A.J. Jacobs "It's all Relative" Book Notice

I received this from my cousin A.J. Jacobs via email today:

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Hello Friends, Colleagues and Family (though everyone fits into that third category, as you’ll see),

I wanted to let you know that my new book It’s All Relative comes out today! And I also wanted to give you a little something for free just because you’re my distant-but-beloved cousin.

Let me say, I’m absurdly excited to have this book out in the world so that you can finally read it.
So far, the reviews have been delightfully flattering, such as….

“A real treat” (Booklist), “delightful” (Kirkus Reviews), “required reading” (Real Simple), “fascinating and funny” (CBS News), “entertaining… and lively” (Publishers Weekly), “the most original and entertaining book you’ll ever read about family” (bestselling author Mary Roach) and “why is Zane listed first in the acknowledgments?” (Lucas Jacobs, my 11-year-old son.)

The book is partly a memoir about my eccentric family. It’s also partly about the revolutions in DNA and family trees and the huge effect they’re having on politics, race relations and happiness. And it’s partly an adventure in which I try to put on the biggest family reunion in history, The Global Family Reunion. Because, as the book demonstrates, we’re all related. We are all cousins. Family is the ultimate social network.

It’s All Relative features black sheep, celebrity cousins (Daniel Radcliffe! John Legend!), separated-at-birth twins, genealogy obsessives, plenty of Mormons, a family with nine fathers, an African-American daughter of the revolution, the real Adam and Eve, kissing cousins and friendly Neanderthals, among much more.

It’s also a heartfelt argument against tribalism, which I believe is the biggest problem facing the world today. This idea of “us vs. them” is killing us. We need to remember that we share 99.9 percent of our DNA with all other humans. A Harvard study from last year showed that Israelis and Palestinians treated each other with more kindness when they were shown how closely they were related.

My website has a list of other press, including a People magazine feature that ran this week on me. And the image below is a link to a CBS This Morning piece where you can see me (and also my kids in the background enjoying green room croissants).


Here are some ways to support the book, if you’re moved.

You can buy it! Right now!

• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble
• BAM
• IndieBound

You can leave a review on the book page on Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever else you like to share and talk about books.

There’s also Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram in case you forgot they existed. People enjoy photos of other people holding books!

And now for the free part:

The book features an Appendix that gives you a How-To Guide to finding the best info about your own family. I’m offering this appendix to you now for free, in case you’re interested. It’s co-written by professional genealogist Eowyn Langholf. No obligation!

Click here to download the How-To Guide.

Thank you.
Your cousin, A.J.

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Disclosure:  I received a pre-publication digital version of this book and am in the process of reading it.  It is funny!!!  A.J. is my cousin also, see Cousins, Kinship, AJ Jacobs and King David (we are 92nd cousins, 23 times removed!  Who knew?).  A.J. proclaimed us "cousins" at RootsTech 2015 (and I still have the poster):

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2017/11/aj-jacobs-its-all-relative-book-notice.html

Copyright (c) 2017, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Are You Attending the Global Family Reunion on Saturday, 6 June 2015?

I am not able to attend the Global Family Reunion in person in New York City on Saturday, 6 June 2015.  However, I plan to "be there" at the SCGS Genealogy Jamboree when the Virtual Reunion occurs at 12:50 p.m. PDT.

The Global Family Reunion is being hosted by A.J. Jacobs, my distant cousin, who has put together an interesting day.  The web page for the Global Family Reunion is  http://globalfamilyreunion.com/:

Tickets to attend the GFR in person can be reserved at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/global-family-reunion-festival-tickets-15739970676?aff=GFRsitePRESALE.

The "About" page on the website says:

"The Global Family Reunion – coming June 6, 2015 – is the biggest, most extraordinary and most inclusive family reunion in history.

"Come meet fascinating cousins you never knew you had — and learn about how we are building a Family Tree of the entire Human Race.

"And do it for a good cause: The fight against Alzheimer’s. 

"Some details on the Global Family Reunion:

"What: An event like no other. Presentations by entertainers, authors and scientists! Music! Food! Exhibits! Comedy! Games for kids!

"When: June 6, 2015, from 11:00AM to 8:30PM.

