Journalism alum Lawrence Ingrassia weaves personal loss with scientific discoveries in second book

Lawrence Ingrassia (BS ’74, journalism) has written a new book, A Fatal Inheritance: How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly Medical Mystery.

A Fatal Inheritance, which will be available on May 14, 2024, narrates the tale of a team of dedicated researchers who solved the medical mystery behind seemingly unrelated cancers devastating his and other families. 

The book has been described as “a compelling personal chronicle of tragedy and triumph.”

Ingrassia is a former business and economics editor and deputy managing editor at the New York Times, having previously spent 25 years at the Wall Street Journal, as Boston bureau chief, London bureau chief, money and investing editor, and assistant managing editor. 

He also served as managing editor of the Los Angeles Times. The coverage he directed won five Pulitzer Prizes as well as Gerald Loeb Awards and George Polk Awards. 

His first book, Billion Dollar Brand Club, chronicles the rise of popular direct-to-consumer e-commerce brands and was shortlisted for several best business book awards for 2020.