Finding Your Roots: The Official Companion to the PBS Series

by Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Who are we, and where do we come from? The fundamental drive to answer these questions is at the heart of Finding Your Roots , the companion book to the PBS documentary series seen by 30 million people. As Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. shows us, the tools of cutting-edge genomics and deep genealogical research now allow us to learn more about our roots, looking further back in time than ever before. Gates's investigations take on the personal and genealogical histories of more than twenty luminaries, including United States Congressman John Lewis, actor Robert Downey Jr., CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, President of the "Becoming American Institute" Linda Chavez, and comedian Margaret Cho. Interwoven with their moving stories of immigration, assimilation, strife, and success, Gates provides practical information for amateur genealogists just beginning archival research on their own families' roots, and he details the advances in genetic research now available to the public. The result is an illuminating exploration of who we are, how we lost track of our roots, and how we can find them again.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Science, American History

330 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2014

About the author

Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr. is a Professor of African and African-American Studies at Harvard University and Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. He is well-known as a literary critic, an editor of literature, and a proponent of black literature and black cultural studies.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great companion to the TV show. The only thing I would add are photos of the people being researched. I wasn't familiar with a few of them by name only.

My Rating System:
* not worth finishing, ** wouldn’t recommend, *** would recommend, **** would highly recommend, ***** have/would read again.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. I appreciated that Gates used the same format as he described the roots of each person. In print I missed experiencing the reactions as people expressed their feelings as they learned their roots.

[Catherine Kesseler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a companion to the PBS series 'Finding Your Roots' that aired last year. Although a lot of the book contains information from the series there is more in-depth information about the people and the research done. I enjoyed reading this book.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book summarizes the first season of "Finding Your Roots," of which the esteemed professor and historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is host. I'm fairly confident that the text of the book came almost verbatim from the series' voiceovers, and that's actually OK with me. I selected this title to fulfill what was (for me) going to be a challenging Read Harder category, "a book about a piece of media you love," as there don't seem to be many books published about most of the media I fangirl about. Even though I watched this season already, and although it didn't really enhance the show, the refresher was pleasant. As an armchair genealogist with plenty of experience tracking down elusive documents, taking educated guesses that may or may not pan out, and experiencing general frustration at the scarcity or complete lack of vital records for a given region, I relish hearing about others' stories of successful discovery.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at the difficulties of researching family backgrounds. The author tells of the haplo groups at the end of each person he is doing genealogy on. Martha Stewart, John Lewis, John Legend, Kara Sedgwick, Harry Connick Jr are a few of the people he explores in their book. It does get a bit long and feels repetitive, but I just increased the audio speed ; )

[Bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy the genealogy program, you will enjoy this. It goes into greater depth on several celebrity spit donors.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful companion to Dr. Gates PBS series. Allows you to revisit and expand the coverage. A must for any genealogist.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book on genealogies of the famous. Just Luke the television series.

[Tina Reitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it but would rather watch the show

[Leslie Dowling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but a bit redundant if you've watched the PBS series.

[Sam Motes · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read that uses DNA analysis and paper trails to build out the family trees of prominent celebrities. I haven’t seen the PBC documentary the book was tied to but will probably now after reading this work by Gates. It builds a story of our great diversities as you find out the diverging branches on the family trees but it also tells a story of common branches among diverse races and cultures that show a united history of one human race. The common branches aren’t always by choice as the horrific slavery impact to the African bloodline tainted by the oppressive slave owner showed. We truly are one human race though for sure.

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series because of how it grapples with all parts of USian life, especially helping those descended from slaves try and find something of their past. The book has so many cool stories that didn't make the show and I wish that subsequent seasons got this same treatment. Giving voice to those who have been forgotten, telling their stories, is so important.

[Diane]

So far I have read Chapter 7: Shadows - Samuel L. Jackson, Condoleezza Rice, & Ruth Simmons. (Finished: June 10, 2021)
Next Chapter to Read is: 2: The Long Arc of Freedom -- John Lewis and Cory Booker (Start: June 12, 2021 Finished:

[Robin Chan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audiobook version of this is super boring. Didn’t make it past the first 2 tracks

[Carolyn A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect follow up to the TV programs also by Dr. Gates!

Anyone loving genealogy will appreciate this non fiction book!

[April Suter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love history and his PBS show. This book of season 1 reads just like the shoe.

[Janet Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book. My only criticism is that I wish a photo of each celebrity would have been included in the chapters to more easily recognize them.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the written version as much as I love the TV show.

[Selena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but quite repetitive. And several of the contestants said some rather racist things. The show is better.

[Nancy Loe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greatest respect for his scholarship, but he's a bit too impressed by celebrities.