Edward Ball discusses his new book *The Genetic Strand*. Ball, a National Book Award winner and Georgia native, looks at the hard science behind DNA forensics, while examining his own mixed family history. *The Genetic Strand* argues that there are hidden dangers in deifying the work of molecular biologists and uncovers several surprising scientific failures. Ball's other books include *Slaves in the Family*, *Peninsula of Lies* and *The Sweet Hell Inside*.
Edward Ball was born in Savannah, Georgia; graduated from Brown University; and was a writer for *The Village Voice*. His first book, *Slaves in the Family*, won the National Book Award. He is also the author of *The Sweet Hell Inside*. Edward Ball is the son of an Episcopal priest from an old Southern family in Charleston. His mother was a bookkeeper raised in New Orleans. When he learned that his ancestors once owned many thousands of slaves, he decided to research his family's unsavory past. The result was his first book *Slaves in the Family*.