The Genetic Strand is the story of a writer's investigation, using DNA science, into the tale of his family's origins. National Book Award winner Edward Ball has turned his probing gaze on the microcosm of the human genome, and not just any human genome -- that of his slave-holding ancestors....

"Extraordinary and wide-ranging . . . a literary feat that simultaneously builds and excavates identity."--The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice)   Roxane Gay's Audacious Book Club Pick * Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle's John Leonard Prize *...

From the bestselling author of The Island of Sea Women, here is the true story of the one-hundred-year-odyssey of the author's Chinese-American family, combining years of research with "fascinating family anecdotes, imaginative details, and the historical details of immigrant life" (Amy...

An Instant NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A LOS ANGELES TIMES, BOSTON GLOBE, WALL STREET JOURNAL, and NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR according to Elle, Real Simple, and Kirkus Reviews

Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker A New York Times Editors' Choice "[Webster's] excellent and thought-provoking book is on every level about unknowing rather than knowing -- about pondering the mysteries of Banneker, who is often...