Who Do You Think You Are? and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Buy Used
Used - Good See details
$7.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Kindle Edition
 
   
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History
 
 
Start reading Who Do You Think You Are? on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History [Hardcover]

Megan Smolenyak (Author), Wall to Wall Media (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)

List Price: $24.95
Price: $18.21 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $6.74 (27%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Temporarily out of stock.
Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your account will only be charged when we ship the item.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition --  
Hardcover $18.21  
Paperback, Bargain Price $6.00  
Mass Market Paperback $10.56  

Book Description

March 4, 2010
There is no such thing as an ordinary family. Each one has its own stories: the black sheep, the Civil War hero, the ancestors who fled to the United States, or the lost family fortune. No matter how plain you think your background is, chances are there is a saga just waiting to be discovered.

The ground-breaking NBC series Who Do You Think You Are? takes seven of America's best-loved celebrities-from Lisa Kudrow to Susan Sarandon-on an emotional journey to trace their family history and discover who they really are. The revelations are sometimes shocking, sometimes heartbreaking, and always fascinating.

With the Who Do You Think You Are? companion guide, you will learn how to chart your own journey into your past and discover the treasures hidden in your family tree. Featuring step-by-step instructions from one of America's top genealogical researchers, Who Do You Think You Are? covers everything a beginner needs to know to start digging into their roots, including:

* Full-color profiles of the celebrities' surprising revelations * Starting the search-it's as easy as pulling out the old family photos * Census information-where to find it and how to use it * What birth, death, and marriage certificates have to tell us * How to track down immigration and military documents * The latest breakthroughs in DNA testing * The best online resources to conduct your searches, and store your newfound discoveries to share with family and save for future generations It has never been easier to bring your family history to life. You will be amazed at how much there is to discover!

Check Out Related Media



Frequently Bought Together

Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History + How to Do Everything Genealogy + Quicksheet: Genealogical Problem Analysis- A Strategic Plan- Evidence! Style
Price For All Three: $39.37

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details

Buy the selected items together
  • Temporarily out of stock.
    Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your account will only be charged when we ship the item.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • How to Do Everything Genealogy $15.21

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Quicksheet: Genealogical Problem Analysis- A Strategic Plan- Evidence! Style $5.95

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details



Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Wall to Wall Media is one of the world's leading producers of factual and drama programming. Now in their twenty-first year, they have won many major awards including an Emmy for Baby It's You and an Oscar for the feature documentary Man on Wire. Theya re the producers of the multi-award winning television series Who Do You Think You Are?

Megan Smolenyak is the chief family historian and spokesperson for Ancestry.com, the largest genealogical company in the world. She has consulted for and appeared on Good Morning America, the Today show, CNN, NPR, and the BBC. She has written articles for numerous ancestry and genealogy publications.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Viking Adult (March 4, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0670021636
  • ISBN-13: 978-0670021635
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #570,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak (yes, that's her real name) is a genealogical adventurer who loves solving mysteries, making unexpected discoveries and pushing the boundaries of conventional genealogy.

A popular writer, speaker and TV guest, Megan has appeared on Good Morning America, the Today Show, the Early Show, CNN, NPR and BBC. In addition to consulting on shows ranging from Who Do You Think You Are? to Top Chef, she is the author of six books, a Huffington Post contributor, a cold case researcher for the Army, NCIS and the FBI, and former Chief Family Historian and spokesperson for Ancestry.com.

Her most recent books are Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing and Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History, companion guide to the NBC series.

You can find Megan online at the following sites:

* MeganSmolenyak.com (http://www.megansmolenyak.com)
* Honoring Our Ancestors (http://honoringourancestors.com)
* Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-smolenyak-smolenyak)
* Twitter (http://twitter.com/megansmolenyak)
* Facebook (http://facebook.com/smolenyak)
* LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/megansmolenyak)

 

Customer Reviews

34 Reviews
5 star:
 (29)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars From a librarian, April 2, 2010
This review is from: Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History (Hardcover)
As a reference librarian specializing in genealogy I was very eager to get this book. The quality of this book far exceeded my expectations. For beginners in family history and genealogy this is an excellent get started book. More experienced researchers should not ignore this book though, they too will find helpful information. While not a large book, it covers a broad range of topics that I found to be most helpful. This is a book that I have and will recommend to my patrons. Fans of the television show will also discover that each show has been recapped for them in a special section.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Genealogical Aid!, March 20, 2010
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History (Hardcover)

"Who Do You Think You Are?"


