Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love

Shapiro is an American writer, teacher, and podcast host. In addition to the New York Times bestseller Inheritance she has published three additional memoirs, as well as five novels, short fiction, essays, and journalistic pieces. She has taught in the writing programs at Columbia University, New York University, and The New School, among others. Shapiro was raised in an Orthodox family and strongly identified with her father’s relatives when a DNA test revealed she was not his biological daughter. Writing allowed her to process the experience of uncovering the truth and helped her come to terms with her new identity. Shapiro was born Daneile Shapiro. She officially changed her name to Dani after discovering the truth about her parents.

Paul is Shapiro’s Orthodox Jewish father. He descends from an illustrious family that includes the founder of Lincoln Square Synagogue, the president of the Orthodox Union, and other pillars of the observant Jewish community in the US and Israel. Paul was married three times. His first marriage was an arranged union that yielded one child, Susie, and ended in divorce. He married his second wife, the love of his life, knowing she was dying of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. His marriage to his third wife, Irene, was unhappy and marked by secrets.