The DNA testing revolution and the worldwide success of services like MyHeritage, 23andMe, and AncestryDNA have opened new dimensions in genealogy. At the same time, by exposing previously hidden kinship bonds, these techniques raise ethical questions within the discipline. Should all secrets be revealed? France is one of the only countries in the world that still refuses to allow these tests.

Jean-Louis Beaucarnot and Nathalie Jovanovic-Floricourt have paired up to tell some extraordinary family stories: surprising and moving reunions, maternity-ward mix-ups exposed, genealogical surprises and historical enigmas resolved thanks to testing. The stories are enhanced with technical explanations: the tests’ strengths and weaknesses, their precise interpretation, what X and Y chromosomes reveal, the influence of waves of migration, reading mitochondria, progress in epigenetics, and psycho-genealogy.

Until now, there were no reader-friendly books about the marriage of genealogy and DNA testing. Now there is.