Greetings Fellow Family History Sleuths,

I'm so excited to announce my new book, video and website! Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing is a collection of my favorite investigatory romps from the past decade (check out what Ken Burns had to say!). I invite you to watch my shiny new video on the homepage of my new website, MeganSmolenyak.com, to get a taste! I'd love to hear your reactions to both! I'd also greatly appreciate it if you'd consider joining me at one of my upcoming events in NJ, PA, MD, VA, AZ, TX, OH, IN, CA and even online (thanks to Legacy Family Tree) – and please let your genealogical buddies know, too!

Thanks a million!

Click to watch the book trailer for Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing:

Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing

Purchase through Amazon

You've heard of the Dog Whisperer?
Meet the Ancestor Rescuer.

Part forensic scientist, part master sleuth, Megan Smolenyak² has solved some of America's oldest and most fascinating genealogical mysteries. You've read the headlines, now get the inside story as the "Indiana Jones of genealogy" reveals how she cracked her news-making cases, became the face of this increasingly popular field-and redefined history along the way.

How did Smolenyak² discover Barack Obama's Irish ancestry and his relation to Brad Pitt? Or the journey of Michelle Obama's family from slavery to the White House? Or the startling links between outspoken politicians Al Sharpton and Strom Thurmond? And why is Smolenyak²'s name squared? Test your own skills as she reveals her exciting secrets.

Whether she's scouring websites to uncover the surprising connections between famous figures or using cutting-edge DNA tests to locate family members of fallen soldiers dating back to the Civil War, Smolenyak²'s historical sleuthing is as provocative, richly layered, and exciting as America itself.

"Watch out Watson and Crick! Megan Smolenyak decodes our
fascinating, complicated past in this tour de force of detective work."
- Ken Burns

"Thank you for taking the time to lay out our family map...
You're practically family. You certainly know more about us than we do."
- Stephen Colbert

"This splendid book makes genealogy come alive in the most
vivid and compelling manner."
- from the Foreword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

"Megan is a genealogist's dream,
a forensic investigator who can also tell a great story."
- Sam Roberts, The New York Times

"Megan is a blessing to cold-case detectives and a master genealogist."
- Julie M. Haney, special agent, NCIS Cold Case Homicide Unit

"Megan . . . is, hands down, America's greatest genealogist,
and this book is proof of it."
- Andrew Carroll, editor of the New York Times bestsellers War Letters and Behind the Lines

"The Indiana Jones of genealogy...Megan Smolenyak is a national treasure."
- Buzzy Jackson, author of Shaking the Family Tree

"Megan Smolenyak is the genealogist's genealogist - the go-to person for building
your family tree and solving stubborn historical mysteries."
- Dr. Spencer Wells, Director of the Genographic Project, National Geographic

You might also be interested in...

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

Purchase through Amazon

Purchase through Barnes & Noble

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. It has never been easier to bring your family history to life. You will be amazed at how much there is to discover!

Upcoming Events

For more information on these events, please see my Events Calendar. And if you're interested in scheduling me, just click here.

• February 7, 2012 - Philadelphia, PA - Barnes & Noble - "Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing" Book Signing
• February 9, 2012 - Cherry Hill, NJ - Barnes & Noble - "Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing" Book Signing
• February 15, 2012 - Bethesda, MD - Barnes & Noble - "Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing" Book Signing
• February 16, 2012 - McLean, VA - Barnes & Noble - "Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing" Book Signing
• March 10, 2012 - Tucson, AZ - Tucson Festival of Books - "Hey, America, Your Roots are Showing"
• March 15, 2012 - New York, NY - The Frank DeCaro Show, Sirius XM Radio - 11:15 a.m.
• March 20, 2012 - Trenton, NJ - New Jersey State Library - "Cases That Made My Brain Hurt"
• April 18-20, 2012 - Houston, TX - Texas Library Association - "Next Generation Genealogy"
• April 25, 2012 - Legacy Family Tree - "Reverse Genealogy: Finding the Living" Webinar
• May 19, 2012 - Valley View, OH - East Cuyahoga County Genealogical Society - "Trace Your Roots with DNA," "Reverse Genealogy: Techniques for Finding Your Lost Loved Ones," "Find The Obituary! Online Newspaper Research" and "Cases That Made My Brain Hurt"
• June 5, 2012 - Short Hills, NJ - Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society - "Trace Your Roots with DNA"
• June 8-10, 2012 - Burbank, CA - 2012 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree - Family History Writers Conference Session, "Reverse Genealogy: Techniques for Finding Your Lost Loved Ones," "Giving Back: A Look at 10+ Years of Genealogy Grants" and "Find That Obituary! Online Newspaper Research"
• July 20-21, 2012 - Indianapolis, IN - Indiana Historical Society Midwestern Roots Conference - "Adventures Behind the Scenes" Panel, "Reverse Genealogy: Techniques for Finding Your Lost Loved Ones," "Cold Cases: Genealogists, Coroners and the FBI," "Hey, America, Your Roots are Showing" and "Trace Your Roots with DNA"
• August 1, 2012 - Legacy Family Tree - "Neglected History" Webinar
  September 29, 2012 - Manassas, VA - Ruth E. Lloyd Information Center (RELIC) for Genealogy and Local History - "Cases That Made My Brain Hurt"

Join Megan on: