”

The Search for Self: An unforgettable road trip and a DNA test reveal startling results

Family Matters: Study explores how to help everyone in the family when DNA tests uncover buried secrets

The Big Thrill: A behind-the-scenes glimpse into the evolution of DNA testing

Sister Act: Raised to believe her grandparents were her parents, then she learned the truth about her real mom

CHAPTER THREE

Healing: Finding Grace in Genealogy. Looking to the past for understanding

Secrets, Lies, and Twisted Tales: Genealogy bombshell leads to uncertainty about the past and seeking healing for the future

Making Peace With His Ancestry: Common heritage bridges Middle Eastern conflict

The Parent Trap: Healing the sins of the fathers

Listening From the Soul: Tapping into your healing story

How to Break Multigenerational Patterns

Owning Your Story: Overcoming the shackles of ancestral shame

CHAPTER FOUR

Celebrating Ancestral Surprises and wisdom: Embracing the gift of your ancestors’ stories

A Mirror Image: Her grandmother’s legacy inspires genealogy career

Serendipity: Ancestry search reveals fate had a role in couple’s pairing

Changing Places: “So who am I now?”

Tangled Roots: Digging up mysterious family legends

The Lookalike: DNA reveals her father’s link to one of North America’s most notable skeletons

My Grandma, Myself: Family secrets lead to lessons in grit and imperfect resilience

CHAPTER FIVE

Back to Your Health Future: It’s in your genes

Matters of the Heart: Uncovering family patterns to get and stay healthy

Tracking Breast Cancer and Ancestry, With Mysteries in Each

Discovering a History of Mental Illness: Here’s How

CHAPTER SIX

Walking the Footsteps of Your Ancestors: Is geography in our bones?

The Accidental Tourist: Woman reunited with long-lost cousins in Sicily

Time Traveling: “I found a part of myself I didn’t know was missing.”

Getting Back to His Roots: “I felt like I came home.”

Destination DNA: How genealogy-focused tourism is driving heritage travel

Identity-Inspired Wanderlust: Longing to walk the land of ancestors propels genealogy tourism boom

CHAPTER SEVEN

The Secrets we Keep: when your search goes unsolved

Austin Calling: Searching for the truth and nuggets of hope behind the secret life of my long-lost grandfather

The Descendants: When ancestors elude us, what to do next?

Private Eyes: Don’t let “brick walls” break you

Lost and Found: Missing years of family history reveal surprising results

CHAPTER EIGHT

Be longing: Bittersweet reunions bring joy and tears

Out of the Past: Professional genealogist struggles to crack his toughest case—his own

She Longed to Meet Her Biological Parents: How a DNA test leads adopted woman to Korean parents

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? Finding new family members through DNA test

It’s Never Too Late: Sisters find each other and the friend they never knew they had

It’s Complicated: Adopted at birth, two sisters find eight siblings

CHAPTER NINE

This Is us: our role as the light keepers of our family storiesy Mother, Myself: A work project turns into a joyful family reunion for her mother

It’s a Family Affair: Why telling our stories is so important

Senior Moments: Stories bring meaning to the lives of seniors

Leading a Storied Life: Exploring the spaces where psychology, genealogy, and history converge

Questions, Questions: What to ask yourself about your family story

Every Picture Tells a Story

Pint-Size Pedigrees: Why family history connections are important for kids

Traditions, Traditions: Exploring ancestry storytellers through our religious history

CHAPTER TEN

Navigating Your ancestry Journey: resources to help you unlock your past and uncover your true beginnings

How to Prepare for and Cope With DNA Discoveries

A Blueprint for Handling the Initial Outreach to Newly Found Relatives

The Dos & Don’ts of Family History Research

Looking for Your Ancestors in All the Wrong Places: Creative ways to continue your search

What to Do When You Hit a Brick Wall

20 Greatest Questions to Ask Living Relatives

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ENDNOTES