"Who Do Think You Are?" The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History, A companion To The NBC Series


By Megan Smolenyak [2], Chief Genealogical Consultant

Viking Penguin

2009

ISBN 978-0-670-02163-5

When my preordered book arrived, it was probably one of the most anticipated books I had ordered in quite some time!

Having been a fan of Megan's for a long time, I already knew it was going to be good.

Megan takes us on a journey, in plain, simple language, and easy understanding, to find our ancestors.

She fully explains the "tools of the trade" for someone who knows absolutely not one thing about genealogy, other than having a desire to trace their family history. But she does it in such a way that those of us who have been doing just such research for many years, finds it a pleasant recall and entertaining! Never is it boring, stuffy or redundant.

She touches on each of the NBC series participants, without giving so much away that we are let down when we actually watch the appropriate episode. Instead, we find ourselves saying, "I'm so glad she didn't give too much away! What a great show!"

In nine, easy-to-read chapters, Megan takes us through preparing for the search; using the Internet to assist us in our search; how to utilize the census records; using vital records [birth, marriage and death]; military records; performing research in other countries; and passing on our research through sharing.

If you haven't purchased your copy of "Who Do You Think You Are?" yet, I highly encourage you to get one now. Even if you've been researching for a long time, you're going to find some great vital information that you either didn't know about, or you have forgotten about! And if you are new to the "genie" bug, then I can't think of a better book to help you get started!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Good, fun to read, beginning guide, May 24, 2010
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History (Hardcover)
Although promoted as a "companion" to the popular TV series, this good and enjoyable guide to beginning genealogy really has little to do with the show, except for a color section in the middle covering each of the participants. Instead it's a nuts-and-bolts guide to 1) getting started on your family-history quest, and 2) the most commonly-used (and some not-so-common) records.

Smolenyak writes enthusiastically and well. She is passionate about her subject and it shows.

In some ways, the book suffers for the same reasons that the TV show suffers: it makes it look too easy. This is probably unavoidable in a beginning guide or a popular TV show since covering all the caveats might turn off the audience. That said, I wish there had been at least some emphasis on how one might go about developing skills, such as taking classes (which are often free or inexpensive), attending conferences, etc. Also lacking is any meaningful discussion of evaluation of and analysis of all of the various pieces of evidence one finds; obviously this can't be done thoroughly in a book like this, but it should at least be addressed.

The author works for [...], the giant online genealogical service; although it is noted on the jacket blurb, in the interest of full disclosure she could have been a little more forthcoming about that relationship throughout the book when one of ancestry's features or databases takes center stage. Her recommendation of [...]'s member tree feature (as her first suggestion for software to use for your data) is ludicrous; I would be very surprised if that is her own database software of choice. (Save the comments: I'm a whole-world subscriber to ancestry.com and think it's a fabulous and essential resource.)

What I especially like about this book, in addition to the writing, is its begin-at-the-beginning approach (start with yourself and work back); this may seem obvious, but it's not obvious to many beginners. There is a good section on home sources, talking to relatives, etc. The record examples and illustrations are great: generally from the famous or infamous (Chef Boyardee and Al Capone, to name a couple). Smolenyak's chapter about her search for President Obama's Irish ancestors is one of the best parts of the book because it illustrates difficult aspects to resolving a genealogical problem and, in this case, doesn't make it look easy.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to begin researching their family and to more experienced researchers who will probably find, as I did, some new (particularly online) resources.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
How much detail does this book have about the celebrity's research? 0 Apr 6, 2010
See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 

Search Customer Discussions
   



So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:





i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...