Review: The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy

The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy by Blaine T. Bettinger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is, essentially, a text book for a class you teach yourself. I walked into it with a scattered and decent sense of what DNA can tell me as a prospective genealogist, and I finished it with a much fuller grounding. There’s a lot I have to go back and get down more clearly, but I’m solid enough with all of this that I could tell an absolute beginner the differences between the commercially available DNA tests.

There’s not a whole lot more to say than that. Bettinger does what he promises he’ll do. The charts are clear, his language is straightforward, and I sense that some of the more detailed discussions will be useful if I ever pursue some of these questions in an applied way.

I understand that this is the definitive book on the subject, at least at this moment. I’m sure this will be dated within a few years – the science is evolving (as Bettinger clearly and intriguingly explains) and much of the approach here is tied to the commercial offerings of 23andme, Ancestry.com, and Family Tree DNA, which will, almost certainly, change rapidly to meet new consumer demand – but that’s fine.

If, like me, you couldn’t find a single place to get all the answers, this is that place. It’s going on my shelf, and I expect I’ll be consulting it.


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