The Lie: When DNA Reveals the Family Secret by Heather Dawn Gray, published in 2019 by hdg Publishing. The story centers around Jahana, a college professor and Muslim woman living in Canada, married to Barid, and mother of two young daughters on a quest to discover the truth about her heritage when a small tube of saliva upends her life forever.
Noosha never volunteered or answered questions about her people. After her death, Jahana's curiosity about her Maman and her family intensified, and her lack of knowledge only compounded the grief she felt over the loss of her mother.
To support his wife, Barid buys a DNA testing kit for Jahana, hoping it will help ease her sadness by finding long-lost relatives from the maternal side of her family and answering the mystery surrounding her beloved Maman. No good deed goes unpunished, though; when the results come in, Jahana is shocked that the test reveals that she is not...a 'descendent of Muhammed,' as she always believed based on the childhood teachings from both her parents. Instead, Jahana discovers that she is an Ashkenazi Jew.
DNA is passed from both parents to the child. That's an undisputed fact. So which parent did Jahana inherit her Jewish ethnicity from...mother, father, or both? The revelation that she's not Arabic, as she grew up believing, is devastating news to Jahana and potentially dangerous. She must keep this information secret from those closest to her as she attempts to get to the bottom of what promises to be one of the greatest scandals in her family history.
Where does Jahana begin? Her father would be the most logical starting point, but he's made it clear that he does not want Jahana to take the DNA test in the first place. As a matter of fact, he is adamantly opposed to it. The question is, why? Does Baba already know the secret? If not, what will he say when he finds out, and if he does know... then why was Jahana never told? Suppose Jahana's paternal cousin Mishal would also be willing to take a DNA test. Would the results of her test complicate matters further?
And to make matters worse, Jahana's husband, Barid, is a strict Muslim with pointed antisemitic views. What impact will Jahana's discovery have on their marriage and the lives of their children? Barid bought the DNA test as an anniversary gift for his wife. Not exactly romantic, but now that she's taken it, will this be their last anniversary as a married couple because of the results?
How does Jahana get the answers to all the questions swirling around in her head without revealing the secret that carries a threat that could likely unravel her entire way of life?
The Lie: When DNA Reveals the Family Secret is a tense and thought-provoking work of fiction that opens up a line of questioning that anyone that has ever taken or is contemplating taking a DNA test must ask themselves, starting with...can you accept the outcome that may alter everything that you once thought you knew about yourself and your family? Or will you turn your back on the results as though they don't exist? You'll need to read the book to find out how Jahana answered these questions.
My Personal Rating is ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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