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Join us as Center of the American West affiliate and local historian, Buzzy Jackson, releases her newest book,��Shaking the Family Tree: Blue Bloods, Black Sheep, and Other Obsessions of an Accidental Genealogist. “Who are you and where do you come from?” As a historian, Jackson thought she knew the answers to these simple questions – that is, until she took a look at her scrawny family tree. With a name like Jackson (the twentieth most common American surname), she knew she must have more relatives and more family history out there, somewhere. In��Shaking the Family Tree, Jackson dives headfirst into her family gene pool: flying cross-country to locate an ancient family graveyard, embarking on a week-long genealogy Caribbean cruise, and even submitting her DNA for testing. Through her research, she connects with distant relatives; traces her roots back more than 250 years; and discovers – genetically, historically, and emotionally – the true meaning of “family” for herself.

Buzzy Jackson is a Research Associate at the Center of the American West, where she has taught undergraduate courses and worked on a range of projects, including the recent PBS film,��Lovers’ Guide to the West: Living With Energy; the anthology��Remedies for a New West; and a history of the Denver Water Department. Jackson received a Ph.D. in History from UC Berkeley, where she wrote her first book,��A Bad Woman Feeling Good: Blues and the Women Who Sing Them��(W. W. Norton: 2005). She writes for a variety of publications and is currently at work on a new book project.