Author Talk with Peter J. Boni

Author Peter J. Boni will speak at West Falmouth library on Thursday, September 14th at 7pm. Mr. Boni is the author of Uprooted: Family Trauma, Unknown Origins, and the Secretive History of Artificial Insemination. This talk is free and open to the public.

Book summary: How a journey of self-discovery unearthed the scandalous evolution of artificial insemination By his forties, Peter J. Boni was an accomplished CEO, with a specialty in navigating high-tech companies out of hot water. Just before his fiftieth birthday, Peter’s seventy-five-year-old mother unveiled a bombshell: His deceased father was not biological. Peter was conceived in 1945 via an anonymous sperm donor. The emotional upheaval upon learning that he was misattributed rekindled traumas long past and fueled his relentless research to find his genealogy. Over two decades, he gained an encyclopedic knowledge of the scientific, legal, and sociological history of reproductive technology as well as its practices, advances, and consequences. Through twenty-first century DNA analysis, Peter finally quenched his thirst for his origin. In Uprooted, Peter J. Boni intimately shares his personal odyssey and acquired expertise to spotlight the free market methods of gamete distribution that conceives dozens, sometimes hundreds, of unknowing half-siblings from a single donor. This thought-provoking book reveals the inner workings–and secrets–of the multibillion-dollar fertility industry, resulting in a richly detailed account of an ethical aspect of reproductive science that, until now, has not been so thoroughly explored.

About the Author: Peter J. Boni credits his disruptive childhood, a state college education from UMass@Amherst, decorated on-the-ground service as a US Army Special Operations Team Leader in Vietnam (coined his “Rice Paddy MBA”), love of his family and friendship circle, plus luck-of-the-draw DNA with making him the person he has become today–an author, advocate, and fun-loving grandfather living on Cape Cod. During his accomplished business career (high-tech CEO, venture capitalist, board chairman, award-winning entrepreneur, senior advisor), Peter has applied “lessons of leadership through adversity” from his life-altering experiences–themes found throughout his first book, All Hands on Deck: Navigating Your Team Through Crises, Getting Your Organization Unstuck, and Emerging Victorious.

“Uprooted is a genetic whodunit, with all the twists and turns of a mystery novel,
and the added bonus that it’s all true. Boni’s gripping story of his search for his roots and the identity of his biological father is poignant, bittersweet, and revelatory. Highly recommend.” -Jacqueline Mroz, contributor, science/health section, The New York Times

“Uprooted is a passionate telling of a secret that was intended to be taken to the grave…This is a story that not only provides a startling look at reproductive technologies but also serves as a wake-up call for an industry practice that no one talks about.” –Readers’ Favorite