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Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 2:52 PM
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Inheritance: A memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro

Inheritance: A memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro
You might want to think twice before you spit in the tube and send your saliva off to have your DNA tested because you think you might want to know your roots. You could be in for the surprise of your life. On a whim and in her 50s, Dani Shapiro spits and learns the man she thought was her beloved father had, in fact, no biological link to her at all. And so begins her quest to learn the circumstances of her conception, why her now deceased parents kept this secret from her, who her biological father is and the multitude of questions and emotions that go along with discovering where she came from and who she is. Along the way the reader gets a look at the infertility medical practices in the 1950s and early 1960s. And her biological fathers shock when he learns of her existence and how this knowledge impacts his family. The reader is with Dani Shapiro through every breakthrough, setback, mystery uncovered as a new one appears, and the emotional rollercoaster ride she finds herself on. She comes across a bit whiny at times and periodically I’d just wish she’d suck it up and get on with things. And then she’d write something is such a way that I just wanted to give her a hug and tell her it was going to all be okay. This profound book allows for thoughtfulness about family, heritage, and especially parenting. —Carol Lloyd

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Comment author: Nicole GalbraithComment text: Farren - I just saw that you aren’t here with us. I am completely in shock! I met you and hung out with you so many years ago with Jer, and Eden. I honestly can’t believe you are gone…..you were a wonderful human being, with a HUGE heart and soul. Hearing this makes my heart break! You are forever in our hearts, and I can say I feel blessed that I was able to know you! Rest easy sweet Farren xoxoComment publication date: 3/23/26, 12:30 PMComment source: Obituary- Farren CrosslandComment author: Tiffany LundleeComment text: I will miss you so very much Bryan. It was always fun visiting you guys. And always talking about what Jon and Aaron use to do as goofy teenagers I will miss you very muchComment publication date: 3/21/26, 12:12 PMComment source: Bryan Taylor Anderson C Comment author: Carl C. HagenComment text: A wonderful tribute. Thank you Kelli Kelly.Comment publication date: 3/21/26, 8:12 AMComment source: In memorium -- The Melon ManComment author: Bob SondgrothComment text: There are times when you should just know about someone. Who and what they REALLY were. Because they were devotional and IMPORTANT to the humans they connected with. The content of their life bled so that others could feel their own life’s importance. Teachers of justifiable life and art. That all can absorb and use as the best fertilizer for THEIR lives. Giving the silent secrets and the loud guidance. The Melon Man was a perfect specimen for how to devote. His passing meant a life book of feeling/knowing what gives other humans their paths to Love and Knowledge. Some humans are meant to show others their paths. And in that they secrete ways to profitably exist.Comment publication date: 3/18/26, 4:50 PMComment source: In memorium -- The Melon Man
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