"Who’s Invited: You! All seven billion members of the human family. Those with a proven connection to the world’s biggest family tree (currently at 77 million people) get a bracelet and take part of the largest family photo in history.

"Presentations: The GFR will feature talks and presentations by a wide range of fascinating  experts and entertainers. Among those who have already agreed to participate: Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush (via video), Comedy Central star Nick Kroll, NPR host Ophira Eisenberg and former Obama administration member Cass Sunstein. Many more speakers will be announced soon.

"Activities: The Global Family Reunion will have dozens of activities for all ages, including: A scavenger hunt from Watson Adventures. The world’s largest family photo. A talent contest. Exhibitions about family history and genealogy. Historical impersonators. Not to mention the 450 interactive exhibits at the New York Hall of Science, the museum where the reunion will take place.

"How: Thanks to amazing advances in genealogy and DNA, we are building a Family Tree of the entire world. Currently it’s at 77 million people. It’s easy to join! Websites such as  Geni  and  WikiTree allow you to collaborate with hundreds of others and figure out your place on the World Family tree. Hundreds of people are working to make the Global Family Reunion a reality, far too many to name, but you can see a list here.

"Partners: Among those helping to create the Global Family Reunion are  MyHeritage,  Geni.com,  FamilySearch 23andMe.com, FamilyTreeDNA, Federation of Genealogical Societies and WikiTree.

"Documentary: The Global Family Reunion will be the subject of a documentary by Morgan Spurlock.

"The Cause: Fighting Alzheimer’s. The Global Family Reunion has partnered with two remarkable organizations devoted to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. Namely, the Cure Alzheimer’s Fundand the Alzheimer’s Association New York Chapter. Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that affects more than 40 million members of the Human Family, a number that will climb exponentially unless we find a cure. In addition, to buying tickets, you can also support the cause by participating in the Surname Showdown to Fight Alzheimer’s (just click here) – a family friendly competition to see which family can raise the most money to battle this killing disease. 

"The Price: All proceeds will go to battling Alzheimer’s research, education and training.

"The Locations: The 2015 Global Family Reunion will be held on the site of the legendary 1964 New York World’s Fair. The grounds are now home to the New York Hall of Science, which is one of the top science-themed museums in the world. The museum holds 5,000 people, with a gorgeous, sprawling 11-acre outdoor space that can hold more than 10,000 more. The museum’s 450 hands-on interactive exhibits will be open to GFR attendees, including a space-themed mini-golf course, a design lab where you can create movies and 3-D print objects, and a collection of rockets.

"The Global Family Reunion will, in fact, be Global. We’re helping to organize branch parties all over the world. (Get it? Branches, as in Family tree?) Locations such as the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Clayton Library Center in Houston, Texas, Allen County Public Library in Wayne, Indiana and the Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence, Missouri are just a few that have a branch party in the works. If you want to get involved in a branch party please read our Branch Party FAQ and complete the Branch Party Interest Form.

"The Founder: The founder of the Global Family Reunion is bestselling author A.J. Jacobs, whose books include The Year of Living Biblically, The Know-It-All and Drop Dead Healthy. Jacobs is an NPR commentator and the editor at large at Esquire. He is a speaker with two TED talks that have reached over a million views. He is the father of three, the husband of one, and the cousin to millions.

"If you can’t make it in person, you can still be a part of history and watch the live stream, so be sure to sign up for the mailing list."

You can "Find Your Place on the Family Tree" at http://globalfamilyreunion.com/join-the-family/.  Add your name, location, email address, and your grandparents names, and you might be able to be added to the family tree.  If you submit this information, then you will receive emails from the Global Family Reunion.

There is supposed to be a livestream of the event from New York to Branch Parties, but no link has been published to date.  You can create a Branch Party for your group - see  http://globalfamilyreunion.com/volunteer/branch-party-faq/

The Southern California Genealogy Jamboree announcement of participation in the Global Family Reunion is at http://genealogyjamboree.blogspot.com/2015/06/jamboree-2015-brings-global-family.html.

