Relative Strangers: Author Talk with B.K. Jackson 9/25/26

A book of intimate essays by adoptees and those with misattributed parentage, including donor conceived people, whose discoveries of previously unknown biological family have required them to reimagine who they are.

What happens when you find out the family you were raised in is not entirely—or not at all—your biological family? It’s a question millions face because—although these family secrets are revealed in many ways—as DNA testing soars in popularity, approximately one in four individuals who take a DNA test will discover an unknown close relative. 

According to the author, B.K. Jackson, “Even in a time and place where genealogy is a national pastime, family is revered, and lineage is a source of pride, the desire to know one’s genetic identity and the challenges of not knowing are widely misunderstood by those who’ve never had to question where they come from.”