Review of Uprooted
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- Emily Meadows
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Review of Uprooted
Uprooted by Peter J. Boni is a non-fiction book about the assisted reproductive technology (ART) industry and one man’s quest to learn all he could about his own conception. When Peter was 49 years old, his aging mother accidentally shared that his father was not his biological father and that he had been conceived through an anonymous sperm donor. The details of Peter’s conception were a secret that Peter’s mother and deceased father had never intended to share with him. Learning that his father was not his biological father was both a relief and a trauma for Peter. While he wouldn’t inherit his father’s mental illness, Peter realized he didn’t know his paternal medical history or genealogy. This sparked his decades-long journey to uncover the truth about his own conception and the mysterious, secretive industry of artificial insemination.
In the book, Peter shares his deepest thoughts around his conception in a way that adheres to his motto, “no more secrets.” (page 57). His willingness to share the ups and downs of his journey makes this a book that misattributed children worldwide will relate to. As Peter tenaciously searches for answers, he learns and shares a good deal about the history of the fertility industry. From its roots in the farming industry to the first successful pregnancy via sperm donation, artificial insemination has been a secretive, often-shunned practice. Peter is not the only donor-conceived person who has not known about it. On page 14 of the book, he says that the “number of donor-conceived humans has grown to well over one million.” Later in the book, Peter says that the “visibility and acceptability of artificial insemination” didn’t happen until the twenty-first century (page 244).
As someone who was adopted, I can personally appreciate Peter’s desire to learn about his biological roots. Interest in genealogy spawned DNA registries like 23andMe and Ancestry.com. These resources are changing the game by uncovering long-hidden truths about infertility, marital affairs, and adoptions. Peter’s story is a testament to how the truth changed his own life outlook completely. His book is fascinating and informative. As I read it, I found myself laughing at times and incredulous at other times. Peter is impeccable about citing his sources, and those citations were sometimes the only thing that convinced me that the crazy things I read about this largely unregulated, financially lucrative industry were true.
The only thing I disliked about the book was something barely worthy of complaining about. Peter did such a thorough job of researching and documenting the ART industry that there were times when his research slowed the pace of his personal story. Just as I would get excited about Peter making a discovery about his own heritage, he would jump back into the research. I didn’t want to wait to find out what had happened. It was worth the wait, however. Peter’s story is inspiring and exciting to read.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. It is well-written, well-cited, original, and very engaging. I found very few errors in the text, which told me it was professionally edited as well. I would recommend this book to donor-conceived children globally who are interested in learning more about the ART industry and Peter’s story. This research might also appeal to families using various fertility methods to conceive children. And finally, this book would be a great resource for anyone researching the ART industry; the author includes extensive research and citations of his findings.
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Uprooted
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- Rowan The-First
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