The Lost Family

In 1960s Manhattan, patrons flock to Masha's to savor its brisket Wellington and impeccable service, and to admire its d... (more)

In 1960s Manhattan, patrons flock to Masha's to savor its brisket Wellington and impeccable service, and to admire its dashing owner and head chef, Peter Rashkin. With his movie-star food looks and tragic past, Peter, a survivor of Auschwitz, is the most eligible bachelor in town. But he does not care for the parade of women who come to the restaurant hoping to catch his eye. He has resigned himself to a solitary life. Running Masha's consumes him as does the terrible guilt of having survived the horrors of a Nazi death camp while his wife, Masha, the restaurant's namesake, and two young daughters perished. Then exquisitely beautiful June Bouquet, an up-and-coming young model, appears at the restaurant, piercing Peter's guard. Though she is twenty years his junior, the two begin a passionate, whirlwind courtship. When June unexpectedly becomes pregnant, Peter proposes, believing that beginning a new family with the woman he loves will allow him to let go of the atrocities of the past, even though he cannot forget all that he has lost. But over the next twenty years, the indelible sadness of those memories will overshadow Peter, his new wife June, and their daughter, Elsbeth, transforming them in shocking, heartbreaking and unexpected ways. (less)

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"You swab your cheek or spit in a vial, then send it away to a lab somewhere. Weeks later you get a report that might te... (more)

"You swab your cheek or spit in a vial, then send it away to a lab somewhere. Weeks later you get a report that might tell you where your ancestors came from or if you carry certain genetic risks. Or the report could reveal long-buried family secrets and upend your entire sense of identity. Soon a lark becomes an obsession, a relentless drive to find answers to questions at the core of your being, like "Who am I?" and "Where did I come from?" Welcome to the age of home genetic testing. In The Lost Family, journalist Libby Copeland investigates what happens when we embark on a vast social experiment with little understanding of the ramifications. She explores the culture of genealogy buffs, the science of DNA, and the business of companies like Ancestry and 23andMe, all while tracing the story of one woman, her unusual results, and a relentless methodical drive for answers that becomes a thoroughly modern genetic detective story. Gripping and masterfully told, The Lost Family is a spectacular book on a big, timely subject" -- Goodreads.com. (less)

In 1960s Manhattan, patrons flock to Masha's to savor its brisket Wellington and impeccable service, and to admire its d... (more)

In 1960s Manhattan, patrons flock to Masha's to savor its brisket Wellington and impeccable service, and to admire its dashing owner and head chef, Peter Rashkin. With his movie-star food looks and tragic past, Peter, a survivor of Auschwitz, is the most eligible bachelor in town. But he does not care for the parade of women who come to the restaurant hoping to catch his eye. He has resigned himself to a solitary life. Running Masha's consumes him as does the terrible guilt of having survived the horrors of a Nazi death camp while his wife, Masha, the restaurant's namesake, and two young daughters perished. Then exquisitely beautiful June Bouquet, an up-and-coming young model, appears at the restaurant, piercing Peter's guard. Though she is twenty years his junior, the two begin a passionate, whirlwind courtship. When June unexpectedly becomes pregnant, Peter proposes, believing that beginning a new family with the woman he loves will allow him to let go of the atrocities of the past, even though he cannot forget all that he has lost. But over the next twenty years, the indelible sadness of those memories will overshadow Peter, his new wife June, and their daughter, Elsbeth, transforming them in shocking, heartbreaking and unexpected ways. (less)