node/javascript - parse data from external local file

I am sure this is a simple answer but I do not find it. Working through Eloquent Javascript, I am stumped on 5-2 Mother-Child Age Difference. The data is provided in a file, ancestry.js. I have stored this in my working directory. According to the comment at the bottom of that file, if i require that file in my js file, it will be imported as ANCESTRY_FILE (I am still learning js so maybe I misunderstand this?). Anyway when I feed my simple js query to node it says ANCESTRY_FILE is not defined. What am I not getting? Running 05_ageDiff.js should result in printing 39 to the console. thx

console:

$ node ./05_ageDiff.js
/home/EloquentJS/05_ageDiff.js:3
var ancestry = JSON.parse(ANCESTRY_FILE);
                          ^

ReferenceError: ANCESTRY_FILE is not defined
    at Object.<anonymous> (/home/EloquentJS/05_ageDiff.js:3:27)
    at Module._compile (module.js:570:32)
    at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:579:10)
    at Module.load (module.js:487:32)
    at tryModuleLoad (module.js:446:12)
    at Function.Module._load (module.js:438:3)
    at Module.runMain (module.js:604:10)
    at run (bootstrap_node.js:394:7)
    at startup (bootstrap_node.js:149:9)
    at bootstrap_node.js:509:3

05_ageDiff.js

require('./ancestry.js');

var ancestry = JSON.parse(ANCESTRY_FILE);
console.log(ancestry.length);

