Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, by Dani Shapiro

[NancyJ]

This is a very personal story about a woman who gets a DNA test for fun, and discovers that her late father could not have been her biological father. For as long as she could remember, blond haired Dani Shapiro was told "You don't look Jewish." Everyone grapples with the question "Who am I" but it also bothered her that she didn't look like her parents, both of whom are now dead. The test shows that she is only 52% Jewish, and that she is not related to her half-sister (he father's first daughter).

She eventually discovers that her biological father was a medical student who donated his sperm to a fertility doctor back in the 1960’s, and she reaches out to meet him. She does extensive research on the science, practices and ethical issues surrounding donor assisted pregnancies, and the rights of the children to know about their parents.

This author is in no danger of living an unexamined life. She has written five memoirs, and her novels appear to be somewhat autobiographical too. This story would have been a short story in someone else’s hands, and there was a lot of repetition of key thoughts, but I was riveted throughout the story. This is a fascinating account of her research, experience and internal thought processes.

[Joi]

This is on my TBR, and your review definitely makes me want to read it soon. The subject matter is absolutely fascinating.

[NancyJ]

I think you'll like it. It really is interesting, especially with your own experience with adoption. (She is a little repetitive when talking about her reactions, which could be irritating, especially if your views are different.) After I read it, I thought I should only recommend it to people who have a direct interest in issues related to adoption and donor parents, as opposed to genealogy in general. But it really held my attention too. DNA testing has sure blown a hole in the expectation of anonymity on the part of the fathers.

I was wondering how a man could donate his sperm and not give much thought to what happened to his offspring (or how many children he might have). I was also reading Where the Crawdads Sing last week, and she included some fascinating tidbits about the biological drive of males in most species to spread their seed as widely as possible. The discussion of research on "sneaky fuckers" was funny and quite interesting. I love when I stumble across similar topics in books.

[Holly R W]

I have long been a fan of Dani Shapiro and have read several of her books. "Devotion" is my favorite of her books. While "Inheritance" was beautifully written, I disliked the author's sharing such a personal matter, especially since it affected her birth father and his family. I think that they would have preferred it to stay a private matter.

[NancyJ]

Holly R W wrote: "I have long been a fan of Dani Shapiro and have read several of her books. "Devotion" is my favorite of her books. While "Inheritance" was beautifully written, I disliked the author's sharing such ..."

I know, it did get uncomfortable knowing that she was talking about real people. (The first person I thought of was her step sister.) However she said she changed many of the details to disguise her biological father's family, and they discussed the book before she wrote it. They also read her other books before they even decided to meet her, so there must have been some level of trust in how she would handle it. I just added devotion to my tbr.

[Joi]

Interesting- I'm assuming she doesn't name names in the book?

There was a movie similar to what you were taking about (albeit dumbed down) called 'Delivery Man' starring Vince Vaughn. I watched and DID NOT LIKE IT.

Here's the movie description:
"Amiable slacker David Wozniak (Vince Vaughn) drives a delivery truck for his family's company and is content with a life of mediocrity. However, when he learns that he is the biological father of more than 500 offspring and many of them are suing to learn his identity, he decides to hold himself accountable for his actions. He finds some of his progeny and becomes involved in their lives; however, when David's girlfriend announces her pregnancy, she keeps her expectations low."

[Susan]

I really enjoyed this book too. Thanks for a nice review. To me, the most shocking thing was the dishonesty in the medical field. And, BTW, I did not care much for the other Dani Shapiro book I read (Hourglass)

[Meli]

Joi wrote: "Interesting- I'm assuming she doesn't name names in the book?

There was a movie similar to what you were taking about (albeit dumbed down) called 'Delivery Man' starring Vince Vaughn. I watched a..."

What!? This sounds insane!