Posted: 01/14/2011

 

Who Do You Think You Are?

(2010)

by Shannon Huebscher




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Who Do You Think You Are? is a fantastic documentary series that chronicles the genealogical history of seven celebrities: Sarah Jessica Parker, Emmitt Smith, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Broderick, Brooke Shields, Susan Sarandon and Spike Lee. We get to watch each of them discover stories about their family’s past, as they all travel across the country (and sometimes across the world) to link together their history.

In a culture obsessed with celebrities, it is refreshing to see a show that may feature celebrities but instead shows how much they are just like us. Many of us know where our parents or grandparents are from, but not very many know much past that. Who Do You Think You Are? uncovers the (sometimes secret) past, giving a better clarity as how they became the person they are today. Some of the amazing discoveries range from finding a royal connection, to a soldier who fought in the battle of Gettysburg, to a dancer at the Copacabana, to learning the family who “owned” their slave ancestors.

An important show, Who Do You Think You Are? gives viewers the opportunity to learn about some of the common threads that make all of us American.

Shannon Huebscher is a freelance writer living in Minneapolis.



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