David L. Stern, MBA

In Uprooted, Mr. Boni recounts his personal quest to discover his biological origins. Having been in the reproductive health industry for more than 28 years, what is unique about Uprooted is the historical perspective that puts the current occurrence of sperm donation into context. Boni traces its early beginnings in the twelfth century, through the very controversial practice of eugenics in the late 1800s, until modern times, when sperm donation has become a common practice and accounted for millions of children born worldwide. With the new tools of DNA analysis and companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.com, the identity of a sperm donor, once a very private matter, (the use of a sperm donor has a negative emotional impact on infertile men) is now available online in a matter of weeks. Mr. Boni’s obsession and diligence in searching for his mysterious biological father and his true origins kept me riveted as I empathized with the ups and downs of his journey.