Here are some of the memoirs, popular science, and history books I’ve found interesting and helpful in understanding family history and research. Check back occasionally for new recommendations.

The Invisible History of the Human Race

The Invisible History of the Human Race by Christine Kenneally is a fascinating book and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in family history, or history generally. Filled with anecdotes to help explain and enhance the science behind DNA and how it makes us who we are, you’ll also learn about events both historical and contemporary, and how DNA has been used in good and bad ways. The stories associated with them are at turns shocking and emotional. The Invisible History of the Human Race is a personal and global reminder that we don’t always know what might be in the past of people we meet, or what we’ll find when we look into our family history.

Flesh and Blood

Raw and honest, evocative and insightful. Flesh and Blood: A History of My Family in Seven Sicknesses by Stephen McGann is at turns confronting, sad, hopeful, and thought-provoking. Cultural, social, and medical concepts and history are threaded with personal ‘testimony’ to provide invaluable context, and weave the lives of ancestors past to present.

Divided into seven chapters, the emphasis moves from hunger in the Irish famine, through the disease of poverty-stricken families, and on to stories including that of a survivor of the Titanic, soldiers experiencing PTSD, and connections of the heart.

Stephen McGann might be well-known as an actor (including playing Dr Turner in Call the Midwife), but with this book he shows his skills in storytelling, passion for family history, and understanding of the human condition. He also clearly demonstrates what he learned from qualifications in science communication, explaining concepts in a way that’s easy to understand. You don’t need to be a genealogist to appreciate this unique approach to telling an extended family’s story. Highly recommended.

The Good Genealogist

The Good Genealogist is written by Danielle Lautrec, an Australian genealogy educator and historical researcher. It’s a guide to how to be a good researcher, explaining logical and evidence-based research strategies, and providing tips and tricks. Whether you’re a genealogy beginner, or a more advanced family historian, this is a book that should be in your personal library.

Writing a Non-Boring Family History

Australian author Hazel Edwards is well-known for writing books for children and teenagers. She knows how to write in an entertaining and engaging way, and that’s what this book is about. Writing A Non-Boring Family History was first published more than 25 years ago, and has since been updated. It’s a great guide to writing, starting with planning and who will read what you write and how to deal with that. There are tips on writing about controversial subjects, making something out of very little, how long is long enough, self-publishing, and lots more. If you don’t know where to start, and even if you do, this is a great resource.

The Lost Family

The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Are is written by journalist Libby Copeland. In it she shares many and varied experiences of people who’ve taken at home DNA tests and made unexpected discoveries. There’s also one particular story, woven throughout, of how one woman uncovers the shocking truth about what happened to her father after his birth. This is perhaps an extreme example, but shows what DNA, traditional research, and not giving up can do.

I Know Who You Are

I Know Who You Are: How An Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever by Barbara Rae-Venter is the behind the scenes story of how an amateur genealogist helped solve a cold case. Filled with highs and lows, this is a deep dive into the story of the victims and their families, the police, lawyers, and the process that solved a mystery after more than forty years.

The Forever Witness

The Forever Witness: How DNA and Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder by Edward Humes is the story of how cold cases and DNA have transformed criminal science. Ground-breaking investigative techniques have been somewhat controversial, but incredibly important in answering questions that have been unsolvable until now.

The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy

Blaine Bettinger is a genealogist who took his first DNA test in the early days of them being available. He’s since become a recognised authority on combining genetic genealogy with traditional genealogy. The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy is a guide to doing this, and explains key DNA concepts.