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 hit PBS documentary series. As
scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. clearly demonstrates, the tools of
cutting-edge genomics and deep genealogical research now allow us
to learn more about our roots and look further back in time than
ever before.
In the second season, Gates's investigation takes on the personal
and genealogical histories of more than twenty luminaries,
including Ken Burns, Stephen King, Derek Jeter, Governor Deval
Patrick, Valerie Jarrett, and Sally Field. As Gates interlaces
these moving stories of immigration, assimilation, strife, and
success, he provides practical information for amateur genealogists
just beginning archival research on their own families' roots and
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.
