Book cover of Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation

Book description

“Extraordinary and wide-ranging . . . a literary feat that simultaneously builds and excavates identity.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
 
Roxane Gay’s Audacious Book Club Pick • Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize • An acclaimed writer goes searching for the truth about her…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Ancestor Trouble as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This book has a lot of genealogy and spinoffs, which demonstrate all the reasons I love genealogy and, hence, love this book. Newton digs into her past and uncovers secrets and more, which leads to her knowing herself better as well as her family.

I really liked that she delved into associated topics such as kin and why they matter, epigenetics, a critique of DNA websites, spiritual practices, and connecting with and honoring one’s ancestors. I agree with what she writes, “We can see more clearly where we need to go, how we may best live if we know precisely…

If you love Ancestor Trouble...

Book cover of The Rosewood Penny

The Rosewood Penny by J.S. Fields,

2023 Queer Indie Award Nominee!

The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.

On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive…

Want books like Ancestor Trouble?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Ancestor Trouble.

Browse books like Ancestor Trouble

Book cover of The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South
Book cover of South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation
Book cover of The Family Tree: A Lynching in Georgia, a Legacy of Secrets, and My Search for the Truth

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,343

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Ancestor Trouble, you might also like...

Book cover of Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman

Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman by Alexis Krasilovsky,

Kate from Jules et Jim meets I Love Dick.

A young woman filmmaker’s journey of self-discovery, set against a backdrop of the sexual liberation movement of the 1970s and 1980s. In Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman, we follow Ana Fried as she faces the ultimate…

Book cover of Malcolm Before X

Malcolm Before X by Patrick Parr,

Malcolm Before X is about finding a way to continue moving forward after everything has been taken from you. While in prison, Malcolm Little discovered the power of reading and found a way to transform his character and become a better man. This half-biography focuses on that transformation, especially his…

5 book lists we think you will like!