Bringing together conceptual obstacles and core concepts of evolutionary theory, this book presents evolution as straightforward and intuitive.

An Excerpt from When Descendants Become Ancestors "Congratulationsyoure going to be an ancestor (someday). You cannot escape it. Nor can I. Nor can anyone else. Thats not necessarily a bad thing, depending on your beliefs about an afterlife, but each body ultimately ceases to exist. We all know that. From the moment of birth, each of us begins a journey that must ultimately conclude with our entrance into ancestry. As we research our own ancestors and mourn the lack of information available to us, we forget that we are the future ancestors of our descendants. And if we dont leave to them the kinds of information about our lives that we crave to know about our own forefathers, then we are merely perpetuating the problem." How often have you regretted your failure to engage the elder generations of your family for information about their lives and memories? How many times have you wanted just one more hour with a deceased relative who could answer that one burning question that you suddenly thought about, and that no one else can answer? Perhaps you remember a time when an older acquaintance wanted to share with you some stories about the good old days, but you couldnt be bothered. Most of us have had regrets like these, as will our descendantsunless we seek to record and preserve some stories for their use. Whether our stories are short and simple or long and complex matters not, but these stories will become part of their heritage and can certainly influence their lives. Though our contributions may not be recognized for decades, our lives matter to future generations and our stories should be told. The rest is up to each of us.

A Black descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings’ family explores America’s racial reckoning through the prism of her ancestors—both the enslaver and the enslaved. Gayle Jessup White had long heard the stories passed down from her father’s family, that they were direct descendants of Thomas Jefferson—lore she firmly believed, though others did not. For four decades the acclaimed journalist and genealogy enthusiast researched her connection to Thomas Jefferson, to confirm its truth once and for all. After she was named a Jefferson Studies Fellow, Jessup White discovered her family lore was correct. Poring through photos and documents and pursuing DNA evidence, she learned that not only was she a descendant of Jefferson on his father’s side; she was also the great-great-great-granddaughter of Peter Hemings, Sally Hemings’s brother. In Reclamation she chronicles her remarkable journey to definitively understand her heritage and reclaim it, and offers a compelling portrait of what it means to be a black woman in America, to pursue the American dream, to reconcile the legacy of racism, and to ensure the nation lives up to the ideals advocated by her legendary ancestor.

John Lewis Benson, born in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, was an 8th generation descendant of John Benson, who arrived in America at Plymouth Colony on 11 April 1638 on the ship "Confidence." After being reared in Chautauqua County, New York, John Lewis Benson's father, William, took him to Rock Island County, Illinois, following his daughters who had already made the migration. Shortly after reaching his majority, John Lewis Benson went to "Bleeding Kansas" as part of the wave of Abolitionists who sought to "keep Kansas free," which action reflected the devout Puritan Calvinism of his Benson forebears. He enlisted in the 5th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry two months after the first canon was fired on Fort Sumter, and served until the end of the War of Rebellion, being mustered out on 22 June 1865. He then returned to Kansas where he prospered, married, and fathered 5 children. He lost all his worldly possessions due to drought and the economic collapse following The Panic of 1873, and then moved about Kansas seeking a new start. During this difficult period, his wife died, leaving him a widower with 4 children ages 6 to 11. He soon married a divorcee who brought her 3 children, ages 1 to 3, to the marriage. In his second marriage, John Lewis fathered three more children. After the Unassigned Lands of Oklahoma Territory were opened for settlement in 1899, John Lewis and his blended family moved there and share-cropped 40 acres southeast of Guthrie, Oklahoma, which he eventually bought. He died on this farm on 23 March 1906. This book by one of his great-grandsons tells the story of his life, the lives of his five sisters and one brother, and their ancestry back to 16th century Oxfordshire, England.

Lost for centuries, the Kebra Nagast (The Glory of Kings) is a truly majestic unveiling of ancient secrets. These pages were excised by royal decree from the authorized 1611 King James version of the Bible. Originally recorded in the ancient Ethiopian language (Ge'ez) by anonymous scribes, The Red Sea Press, Inc. and Kingston Publishers now bring you a complete, accurate modern English translation of this long suppressed account. Here is the most startling and fascinating revelation of hidden truths; not only revealing the present location of the Ark of the Covenant, but also explaining fully many of the puzzling questions on Biblical topics which have remained unanswered up to today.

This national bestseller, now in paperback, reveals how all humans are descended from seven prehistoric women--the Seven Daughters of Eve.