Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing

You'veheardoftheDogWhisperer?MeettheAncestorRescuer.Partforensicscientist，partmastersleuth，MeganSmolenyakhassolvedsomeofAmerica'soldestandmostfascinatinggenealogicalmysteries.You'vereadtheheadlines;nowgettheinsidestoryasthe"IndianaJonesofgenealogy"revealshowshecrackedhernews-makingcases，becamethefaceofthisincreasinglypopularfield--andredefinedhistoryalongtheway.HowdidSmolenyakdiscoverBarackObama'sIrishancestry--andhisrelationtoBradPitt?OrthejourneyofMichelleObama'sfamilyfromslaverytotheWhiteHouse?OrthestartlinglinksbetweenoutspokenpoliticiansAlSharptonandStromThurmond?AndwhyisSmolenyak'snamesquared?Testyourownskillsasshesharesherexcitingsecrets.Whethershe'sscouringwebsitestouncoverthesurprisingconnectionsbetweenfamousfiguresorusingcutting-edgeDNAteststolocatefamilymembersoffallensoldiersdatingbacktotheCivilWar，Smolenyak'shistoricalsleuthingisasprovocative，richlylayered，andexcitingasAmericaitself."Thankyoufortakingthetimetolayoutourfamilymap...You'repracticallyfamily.Youcertainlyknowmoreaboutusthanwedo."–StephenColbert"Meganisagenealogist'sdream，aforensicinvestigatorwhocanalsotellagreatstory."–SamRoberts，TheNewYorkTimes"Meganisablessingtocoldcasedetectivesandamastergenealogist."–JulieM.Haney，specialagent，NCISColdCaseHomicideUnit"TheIndianaJonesofgenealogy...MeganSmolenyakisanationaltreasure."–BuzzyJackson，authorofShakingtheFamilyTree"Inthisbreezynarrative，Smolenyakallowsustolookovertheshoulderofarelentlessgenealogistassheworksthepuzzlepiecesofhercraft.WhetherunearthingevidencefromInternetdatabases，newspaperoffices，courthouses，librariesandcemeteries，consultingtranslators，historiansorhervastnetworkoffellowgenealogists，pioneeringtheuseofgenealogicalDNAtesting，solvingthemysteryoroccasionallyhittingabrickwall，Smolenyakremainswhollycommitted，curiousandcheery，eagertosharehermethodsandexcitement.Bottom-uphistoryfromatop-shelfresearcher."-KirkusReviewMeganSmolenyakisanincurablegenealogistwholovessolvingmysteries，makingunexpecteddiscoveries，andpushingtheboundariesofconventionalgenealogy.Apopularwriter，speaker，andTVguest，shedoesallshecantogettheg-wordoutthereandinspireothersintheirquestforroots.ShehasappearedonGoodMorningAmerica，theTodayshow，CNN，NPR，andtheBBC，andconsultedonshowsrangingfromWhoDoYouThinkYouAre?toTopChef.Meganistheauthorofsixbooks(includingWhoDoYouThinkYouAre?TheEssentialGuidetoTracingYourFamilyHistory，companionguidetotheNBCseries)，aHuffingtonPostcontributor，andformerchieffamilyhistorianandspokespersonforAncestry.com.ShelivesinsouthernNewJerseywithherhusbandandlotsofresearchtools.