It was a little odd reading about the genetic makeup of my country from the perspective of a Brit, but definitely an interesting look at using genetics to investigate genealogy and figuring out where all our bits and pieces come from (though I imagine if I ever do a chromosome painting of my own it'd be rather monocolor...) ( )

Intriguing text delving into what it might really mean to be "categorized" as American. Interesting facts and truths about Native Americans and why they, as a group of nations, are against DNA testing of their populations. Also notes how much alike we all are at a genetic level, literally and figuratively - especially African Americans and European Americans - a truth supported by the science showing a rather un-lopsided/equal sharing of DNA across ethnicities whether you believe it or not. In the end, we are all simply humans who should need no man-made categorization of what makes us different or alike. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all just BE? ( )

Thoroughly fascinating. Brought back memories of my trip on the California Zephyr (the SLC Amtrak is indeed a type of "shack") - this book is equal parts road movie, socio-anthropology, and biological science. Despite some bumbling constructions (the section on the US Census map contained references to states which were clearly wrong, for instance), overall, it has a compelling forward narrative, and I would find it very interesting to have my chromosomes "painted" in this way. ( )

I really wasn't certain what to expect of Sykes' much-celebrated book on American DNA, but this book was not exactly what I expected. I guess I expected him to describe the various influences on the genetic make-up of of a typical American. I knew that would be a difficult task to tackle, but this book was not what I expected. Instead he talks about the various testing companies and tests. He speaks of a group with colonial USA roots he tested at New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston. When I read the narrative description, I was certain I knew a few of the persons tested. When I saw their pictures (complete with aliases), I did know about five of those tested. This was the only group that he selected, and he did chromosome painting on them all when he returned to Europe and includes that in an appendix.

The bulk of the book, however, deals with his travels across America. In the trip, he visited various companies and persons influential in the genetic genealogy field. However, he did spend a great deal of time sight-seeing as well. We gain very little insight into what went on in those conversations but have wonderful descriptions of things such as the Yellowstone fire or his bunk on the Amtrak train.

I spotted several inaccuracies throughout the book such as the date of the first American census. Sykes says it was 1800, but it was 1790. Sykes does a wonderful job in the early part of the book of summarizing some DNA studies that had been done in a format appealing to the average reader. He left statistical data for those of us with stronger interests in that sort of thing in the appendix. While the book is worthwhile, it is becoming dated as more studies abound and results of some of the other studies are updated, although I follow the results of one study and know that the overall conclusions have not changed since the book was written. Genetic genealogy is now being taught and studied in institutes and workshops across the United States. The literature of the field is growing with case studies utilizing DNA evidence are being published in journals such as National Genealogical Society Quarterly on a regular basis. While this book will be considered a "pioneer" book in the field, it will likely be overshadowed by the case studies published in journals, by the results of studies published on web sites, and by books with strong case study content. ( )

Geneticist Bryan Sykes had already written books on mitochondrial DNA, Y DNA, and the DNA of the British Isles when he turned his attention to the United States for this book. The US is sometimes referred to as a “melting pot”, and that phrase could be used to sum up this book. It very briefly addresses territory covered more thoroughly in his earlier books, and adds autosomal DNA to the mix. He looks at the different attitudes toward DNA testing in African American, Native American, and Jewish American communities, and these discussions lead to discussions of research ethics. I wasn't expecting was the travel narrative that made up the middle portion of the book. Dr. Sykes spent several months traveling in the US while researching this book, and the middle chapters of the book are heavy on the details of the places he saw and the people he met but light on information about genetics and DNA.

Sykes has a gift for explaining a complicated subject in terms that a non-specialist can understand. It's not difficult reading, and I never had to go back and re-read passages in order to understand the concepts presented. I've done a fair amount of reading about genetic genealogy, and he offers the clearest explanation I've seen of why the statistical models that work so well for population geneticists are less accurate at predicting degrees of relationship at the individual level.

The book could have used more careful editing. Sykes places the Tuskegee syphilis study in Arkansas rather than Alabama, and he mistakenly dates Strom Thurmond's filibuster of the Civil Rights Act in 1967 rather than 1957. He also quotes a San Francisco waitress's response to his question about the identity of fellow hotel guest Mike Singletary as “That's their [San Francisco 49ers] chief coach.” I'm certain that she would have said “head coach”, and his American copy editors just missed this.

This book will appeal to readers with an interest in the genealogical applications of DNA. It may also appeal to readers with an interest in the research ethics aspect of books like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. ( )