Review
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A Washington Post, Vulture, Bustle, Real Simple,
PopSugar, and LitHub Most Anticipated Book of 2019
"Poignant...Origin stories are among the most powerful that exist
because they shape people’s identities and anchor them—to a
culture, a place and other people. When stories about the past
change, Ms. Shapiro argues, so does the future...In losing the
genetic connection to the man who raised her, Ms. Shapiro gained
new in into their enduring bond."
—The Wall Street Journal
“A fascinating and pertinent look into the murky world of medical
ethics, as well as the kind of profound, inful look into the
meaning of love and connection that we’ve come to expect from
Shapiro.”
—Nylon
"An introspective mystery."
—Elle
"In Inheritance, Shapiro movingly reckons with identity and
family secrets."
—Real Simple
"Fascinating... With thoughtful candor, [Shapiro] explores the
ethical questions surrounding sperm donation, the consequences of
testing, and the emotional impact of having an uprooted
religious and ethnic identity. This beautifully written,
thought-provoking genealogical mystery will captivate readers
from the very first pages."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"For all the trauma that the discovery put her through, Shapiro
recognizes that what she had experienced was 'a great story'—one
that has inspired her best book."
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Page after page, Shapiro displays adisarming honesty and an
acute desire to know the unknowable."
—Booklist (starred review)
“Inheritance is Dani Shapiro at her best: a gripping genetic
detective story, and a meditation on the meaning of parenthood
and family. It raises profound questions about the quandaries
and responsibilities engendered by our newfound ability to know
what—and whom—we are made of.”
—Jennifer Egan, author of Manhattan Beach
“With Inheritance, Dani Shapiro tells a startling story of
origins—their deep reach and their lasting reverberations. This
book reads like a beautiful, lived novel, moving and personal and
true.”
—Meg Wolitzer, author of The Female Persuasion
“When Dani Shapiro discovers, purely by accident, that the her
who raised her was not her biological her, she embarks upon a
profound journey of understanding. What is ancestry? What is
identity? Inheritance is a compulsively-readable investigation
into selfhood that burrows to the heart of what it means to
accept, to love, and to belong.”
—Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See
“Inheritance is an extraordinary memoir that speaks to themes as
current as today’s headlines and as old as human history. With
unflinching curiosity and candor, Dani Shapiro explores the
mystery of her own lineage as she questions the notion of lineage
itself: What makes a her a her? And how are we shaped by
our family lore? This beautifully crafted book is full of wisdom
and heart, showing that what we don’t know about our parents may
not be as important as what we do.”
—Will Schwalbe, author of Books for Living and The End of Your
Life Book Club
“Identity is frail business, and in her searing story, Dani
Shapiro makes the most disquieting discovery: that everything,
from her lineage, to her her, down to her very own sense of
self is an astounding error. How do we live with ourselves after
finding we are not who we thought we were? The answer is not
disquieting. It is beautiful.”
—Andre Aciman, author of Call Me by Your Name
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About the Author
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DANI SHAPIRO is the author of the memoirs Hourglass,
Still Writing, Devotion, and Slow Motion and five novels
including Black & White and Family History. Also an essayist and
a journalist, Shapiro's short fiction, essays, and journalistic
pieces have appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, Tin House, One
Story, Elle, Vogue, O, The Oprah Magazine, The New York Times
Book Review, the op-ed pages of the New York Times, and many
other publications. She has taught in the writing programs at
Columbia, NYU, the New School, and Wesleyan University; she is
cofounder of the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy.
She lives with her family in Litchfield County, Connecticut.
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