It's All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree - Tapa dura

"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. 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. 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 single global family. 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.

"A.J. Jacobs is descended from pretzel vendors, dwarf pony breeders, and purveyors of bogus hemorrhoid salves, which may or may not explain why I love his books so much. Mostly it's because, like life itself, A.J. is deep and goofy at the same time. It's All Relative is the funniest, most thoughtful, most original and entertaining book about family that you will ever read and wish you'd written."--Mary Roach

"A.J. Jacobs has done it again! Having once lived the Ten Commandments for a year (even going so far as to "stone" an adulterer with pebbles), his new book, It's All Relative, Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree, takes us on another unique adventure that pits idealism vs. practicality: Bringing about world peace and harmony by finding "cousin" connections among people throughout the globe and then hosting a "Global Family Reunion." Jacobs again opens up to us his insightful (and hysterically bizarre) thought processes as he plots the end of hate and conflict through one massive first-of- its-kind event."--Scott Fisher, host of Extreme Genes

"Whimsical but also full of solid journalism and eye-opening revelations about the history of humanity, the book is a real treat."--Booklist, Starred Review

"A hilarious read from beginning to end."--Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take, Originals, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg.

"A terrific read and A.J. is a terrific writer...funny and super-interesting."--Michael Ian Black

"Esquire contributing editor Jacobs (The Year of Living Biblically) muses on the nature of family and the interconnectedness of humanity in this entertaining introduction to the world of genealogy...With short, lively chapters and an easygoing voice, Jacobs keeps the story flowing."--Publishers Weekly

"I think it's A.J. Jacobs's best book yet!"--Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired and author of The Inevitable

"Jacobs decides to hunt down his farthest-flung relations (Daniel Radcliffe, et al.) in order to host the world's largest family reunion. He fails to set the record, but succeeds in crafting a diverting chronicle of a country split apart and yet more self-consciously interrelated than ever."--New York Magazine

New York Times bestselling author of The Know-It-All and The Year of Living Biblically, A.J. 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 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. And we have over 80,000 relatives of yours in our database.”

That’s enough family members to fill Madison Square Garden four times over. Who are these people, A.J. 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 to all seven continents. 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. After all, we can choose our friends, but not our family.

“Whether he’s posing as a celebrity, outsourcing his chores, or adhering strictly to the Bible, we love reading about the wacky lifestyle experiments of author A.J. Jacobs” (Entertainment Weekly). Now Jacobs upends, in ways both meaningful and hilarious, our understanding of genetics and genealogy, tradition and tribalism, identity and connection. It’s All Relative is a fascinating look at the bonds that connect us all.