The Juggler's Children by Carolyn Abraham

Carolyn Abraham
The Juggler's Children: A Tale of Two Chromosomes that Solved a Family Mystery

Following the international publication of Possessing Genius: The Bizarre Odyssey of Einstein’s Brain in seven countries, a finalist for the Governor-General’s Literary prize for Non-Fiction, award-winning journalist Carolyn Abraham combines cutting-edge scientific discovery and old-fashioned storytelling to explore the remarkable power and ethical pitfalls of using genetic tests to answer questions of genealogy --- by cracking the genome of her own family.

In the space of a few short years, thousands of people have been drawn to mail-order DNA tests to learn about their ancestry and deep roots. Abraham investigates whether this burgeoning new science can help solve two mysteries that have haunted her multi-racial family for more than a century. Both hinge on her enigmatic great-grandfathers, who turned up in India in the nineteenth century from different corners of the globe and with very different stories. One was a sea captain who died young, and the other, a mysterious juggler who disappeared. The question is - can the DNA they left behind reveal their stories beyond the grave?

Armed with DNA kits, Abraham criss-crosses the globe, taking cells from relatives and strangers, a genetic journey that turns up far more than she bargained for – ugly truths and moral quandaries. While DNA does lead her to long-sought answers, it also proves that probing a family’s DNA is a Pandora’s Box. With lively writing and a compelling personal narrative, The Juggler’s Children tackles profound questions around the genetics of identity, race and humanity. It tells a big story about our small world, with vivid proof that genes bind us all to the branches of one family tree.

Praise for Carolyn Abraham's Possessing Genius :

Winner of the Canadian Science Writers’ Association 2001 Science in Society Book Award

Nominated for the 2002 Governor General’s Award for Nonfiction

“Abraham teases apart the strands of the whole bizarre, convoluted, ghoulish story of what happened to Einstein’s brain [and] covers all the angles—scientific, ethical, and humorous.” —Booklist

“Possessing Genius offers . . . a picaresque case history that shows, in unforgettable detail, that life is stranger than satire, and no man can remain dignified after he is dead.” —The Globe and Mail

“An enthralling book.” —Charlotte Gray, Ottawa Citizen

“The story Abraham tells is so engaging that the brain becomes an intriguing character.” —Los Angeles Times

Length: 320 pp
Setting: US, UK, India, China, Canada, the Caribbean
Period: contemporary
Publication Date: April 2012

Canadian rights, Random House Canada

For all other rights contact The Cooke Agency.

Carolyn Abraham is the medical reporter for The Globe and Mail, Canada’s leading national newspaper. Carolyn is a four time winner of the Canadian Science Writers Association annual award for her medical reporting, and a two-time winner of the Canadian Daily Newspaper Association award for feature writing. Abraham has also twice won National Newspaper Awards for her investigations related to medical research, most recently for her work on the controversial rise of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Carolyn Abraham appears often as an on-air television commentator on medical issues, wrote the chapter on the SARS outbreak in Canada at the request of the WHO, co-wrote the NFB production entitled DNA and Dollars, and appeared in the National Geographic documentary on Einstein’s brain that was broadcast in 14 countries. Carolyn lives in Toronto.

Possessing Genius: The Bizarre Odyssey of Einstein's Brai