SKU: 99682149323

The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome

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The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the GenomeThe unexpected story of how genetic testing is affecting race in America We know DNA is a master key that unlocks medical and forensic secrets, but its genealogical life is both revelatory and endlessly fascinating. Tracing genealogy is now the second most popular hobby amongst Americans, as well as the second most visited online category. This billion dollar industry has spawned popular television shows, websites, and Internet communities, and a

The unexpected story of how genetic testing is affecting race in America

We know DNA is a master key that unlocks medical and forensic secrets, but its genealogical life is both revelatory and endlessly fascinating. Tracing genealogy is now the second-most popular hobby amongst Americans, as well as the second-most visited online category. This billion-dollar industry has spawned popular television shows, websites, and Internet communities, and a booming heritage tourism circuit.

The tsunami of interest in genetic ancestry tracing from the African American community has been especially overwhelming. In The Social Life of DNA, Alondra Nelson takes us on an unprecedented journey into how the double helix has wound its way into the heart of the most urgent contemporary social issues around race.

For over a decade, Nelson has deeply studied this phenomenon. Artfully weaving together keenly observed interactions with root-seekers alongside illuminating historical details and revealing personal narrative, she shows that genetic genealogy is a new tool for addressing old and enduring issues. In The Social Life of DNA, she explains how these cutting-edge DNA-based techniques are being used in myriad ways, including grappling with the unfinished business of slavery: to foster reconciliation, to establish ties with African ancestral homelands, to rethink and sometimes alter citizenship, and to make legal claims for slavery reparations specifically based on ancestry.

Nelson incisively shows that DNA is a portal to the past that yields insight for the present and future, shining a light on social traumas and historical injustices that still resonate today. Science can be a crucial ally to activism to spur social change and transform twenty-first-century racial politics. But Nelson warns her readers to be discerning: for the social repair we seek can't be found in even the most sophisticated science. Engrossing and highly original, The Social Life of DNA is a must-read for anyone interested in race, science, history and how our reckoning with the past may help us to chart a more just course for tomorrow.

From the Hardcover edition.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Beacon Press
Published: 09/20/2016
ISBN: 9780807027189
Pages: 216
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.70d

Review Citations: Choice 10/01/2016
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SKU: 99682149323

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Stephen Bridge
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 4
Well-written, twisty novel for middle school children
Format: Kindle
This is Kelly’s second Newbery Medal, the first being for *Hello, Universe* in 2018. Both are well-written novels for middle-grade children and should have a lot of appeal for that age. It's the year 1999, early fall, an apartment complex in Delaware. 12-year-old Michael is worried that the Y2K bug will cause the collapse of civilization on January 1, 2000. He has been stealing cans of food to create an emergency stash under his bed. He has started a new school, and his only friends are the apartment complex maintenance man and his high-school-age after-school babysitter, Gibby. Michael’s father is dead, and his mother works long hours to make ends meet. One day a strange kid shows up in the complex, dressed in unusual clothing and asking odd questions like, “What year is this?” It doesn’t take an experienced science fiction reader to suspect that this kid, Ridge, is from the future. He is interested in observing late 20th Century American culture. But he also wants Michael and Gibby to help him figure out how to get back to the future without interfering with the past and thus changing his own timeline. The 1999 part of the story is interspersed with notes about the future and the panicked dialog of Ridge’s family as they try to investigate what happened to him. It probably doesn’t have many new ideas for adult readers, but it will be surprising and exciting for readers ages 12 and up
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Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2025
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Madeline Marie Schnurr
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 5
MUST READ!
Format: Hardcover
The First State of Being is set in 1999 during the uncertainty of Y2k. Michael Rosario doesn't have any friends, unless you count Mr. Mosley, the maintenance man in his apartment building, and his babysitter Gibby. Michael worries a lot about the future, his mom, and just about everything else. So when a mysterious teenager (Ridge) shows up near his apartment complex one day, and says he's from the future, Michael is determined to find out what's to become of the world when the year 2000 is here. Will Ridge be able to calm Michael's fears? Fans of A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga will love this story about family, friendship, time travel, and facing one's fears. Erin Entrada Kelly's voice makes this novel a must read. It's amazing!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024
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M. D. Headrick
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
Relatable and H O T
Format: Kindle
This story is so well-written with excellent back stories for the main characters, the relatable religious trauma vibes, and the anxieties of trusting someone after being burned too many times. Also, the sex scenes are extremely hot without being ridiculous.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2026
J
Jenna T.
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 4
Sweet Romance
Format: Paperback
This was a sweet love story between two women who are both dealing with some baggage, and figuring out what moving forward looks like. I enjoyed both of the characters and their chemistry. Also really enjoyed the supporting characters, including the animals. Listening to the audiobook, there were some moments where I had to stop and figure out which character was narrating because the voices didn’t sound distinct enough. This only happened a few times, and probably wouldn’t have occurred if I’d been reading the physical copy. Overall, a sweet and enjoyable romance with some depth and great side characters.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2026
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Lara & Coulter Andrews
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
Adorable!
Format: Paperback
This book was completely adorable. I loved Thea and Courtney’s story, and the background from the unlikely animal friends to Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice references. Whilst a little turbulent at times with traumatic backstories, I’m glad they got their GHEA, and I loved their journey, and secondary and tertiary characters along the way. It made me smile when I was in a place of exhaustion, so I really loved it.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2025

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