By Faith
The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape our Identities and Our Futures
By Christine Kenneally
Genre: non-fiction, biology, history
Published by The Penguin Group in 2014, 355 pgs
Where do we come from, how are we as humans all connected to one another, and how is DNA incorporated into all of this? How are we as individuals affected by our ancestral roots from over a thousand years ago? These are the kind of questions posed in “The Invisible History of the Human Race” by Christine Kenneally. As the book explores the answers, it leaves you wondering not only about how your own heritage may have shaped you, but how you will shape future generations as well.
Throughout the pages of this non-fiction read, the author studies 3 main notions about the history in correlation to the science, what actually is passed down from generation to generation, and how these factors affect our own lives. It first mentions the type of people that are interested in genealogy and why some may be drawn to it. Throughout history, genetics have played a part in many horrible events such as the Holocaust which is a form of racial segregation. However, there were many great self-discoveries along the way too. DNA in “The Invisible History of the Human Race” is said to be like “a record passed down” and how we all have a part of our own DNA directly passed on from the very first humans alive. It explains that the Y chromosome in men and the DNA in mitochondria in women will always be unshuffled and in the same pair. (Also known as recombination.)
DNA 