ancestry.js data file

var ANCESTRY_FILE = "[\n  " + [
  '{"name": "Carolus Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1832, "died": 1905, "father": "Carel Haverbeke", "mother": "Maria van Brussel"}',
  '{"name": "Emma de Milliano", "sex": "f", "born": 1876, "died": 1956, "father": "Petrus de Milliano", "mother": "Sophia van Damme"}',
  '{"name": "Maria de Rycke", "sex": "f", "born": 1683, "died": 1724, "father": "Frederik de Rycke", "mother": "Laurentia van Vlaenderen"}',
  '{"name": "Jan van Brussel", "sex": "m", "born": 1714, "died": 1748, "father": "Jacobus van Brussel", "mother": "Joanna van Rooten"}',
  '{"name": "Philibert Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1907, "died": 1997, "father": "Emile Haverbeke", "mother": "Emma de Milliano"}',
  '{"name": "Jan Frans van Brussel", "sex": "m", "born": 1761, "died": 1833, "father": "Jacobus Bernardus van Brussel", "mother":null}',
  '{"name": "Pauwels van Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1535, "died": 1582, "father": "N. van Haverbeke", "mother":null}',
  '{"name": "Clara Aernoudts", "sex": "f", "born": 1918, "died": 2012, "father": "Henry Aernoudts", "mother": "Sidonie Coene"}',
  '{"name": "Emile Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1877, "died": 1968, "father": "Carolus Haverbeke", "mother": "Maria Sturm"}',
  '{"name": "Lieven de Causmaecker", "sex": "m", "born": 1696, "died": 1724, "father": "Carel de Causmaecker", "mother": "Joanna Claes"}',
  '{"name": "Pieter Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1602, "died": 1642, "father": "Lieven van Haverbeke", "mother":null}',
  '{"name": "Livina Haverbeke", "sex": "f", "born": 1692, "died": 1743, "father": "Daniel Haverbeke", "mother": "Joanna de Pape"}',
  '{"name": "Pieter Bernard Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1695, "died": 1762, "father": "Willem Haverbeke", "mother": "Petronella Wauters"}',
  '{"name": "Lieven van Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1570, "died": 1636, "father": "Pauwels van Haverbeke", "mother": "Lievijne Jans"}',
  '{"name": "Joanna de Causmaecker", "sex": "f", "born": 1762, "died": 1807, "father": "Bernardus de Causmaecker", "mother":null}',
  '{"name": "Willem Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1668, "died": 1731, "father": "Lieven Haverbeke", "mother": "Elisabeth Hercke"}',
  '{"name": "Pieter Antone Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1753, "died": 1798, "father": "Jan Francies Haverbeke", "mother": "Petronella de Decker"}',
  '{"name": "Maria van Brussel", "sex": "f", "born": 1801, "died": 1834, "father": "Jan Frans van Brussel", "mother": "Joanna de Causmaecker"}',
  '{"name": "Angela Haverbeke", "sex": "f", "born": 1728, "died": 1734, "father": "Pieter Bernard Haverbeke", "mother": "Livina de Vrieze"}',
  '{"name": "Elisabeth Haverbeke", "sex": "f", "born": 1711, "died": 1754, "father": "Jan Haverbeke", "mother": "Maria de Rycke"}',
  '{"name": "Lievijne Jans", "sex": "f", "born": 1542, "died": 1582, "father":null, "mother":null}',
  '{"name": "Bernardus de Causmaecker", "sex": "m", "born": 1721, "died": 1789, "father": "Lieven de Causmaecker", "mother": "Livina Haverbeke"}',
  '{"name": "Jacoba Lammens", "sex": "f", "born": 1699, "died": 1740, "father": "Lieven Lammens", "mother": "Livina de Vrieze"}',
  '{"name": "Pieter de Decker", "sex": "m", "born": 1705, "died": 1780, "father": "Joos de Decker", "mother": "Petronella van de Steene"}',
  '{"name": "Joanna de Pape", "sex": "f", "born": 1654, "died": 1723, "father": "Vincent de Pape", "mother": "Petronella Wauters"}',
  '{"name": "Daniel Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1652, "died": 1723, "father": "Lieven Haverbeke", "mother": "Elisabeth Hercke"}',
  '{"name": "Lieven Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1631, "died": 1676, "father": "Pieter Haverbeke", "mother": "Anna van Hecke"}',
  '{"name": "Martina de Pape", "sex": "f", "born": 1666, "died": 1727, "father": "Vincent de Pape", "mother": "Petronella Wauters"}',
  '{"name": "Jan Francies Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1725, "died": 1779, "father": "Pieter Bernard Haverbeke", "mother": "Livina de Vrieze"}',
  '{"name": "Maria Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1905, "died": 1997, "father": "Emile Haverbeke", "mother": "Emma de Milliano"}',
  '{"name": "Petronella de Decker", "sex": "f", "born": 1731, "died": 1781, "father": "Pieter de Decker", "mother": "Livina Haverbeke"}',
  '{"name": "Livina Sierens", "sex": "f", "born": 1761, "died": 1826, "father": "Jan Sierens", "mother": "Maria van Waes"}',
  '{"name": "Laurentia Haverbeke", "sex": "f", "born": 1710, "died": 1786, "father": "Jan Haverbeke", "mother": "Maria de Rycke"}',
  '{"name": "Carel Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1796, "died": 1837, "father": "Pieter Antone Haverbeke", "mother": "Livina Sierens"}',
  '{"name": "Elisabeth Hercke", "sex": "f", "born": 1632, "died": 1674, "father": "Willem Hercke", "mother": "Margriet de Brabander"}',
  '{"name": "Jan Haverbeke", "sex": "m", "born": 1671, "died": 1731, "father": "Lieven Haverbeke", "mother": "Elisabeth Hercke"}',
  '{"name": "Anna van Hecke", "sex": "f", "born": 1607, "died": 1670, "father": "Paschasius van Hecke", "mother": "Martijntken Beelaert"}',
  '{"name": "Maria Sturm", "sex": "f", "born": 1835, "died": 1917, "father": "Charles Sturm", "mother": "Seraphina Spelier"}',
  '{"name": "Jacobus Bernardus van Brussel", "sex": "m", "born": 1736, "died": 1809, "father": "Jan van Brussel", "mother": "Elisabeth Haverbeke"}'
].join(",\n  ") + "\n]";

// This makes sure the data is exported in node.js —
// `require(./path/to/ancestry.js)` will get you the array.
if (typeof module != "undefined" && module.exports)
  module.exports = ANCESTRY_FILE;

via Max Wen