Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing

Since I am not a Genealogy "newbie," I wasn't sure I needed to read Megan Smolenyak's newest book, "Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing." I am SO glad I decided to read it. This is not a typical genealogy "how to" book. This very entertaining read is chock full of fascinating stories of how Megan solved perplexing mysteries by thinking outside of the box. The combination of forensics and genealogical research is something she does brilliantly. The stories are interesting, poignant, and always fascinating. This book would be a great read for anyone interested in history, genealogy, or just good storytelling. She digs information out of internet databases, scours courthouses and libraries, cold calls strangers, consults with historians, translators, and other genealogy experts to climb over brick walls.I love the way she thinks of all of the angles and digs and digs, tirelessly. The book is a well written series of stories about how she solved mysteries, helped the FBI, coroners, and best of all, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command. I highly recommend "Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing" and will be buying lots of gift copies for friends and family. An impressive accounting from a brilliant genealogist!

Enjoyable but I had a slight feeling of disappointment afterwards. I enjoyed the discussions of high profile Americans and their histories, ie Al Sharpton, and the Obama family. I got important new information - there's a new DNA test just out that will help fill more holes in one's family history. There was a little too much "Look, see me do my thing, be on TV shows, get invited to important events, etc." I would have liked more stories and more process and procedure recommendations. I did find it very valuable to hear about genealogy being used to find homes for retrieved military remains and help provided to coroners to locate next of kin. Makes genealogy more than just personal entertainment. I would buy it again but then I'm buying almost everything on the topic to get deeper into this world.

It doesn't take much time to read this book (started it yesterday at lunch and finished during lunch hour today). It's an easy read, and is quite entertaining. Certainly not a scholarly tome on genealogy, it is very lightweight. I enjoyed it. However, I don't think I would spend $10 to read another one of her books (I bought the Kindle version). I'll go to the library for the next one.I had hoped to learn more about her research techniques (I am an amateur genealogist devling into the depths of my own family), but it appears I'm doing most of the same things. In this book, you get pretty much the same sort of thing you see on TV shows like "Who Do You Think You Are?", which is fun, but not terribly deep.I have no other comments other than her proofreader missed two mistakes: "out of the shoot" should have been "out of the chute," and "didn't phase me" should have been "didn't faze me." (Sorry, but I can't help proofreading every book that comes into my hands).

I am not a 'genie' so was surprised and delighted to find this book about various aspects of a genealogists trade to be such an engrossing and interesting read.Megan not only shares her stories of challenges and accomplishments, she also teaches us how to think about solving these types of puzzles.Her easy story-telling style makes me feel included in her excitement and wonder at the many unexpected truths she unveils as she works her way through the cases.This book seems appropriate for folks who are exploring their own family roots as well as those of us who are just intrigued by this type of detective work.She clearly loves what she does and is a generous and dedicated professional with a lot of writing talent.

Megan Smolenyak once again shows why she is one of the world's foremost experts in genealogy. She draws from her vast range of experiences - working for the FBI, the Army, volunteering to assist coroners, researching the roots of presidential candidates, and always making it work somehow even under insane deadlines and schedules. It's amazing how many stories she has, and how wide the variety of her experiences are. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have directly benefited from her research. Aspiring professional genealogists (like myself) can learn much from these stories about the perseverance, creativity, and dedication it takes to be successful in this field. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an inkling of interest in genealogy, history, or great storytelling.