It's All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Family Tree

. Visit him at AJJacobs. He lives in New York City with his wife and kids. He is the editor at large of Esquire magazine, a contributor to NPR, and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Entertainment Weekly. A.J. Jacobs is the author of It’s All Relative and the New York Times bestsellers The Know-It-All,The Year of Living Biblically, and The Guinea Pig Diaries

A delightful, easy-to-read, informative book.”—Kirkus, Starred Review“In his latest adventure book, author and experimentalist A.J. Jacobs enthusiastically shares in the human quest for self-knowledge that drives so many of us around the world to search for – and find – our roots. “Whether the author is being ruminative or rollicking, he is consistently thought-provoking in his "adventure in helping to build the World Family Tree," and his natural gift for humor lightens the mood of even the most serious discussion. As Jacobs’s (however distant) cousin, I admit I may be biased in singing his praises, but as It’s All Relative proves, who isn’t?”—Henry Louis Gates, Jr.. The astonishing discoveries he makes not only reveal the compelling possibilities of genealogical and genetic research; they remind us of the common bonds that unite us as a singl

Jacobs undergoes a hilarious, heartfelt quest to understand what constitutes family—where it begins and how far it goes—and attempts to untangle the true meaning of the “Family of Humankind.”A.J. Jacobs” (Entertainment Weekly). It’s All Relative is a fascinating look at the bonds that connect us all.. He drank beer with a US president, found himself singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and unearthed genetic links to Hollywood actresses and real-life scoundrels. Jacobs has received some strange emails over the years, but this note was perhaps the strangest: “You don’t know me, but I’m your eighth cousin. New York Times bestselling author of The Know-It-All and The Year of Living Biblically, A.J. Who are these people, A.J. Now Jacobs upends, in ways both meaningful and hilarious, our understanding of genetics and genealogy, tradition and tribalism, identity and connection. wondered, and how do I find them? So began Jacobs’s three-year adventure to help build the biggest family tree in history.Jacobs’s journey would take him