Hey, I'm a  cousin!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/06/are-you-attending-global-family-reunion.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Global Family Reunion Launches Crowdfunding Campaign to Unite World and Fight Alzheimer's

Eowyn Langholf sent this notice via email about the Global Family Reunion:

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GLOBAL FAMILY REUNION LAUNCHES CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN TO UNITE WORLD AND FIGHT ALZHEIMER'S

The Global Family Reunion has just launched a crowdfunding campaign with two not-so-minor goals: Unite the world and battle Alzheimer’s.

The Global Family Reunion will take place June 6, 2015, and aims to be the biggest, most inclusive and most entertaining family reunion in history. Everyone is invited. It will include presentations by celebrities, genealogists, and famous scientists, music, comedy, games, interactive exhibits and food. The main event will be held on the grounds of the world’s fair in New York, but there will be simultaneous parties around the world.

It’s also a benefit to raise money for Alzheimer’s disease. When you purchase any of the Global Family Reunion campaign perks on IndieGoGo, you can feel good knowing that all proceeds -- after covering the costs of the event -- go toward battling Alzheimer’s. The Alzheimer’s Association New York City and the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund are the official beneficiaries. The event’s founder, author A.J. Jacobs, watched his grandfather succumb to dementia, and this inspired A.J. to make the reunion about keeping family memories alive.

Visit the campaign page to find out how you can contribute and get involved.

Among the perks available in the Global Family Reunion crowdfunding campaign:

--Tickets to the reunion

--A gorgeous computer visualization of how you’re linked to your 20,000 closest relatives by an Israeli data specialist

--Signed copies of A.J.’s upcoming book about the quest to unite the world with DNA and family trees.

--A.J. will even dedicate the book to the first person who donates $10,000 to the Alzheimer’s benefit. (His wife will understand).

The Global Family Reunion believes that massive multi-national family trees serve their own great purpose. Scientists are studying the online mega-family trees to see how diseases and traits are passed from generation to generation. Genealogy has the potential to help us find many cures. The mega-trees – which now number in the millions – also spur students to become interested in history. If you’re related to Abe Lincoln, even if distantly, you’re more likely to want to learn about him.

And the big hope is, once we see that all humans are, in fact, part of the same family, we'll treat each other with a little more kindness. As cousin John Lennon said, you may call us dreamers, but we're not the only ones.

About the Global Family Reunion

The Global Family Reunion was founded by author A.J. Jacobs, who became fascinated with the idea that every person on Earth is related to every other after entering his name in several genealogy websites and finding he was connected to people all over the globe. “My hope — and I know it’s a bit idealistic — is that once we see how closely we’re all related, we’ll be able to work together better and solve the world’s really big problems, including Alzheimer’s,” he says.

The Global Family Reunion will be the topic of Jacobs’s next book. Among those participating are speakers Henry Louis Gates and Dr. Mehmet Oz, actor Daniel Radcliffe (live or via video), President George H.W. Bush (via video) and comedian Nick Kroll. The event has already been featured in the New York Times, People Magazine, NPR and “Good Morning America.”

The Global Family Reunion’s partners include MyHeritage, Geni, FamilySearch, Findmypast, WikiTree, 23andMe, FamilyTree DNA and the Federation of Genealogical Societies.

If you are interested in attending, please see the event website at globalfamilyreunion.com for more information. Plus, take a few minutes and watch Jacobs’ TED talk The world’s largest family reunion…we’re all invited .

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I know that I am a cousin to A.J. Jacobs - he told me so, and I have a picture to prove it!!

Geni.com tells me that he is my "9th cousin once removed's husband's nephew."  That's not exactly a cousin relationship - but it's an extended family relationship.  

All is well, however, because Geni.com tells me that I'm descended from King David (yes, THAT King David) - I'm his 91st great-grandson (see Cousins, Kinship, AJ Jacobs and King David - posted 12 September 2014).  A.J. is the 114th great-grandson of King David according to Geni.com.  I can't account for the disparity.  If both of those descents are correct, then we are 92nd cousins 23 times removed.  

Unfortunately, the Global Family Reunion is scheduled for Saturday, June 6, 2015, right in the middle of the SCGS Genealogy Jamboree.  So I won't be able to attend the Global Family Reunion, but I'll watch the videos (there will be videos, right?) after the event and watch my cousin unite the world for Alzheimer's Disease. 

I will make a contribution to a very worthy cause which has touched my family. 

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/03/global-family-reunion-launches.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver