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

By A. J. Jacobs

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.”

And so begins A.J. Jacobs’s quest to build the biggest family tree in history. In an era of us-versus-them thinking, this book is a hilarious, heartfelt and profound exploration of what binds us all – where family begins, how far it goes, and the science that is revolutionizing the way we think about ethnicity, history and the human species.

This book is about A.J. Jacobs’s family. But it’s also about your family. Because it is the same family.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Release date: Feb 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781786073761

A. J. Jacobs

A.J. Jacobs is the author of Thanks a Thousand, It’s All Relative, Drop Dead Healthy, and the New York Times bestsellers The Know-It-All, The Year of Living Biblically, and My Life as an Experiment. He is a contributor to NPR, and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Entertainment Weekly. He lives in New York City with his wife and kids. Visit him at AJJacobs.com and follow him on Twitter @ajjacobs.

Reviews for It's All Relative

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I always enjoy A.J. Jacobs' social experiments. This time, he examines the world of genetics and the current fascination with DNA testing. He sets out to map his links to various people in support of the premise that, if you go back far enough, we are all related. He also begins organizing the world's largest family reunion because we are all cousins at some level. As usual, along with a fair bit of humour, Mr. Jacobs also educates us. In this case, I learned about trends in genealogy such as actively seeking out "black sheep". I gained a better understanding of why the Mormons have such an interest in genealogy. I learned about support groups for cousins who marry. And lots more.Highly recommended.

[jjbooklvr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very fun look at what constitutes family and how it has changed over time. As someone who does genealogy research on my own family I really enjoyed the author's experiences as he traced his family. A great primer for anyone thinking of doing their own genealogy research to show the highs and lows of what can be a rewarding and frustrating hobby.

[ouroborosangel · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was interesting and amusing in some places, but I didn't get the sense that this was an A.J. Jacobs' usual in-depth ultra-obsessed project book. This felt more like A.J. Jacobs-lite. It did get me looking into my family history, which I'm thankful for. I've learned that my great-grandmother's second marriage was to a man almost 15 years her junior (go, grandma!) and my maternal grandmother's family was probably Amish. So, if you are interested in genealogy at all, you will enjoy this book. If not, you will probably just give it a huge shoulder-shrug.

(A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.)

[karieh_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love reading about the journeys that A.J. Jacobs takes in his books. Whether it be a journey through the voluminous knowledge contained in the Encyclopedia Britannica, or a spiritual journey through many of the world’s religions or a personal health and fitness journey – the way he embraces new things, explores new ideas and pushes himself to consistently expand his world view is fascinating. And through it all – he keeps the reader engaged…and laughing.This is true again in his latest book – “It’s All Relative” bout a search through his own and the world’s family tree. He starts the book and his quest with an expert in the field – Randy Schoenberg (famously known now also for the being the lawyer that helped a woman get back family paintings from the Nazi’s – the basis for the movie “Woman in Gold”.)“So you’re interested in genealogy?” Randy says, when I call him for advice a few days later. “I warn you. It’s addictive.” I tell him I can handle it. “Randy explains to me that this is the most thrilling time in the history of genealogy. Which may sound a little like saying we’re in the sexiest era of professional bowling.”Humor aside – I always learn a great deal from Jacobs’ books. Like this:“I’d always thought Neanderthals were a primitive form of Homo sapiens. I figured they eventually evolved into us. That’s not the case. Neanderthals were an entirely different human species. Homo sapiens and Neanderthals are like foxes and wolves – related but distinct.”The most interesting aspect of the book for me was the struggle Jacobs had in defining “family”. Is family the nuclear one we are born/adopted into? Is it the family we choose to surround ourselves with? (As writer Armistead Maupin defines them – the “biological” and the “logical family”.) And how far out does that family go? Back to the beginning of humankind – we are all related? Or is there value in our clans – the people we are closest to? And what brings people together the most? Being defined as part of a specific group and building those bonds? Or losing all boundaries and embracing everyone as a relative? His musings on these definitions and descriptions is fascinating and makes for an excellent and beautiful story.“I know cemeteries can be beautiful, poignant, and sacred places for many people. But it’s become clear to me: What affects me emotionally isn’t seeing the ground where my ancestors’ bones lie. It’s hearing their tales, seeing their images, reading their words.” His words add to these voices in a poignant and touching way.

[bettytaylor56 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read his book “The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible.” I wasn’t crazy about it, nor am I for this book. However, it does have its good points. His sense of humor is always welcome. I figure his wife Julie must have a LOT of patience. Can you imagine living with a man that comes up with these crazy ideas? In this book he tackles the World Family Tree. Never heard of it? It is a remarkable effort to unite seven billion people into one family. (Remember the “six degrees of Kevin Bacon” thought?) Jacobs places emphasis on the idea that by proving we are all related perhaps we will be nicer to each other as we are all family. In the long term there is the idea that all the racial DNA mashups may reduce racism in the future.He visits many family reunions (not his family), attends conferences, and interviews numerous people involved in genealogy and/or the World Family Tree project. He address the pros and cons of the endeavor. Early on in his project he decides to stage his own family reunion and invite all those distant “cousins” with the goal to beat the record for largest family reunion in the Guinness Book of World Records. This man does not do small projects!I did find Chapter 15 quite interesting. He writes of how the meaning of families is changing as lifestyles change. Stepparents with step-siblings or half-siblings. Gay and trans parents. Sperm donors. Surrogate mothers. It keeps evolving. He makes the point that you can pretty much choose your own family. The book was often repetitive (too much so) and quite dry at times. There were several chapters that I felt were not needed. It seemed as though he had to deviate into side topics to have enough material for a book. Fortunately there are several humorous portions. All in all, I would pass on this book.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Journalist A.J. Jacobs immersed himself in the genealogical community for his latest adventure. He embarks on a quest to host the world's largest family reunion which he called "Global Family Reunion." He befriends many genealogists and enlists celebrities to promote the event and perform or speak at it. I was disappointed in the book. It was more about the global family reunion than it was about genealogical research.While occasional references to genealogical research are made, few persons are going to learn to research their ancestry in a correct manner by reading it. The author promotes the one world trees such as Geni.com far too much rather than emphasizing evidence analysis and reasonably exhaustive research. Reliance on these trees often leads to erroneous conclusions which propogate. The author's casual writing style does not work well for me either. The book employs the hidden footnote system which I detest. How is the reader supposed to know something is cited when no indication is made a footnote is available? This is completely unacceptable in a field such as genealogy where evidence is so important. While I'm happy to see a book about genealogical research published by a major publisher, I would have preferred one which encouraged proper methodology rather than emphasizing online trees. Not recommended.

[annbury_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a charming look at genealogical research from the point of view of someone who actually did it -- and then carried out his quest for family to an extreme, which I won't reveal. What's interesting here are the stories, and the variety, of Jacobs' ancestors. A pleasant, light read for those interested in genealogy, and in human descent.

[askelmore · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Best for: Fans of the experiential non-fiction genre. (I don’t know if that’s actually a thing; it’s just what I call books based on people doing something and then writing about it. Like Morgan Spurlock’s SuperSize Me, but in book form.)In a nutshell: Author Jacobs decides to explore the connection between all of us, via our ancestors.Line that sticks with me: “You want to be a Steve Jobs? You want to be an Albert Einstein? Don’t ever confuse that with being a good family man, or a good human being.” Why I chose it: I’ve read his other books and enjoyed them.Review: You might be familiar with Mr. Jacobs’s other work. He’s the guy who read the encyclopedia Britannica, who spent a year living by different commands from the Bible, and who tried all sorts of different ways to live his healthiest life. In this book, he decides to throw the world’s largest family reunion, based on the idea that we are all family.He comes onto this plan when he is contacted by someone who claims to be his eighth cousin. Which, if I understand correctly, means they share the same great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents. The full premise is, if you go back far enough, we all have the same initial great x whatever grandparents. But even without going back that far, you can find relatives that you can actually trace your connection to.Why does this matter? Because, according to Mr. Jacobs’s hopes, perhaps if we think of the stranger in front of us as a possible relative, we’ll be kinder to them. And not just on an individual level, but on a larger philosophical level. The book itself is a fun, pretty quick read. If you like his previous work, this won’t disappoint you.

[hikatie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I listened to the audiobook version, and it was breezy and engaging, and light enough to not miss the thread of an ongoing argument if I got distracted by something. I've worked in a local history department of a public library, much of which ends up being helping people do genealogy research, so there I didn't have much to learn from this overview of genealogy, lineage, interrelationships, and family, but it was engaging enough I don't feel like my time was wasted.

[othemts · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Jacobs has written excellent books about his lifestyle experiments of trying to follow all the explicit rules of the Bible and reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica.  Both books offer funny observations and lots of tidbits of arcane knowledge.  In this book, Jacobs applies a similar approach to genealogy, with much of the book structured around attempting a Guinness World Record for a Global Family Reunion, inviting everyone Jacobs is genetically related to (which could be everyone in the world).  Along the way, Jacobs examines traditional genealogical pursuits of family historians, and the newer methods of genetic testing and collaborative websites, and the tensions among them.  Jacobs visits with Mormon genealogists, attends the Hatfields and McCoys reunion, explores the practice of polyamory, goes to a twins convention, and interviews celebrities who are his distant relations. This book feels weak compared with Jacobs other books, as if he was seeking out other genealogical things to do to fill in blank spaces around his story of the family reunion.  Maybe it would've been more focused as shorter work rather than a book?

[lmjenkins · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This covers a few of my favorite bases. I love A.J.Jacobs and genealogy is a passion of mine. He doesn’t disappoint, and gets into the new effects of DNA testing in family research.

[hardlyhardy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A.J. Jacobs, a Jew, agrees with the Mormons, at least on one thing: We are all related. Go back far enough in our family trees and we will find connections with anyone and everyone. With that theme, Jacobs is off and running with his latest gimmicky book “It's All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree.” Jacobs is the guy who set out to read an entire encyclopedia from cover to cover (“The Know-It-All”) and tried to obey every law in the Bible (“The Year of Living Biblically”).This time he decides to organize the world largest family reunion, one to which everyone is invited because, well, we are all related. The reunion itself is almost anticlimactic for the heart of the book lies in his adventures along the way, meeting with the aforementioned Mormons, digging into his own family tree, discovering connections to the famous and the infamous, discussing some of the embarrassing discoveries that DNA research can reveal, interviewing both Hatfields and McCoys, etc.Jacobs writes with wit and charm, and this time he has a topic that impacts us all, our family (thinking small) or the brotherhood of man (thinking big). Like many people my age, I recently came down with the genealogy bug. The further back in time I go, mostly thanks to those Mormons, the more I am struck by what struck Jacobs: We are all cousins.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mr. Jacobs' take on the world of genealogy is typically funny and wry but also very genuine. His experiences with hunting down his ancestors and the way in which that changes his feelings towards everyone he meets is part of the magic of the process. Realizing that we are all connected does change the way we see each other. I only wish I had read this book sooner and heard of the reunion in time to attend!

[debnance_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have loved everything A. J. Jacobs has written so far, and I'm happy to say that I loved his new book, It's All Relative, too. Jacobs takes on huge personal projects in his writing. This time, he takes on genealogy. He does all the DNA tests, and researches his family members from the past, and decides to put on a huge family reunion. Everything he does makes me laugh, and laugh out loud, and it takes something good to have me laughing out loud. It's All Relative is something good.