genealogy

"Actor and award-winning travel writer Andrew McCarthy discovers his ancestry in a compelling narrative that combines 26 intriguing and heartfelt stories about discovering home and roots with tips and recommendations on how to begin your own explorations. Addressing the explosive growth in ancestral travel, actor and travel writer Andrew McCarthy recounts his own quest to uncover his family's Irish history, along with 25 other prominent writers whose stories span the globe. Each story offers a personal take on journeying home; actively seeking unknown relatives, meeting up with seldom-seen family members, or perhaps just visiting the old country to get a feel for one's roots. Sidebars and a hefty resource section provide tips and recommendations on how to go about your own research, and a foreword by the Genographic Project's Spencer Wells sets the scene. Stunning images, along with family heirlooms, old photos, recipes, and more, round out this unique take on the genealogical research craze"--Provided by publisher.

The author tells the story of four generations of her family, from the nineteenth century through the 1990s, in an effort to show the impact of historical events and politics on Vietnamese families.