Books by Francois Weil

Americans’ long and restless search for identity through family trees illuminates the story of America itself, according to François Weil, as preoccupation with social standing, racial purity, and national belonging gave way to an embrace of diversity in one’s forebears, pursued through Ancestry.com and advances in DNA testing.

In telling the story of how New York has grown from Dutch colonial outpost to the global city, 'the capital of the 21st century', Francois Weil also examines the social tensions that have arisen from this evolving role and how the New York experience has affected American notions of urban space.