Rebecca Daniels

Review
I received an ARC copy from the touring host for an honest review.

Finding your roots can be a tricky subject, but for the author, Rebecca Daniels, it became a life mission of finding her roots amid so many anomalies. Anomalies that could have derailed her at any time. It was only her tenacity that helped her, and she can be very proud of her accomplishments.
The first person she encountered was Thomas, a relative living in Norway who helped her in her search. He took the time to teach her the ropes of Ancestral DNA and how to fine tune her search to be more successful. A search that took her from the US to Sweden and back to finally find a reliable trace, not only of her birth mother but her birth father as well. Long hours of correspondence with people who had no reason to trust her followed. But each time, when a different lifeline was thrown to her, she follows it just to learn more about her extended family. Some were happy to meet her, other skeptical and others simply didn't respond. But this never discouraged her, and she could truly find a place of contentment.
Her entire journey is neatly documented, giving others who have the same desire to follow through on their journey. Every detail blends well with her story, which gave me a genuine appreciation of her experiences.
Definitely a must read for people with the desire to find their own roots.… (mais)

Rebecca Daniels always knew that she and her brother were adopted. In fact she can't remember when her parents even told her. It was so early in her childhood. Since her parents were so loving she never had the desire to find her real birth parents. She never had the longing and the feeling that something was missing in her life. In her teens, she learned she had a degenerative inherited eye disease. But when it went into remission, she dismissed the idea of finding out more about her birth family and their health information. One day, a friend who was going to take a DNA test convinced her to take one too. The author's cousin, a Ph.D in genetics with over 20 years work experience in the field, explained to her how DNA works.
After the test was taken, Rebecca Daniels lucked out when someone contacted her from Sweden and said, "I think we are related." Thomas worked in a lab dealing with DNA and was fascinated with genealogical research. She could not have found a better person to help her along the way. Thus, began the story of her journey to find her birth family.
This is a beautiful memoir of her journey. Along the way she met and bonded with several family members on both sides of her family. Others, rejected her. And some real surprises were discovered leading to unexpected hurdles. Her own birth mother was also adopted! Her only regret was that Thomas, who appeared so suddenly in her life and gave her so much encouragement and help, suffered from depression and disappeared later.
This book really resonated with me. Several friends of my parents were adopted, gave children up for adoption or adopted children themselves. Some never learned about their adoption until all their immediate family members had passed on. Others had children contact them when the children were in their 30s. Some family reconciliations went well and the children were warmly embraced. Unfortunately, others were too late to meet birth parents, who had passed on. Some were rejected by their birth families. Coming from a family of 10 aunts and uncles and over 40 cousins, several of us became interested in genealogy after a family reunion was held over 45 years ago to introduce our newly found cousin to our family. Thanks to a tiny ad placed in a local newspaper.
This book is much more than a memoir. The author explains, how DNA tests work as well as giving a list of resources, where to research, and compares the different companies that offer DNA testing.
A very worthwhile book for those interested in genealogical research as well as those searching for birth parents.… (mais)