Bestselling Author Dani Shapiro on Family Secrets and the Religion She Left Behind

What happens when a DNA test upends everything you thought you knew about family?

Check out our Podcast:
➡️https://linktr.ee/identifiedpodcast?u...

In this episode, I sit down with best-selling author Dani Shapiro, whose memoir Inheritance explores identity, secrecy, and the meaning of family after discovering her biological father wasn’t who she thought. We talk about how hidden histories shape us, the tension between nature and nurture and what it really means to belong. Dani opens up about her Orthodox Jewish upbringing, her discovery through 23andMe, and how she’s redefining family in her own life.

So how do we reconcile the stories we’re told with the truths we uncover—and what does that mean for who we really are?

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0:00 – What does family really mean to Dani?
0:33 – What secrets shaped her family history?
4:21 – Who was Aunt Shirley, the family historian?
7:19 – Why was there a disconnect between her parents’ sides?
9:12 – What did 23andMe reveal about her family tree?
12:05 – How did she discover her biological father?
13:16 – How did this change her Jewish identity?
22:02 – How did she build a relationship with her biological father?
26:05 – Why did she protect privacy in Inheritance?
33:26 – How does she redefine family today?

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Identified is a podcast series that explores identity, race, culture, and family through personal conversations. Hosted by author and music executive Nabil Ayers, each episode dives into lived experiences that reveal how our backgrounds shape who we are—and how we find belonging.

Nabil is the author of My Life in the Sunshine (Viking, 2022), and has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, and GQ on themes of race, music, and personal history. He’s also the President of Beggars Group US, co-founder of Sonic Boom Records, and founder of the record label The Control Group / Valley of Search.

Identified brings together notable voices for reflective, vulnerable conversations about where we come from—and where we’re going.

Read more about Nabil:
➡️https://www.nabilayers.com/?utm_sourc...

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